Elliot graduated from BA Fashion Communication: Histories and Theories at Central Saint Martins in 2024.
Why did you choose to study BA Fashion Communication: Histories and Theories at Central Saint Martins (CSM)?
Originally, I wanted to study politics, but the pandemic forced me to take a year out. I was already interested in fashion, but during that time I started to think about studying fashion, although I had little interest in the technical or creative side of the industry. I found this course whilst looking online and was drawn to its emphasis on research, as well as its theoretical and historical approach to the field that would allow me to merge all my interests into a single academic path.
What have you been working on since graduating?
In September of 2024, I continued my studies with my MA in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where I specialised in German and English modernism.
What was the most interesting project you worked on during your time on the course?
Definitely my thesis - for my final project, I proposed an interpretive framework for analysing two relatively well-known manifestos on dress by the Italian Futurist Giacomo Balla. Drawing on late nineteenth-century crowd psychology and the philosophical foundations of Futurism, I argued that the two manifestos exemplified the movement’s shifting approach to subjectivity in response to the First World War.
What important piece of advice would you give to students thinking of studying this course?
Immerse yourself in the subject and follow what genuinely interests you. Sometimes things that seem small or unimportant end up being something you keep coming back to, even years later.
What was the highlight of your Central Saint Martins experience?
I loved the variety of projects that we were given. It allowed me to explore a weird range of topics like Japanese body horror and eighteenth-century satirical prints in the space of one term. The teaching staff were also incredibly supportive and always encouraging. My personal highlight, though, was meeting my partner, a fellow Fashion History and Theoryite, in first year who I later graduated alongside.
What is the most important thing you learnt on the course?
To stop doubting myself. Fashion Histories and Theories is such a unique course that it’s easy to feel like an imposter at times, I eventually learnt to tell those inner demons to get lost!
View Elliot's website see his workFollow Elliot on Instagram