Lana thrives through her Fashion T Level journey
Fashion T Level student, Lana Bradley is celebrating an impressive result in her first-year core assessment as she continues to develop her skills, discover new interests and prepare for her next steps.
Now in the second year of her Level 3 Fashion and Textile T Level at Barnsley College, Lana has embraced everything from garment construction and illustration to marketing and fashion history, despite fashion not originally being part of her plans.
Lana initially intended to study A Levels before discovering a love of sewing during the summer holidays and deciding she wanted to continue expressing her creativity through her studies.
She said: “I was so fixed on doing A Levels in Psychology, Art and History until I realised Fashion incorporated all of what I loved.
“Marketing and case studies linked with English and Psychology, Art comes through in the textiles and design side, and my knowledge and interest in history really helped me understand where different trends came from.”
Lana’s commitment to her studies paid off when she achieved high marks in her first year T Level core paper with 83 out of 120 marks, receiving an A.
Discovering new interests
Through her course, Lana has been able to explore the many different areas that make up the fashion industry, from garment construction and illustration to fashion history and marketing.
The breadth of the course has helped her discover interests she did not necessarily expect to have when she started.
“My favourite part of Fashion T Level has been the illustration and marketing sides of it,” said Lana. “I love doing photoshoots and making the magazines and commercials that accompany the marketing side.
“The course has helped me understand the skill and technique it takes to make a garment and the broadness of the industry, from garment construction to marketing. I have found a hidden love for marketing and fashion history, particularly ancient fashion history.”
As part of her T Level, Lana is also completing an industry placement at Wakefield Hospice Retail Hub alongside another student from her course.
The placement is giving her the opportunity to gain experience in a real retail environment, including using her creativity to develop areas of the store.
Lana said: “The opportunities we get weekly to add our own little twist to the store, making our own section of funky and cool clothes that we like and think are in style, is the main thing that jumps out to me.”
Although Lana does not currently plan to pursue fashion as a career, she described her placement as “an amazing experience” and is looking forward to continuing to develop her practical skills during the second year of the Fashion and Textiles T Level.
She added: “The main reason I did this course was to explore my skills and transfer my creativity from my Art GCSE over to tangible, wearable art.”
Looking to the future
After completing her T Level, Lana hopes to progress to university to study a teaching course, with the ambition of working in early years education.
Her experience at Barnsley College has given her the opportunity to develop a broad range of creative, practical and academic skills while exploring her interests and gaining experience of the workplace.
For Year 11 students considering whether the Fashion T Level could be right for them, Lana has simple advice.
“Go for it. I never really made up my mind on fashion until I started it.
“I think you never really know if you’re going to enjoy it unless you do it and fall into the side of fashion that suits you.”
Interested in studying Fashion and Textiles or another T Level at Barnsley College? Find out more about these courses by visiting one of our Open Days or contacting our Information, Advice and Guidance team at info@barnsley.ac.uk or 01226 216 123.
