Kenechi Carmel Amamgbo is a British-American art director and set designer based in London. She graduated from BA Fashion Communication & Promotion at Central Saint Martins in 2024.
Why did you choose to study BA Fashion Communication: Image and Promotion at Central Saint Martins (CSM)? I had come from a mixture of academia and fine art, but was looking for an intersectional course where I could further explore this in a contemporary landscape that is ever-changing and evolving, with apparent human application. Working on the body and in the fashion industry gave me an opportunity to achieve this. It helped me develop my graphic communication and gave me a chance to actively collaborate, which accelerated my transitional learning from those previous disciplines. As I enjoy being a multidisciplinary artist, I was able to widen my scope a lot by joining Fashion Communication - something I had a proclivity for, now matched with the ideal environment.
What have you been working on since graduating? I have taken on seasonal contracts that have given me even more work experience than I had accomplished during my DPS sandwich year. I have continued to pursue the relationships I established then - continuing editorials with CRACK Magazine, a stint as an Art Director for an interior design showroom, Monologue London, and now working as a brand consultant for a Nigerian demi-couture brand, supporting them with a brand image refurbishment with complete creative control.
Working across these different opportunities — alongside freelancing editorials and personal research - has given me the time to trial what sort of work I’d like to do and build towards my future career steps.
What was the most interesting project you worked on during your time on the course? I thoroughly enjoyed my final-year project and how it worked in tandem with my extended dissertation research and writing. Come Together (2024), the visualiser and the editorial, were some of the most ambitious personal pieces I have ever pursued. Having moved from personal practice to deep industry participation and then returning to it for my FMP, I was provided with a new sense of self-invigoration and anticipation - both to make and to say something meaningful.
The idea of returning to pre-colonial research for Igbo forms of art-making, and contemporary Diasporic conversations for artists as a form of cultural reconnection, was very important to me. I learnt a lot about myself and provided a platform for others to be a part of the discussion and for others to hear what we had to say and show.
I established a wonderful diasporic team to help me execute an array of polished and proud imagery, which I was able to get published with Nataal Magazine, alongside some textual extrapolations from my dissertation — a complementary theoretical exploration of the visuals.
What important piece of advice would you give to students thinking of studying this course? Be patient with yourself, especially if it is a significant change for you. I experienced a strong sense of internal competitiveness and slight overcompensation - trying to prove to myself and others that this change and choice were rightfully made.
However, it is a long road ahead, and pacing yourself with a strong sense of trust that you will achieve what you desire after your studies is very possible. With some dedication and humility, there are a lot of opportunities available at CSM, with ample disciplines surrounding you where you can test your interdisciplinary skills, which further enrich your own craft - you just have to uncover them for yourself.
What was the highlight of your Central Saint Martins experience? The feat of doing as much as possible in my final year. I proved to myself my visual and academic prowess - opting for the extended dissertation while doing both a moving image piece and an entire editorial simultaneously. All parts are equally important to me, and I not only did all, but excelled.
What is the most important thing you learnt on the course? Faith in self and determination are incredibly important. Speaking things into existence and carrying your dream with you in every action, and trying to piece together what your bigger picture is means there is a lesson and a way to grow in every project, no matter how glamorous it is.
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