London College of Fashion (LCF) has two pre-degree courses for international students that offer a practical and theoretical introduction to the three areas of study we offer: fashion design, fashion media and fashion business. Both International Preparation for Fashion (Certificate in Higher Education) (IPF) and Level 3 International Introduction to the Study of Fashion (IISF) courses allow you to explore a range of areas across this vast industry.
We recently caught up with Aniena Simone who prior to studying her current course BA (Hons) Costume for Performance, studied the International Introduction to the Study of Fashion.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to study a Pre Degree course at LCF? My name is Aniena, I’m from the United States. I moved to London in 2021 to pursue higher education at LCF, starting with the International: Introduction to the Study of Fashion course. I've just finished my first year of the Costume for Performance course and I’m looking forward to beginning my second year in September.
I found out about UAL by looking at world-wide art school rankings. I initially liked that it was highly ranked, (2nd in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 for art and design). I’m from a rural area in the United States, so the fact that UAL was based in London was a big pull for me, I wanted to be able to travel and learn about the world through diverse experiences and relationships.
What led you to apply for your current undergraduate course? I decided I wanted to go into costume soon after I started the IISF course. By the end of my first term on IISF, after speaking with my tutors, I figured that it would be the best fit for my general design aesthetic. So for the rest of the year, I was pretty set on studying costume. I’m also a massive bookworm, and I’m constantly coming up with characters and stories in my head.
Can you tell us about your most enjoyable experience studying your pre-degree course?
I really liked working on the IISF course. It was challenging, but spending class periods creating and developing my practice was also enjoyable.
In the second term, we did a project responding to the prompt “a building”. Basically, we were tasked with researching a building of our choosing and then designing a collection based on the visual and written information we’d gathered.
I really liked that project because as I was planning to go into costume, I was encouraged to create my own character with their own storyline. I also really enjoyed designing that collection as I pushed myself to do a lot of experimentation and step outside of my comfort zone a bit.
The programme is for international students only, so I really enjoyed the connections I made with such a diverse group of people that I wouldn’t have met outside of IISF. I was able to make a lot of good friends and have interesting discussions that gave me a better understanding of the world around me.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of studying a pre-degree course at LCF?
The most important thing for your work is probably to step out of your comfort zone and experiment, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and don’t try to be perfect. Don’t dwell on doubts of your capabilities because you are capable of doing the work—doubting yourself will only hold you back.
Make friends on the course because you will be surrounded by amazing people who will give you a new perspective on your work and life in general. Look for inspiration everywhere and collect it because your work is always going to be informed by it.
Finally, I think one of the more practical things that has come in handy over the past two years is to really take care to record your processes because you never know when you will need to reference them.
What inspires you?
Specifically when it comes to fashion, I’m really into fashion history. There’s not one specific period that inspires my work more than others, more so I draw inspiration from different trends and details from various decades. I’m a big fan of anything that I consider to be pretty or visually interesting.
I also do a lot of drawing and painting, and I think that things that inspire my 2-D work also contribute to my general design aesthetic. Artists that inspire me range from Cyarin/Laura Brouwers to J.C. Leyendecker to Leonardo da Vinci.
No matter what I’m creating, something that will always inspire me will be fairytales and fantasy. I have always been super into fantasy creatures like mermaids and fairies, and most of what I surround myself with and therefore have an interest in creating is related to these themes. I love creating things that bring the feeling of magic into the world.
What skills did you learn on your pre-degree course that you have been able to apply to your current course?
The skills I learnt on the IISF course helped my work grow so much. Most of the methods of development that I use today came from my pre-degree course work – either they are methods that were taught to us on the IISF course, or they are an extension of what we were taught as I’ve adapted my methods to fit timeframes and resources.
I really liked a lot of the physical and digital collaging that we did on the IISF course, and when I start development on a new project, I usually start there. I used digital collaging in my most recent Costume project to create a mood board and develop some silhouette ideas.
There are other skills that I continue to use, including manipulating paper and fabric on a dress form for development and using tracing paper to isolate and manipulate elements of my research or sketches so that I can create new silhouettes and design variations as I work.