Do you have a flair for fashion? From the most exclusive haute couture to the cheaper supermarket styles, from make-up to movies, fashion‘s influence is everywhere and Shrewsbury College can help you get a foot in the door.

Whether fashion is your hobby or you want to gain employment in the industry, Shrewsbury College offers a variety of courses that can enhance your skills or give you a qualification.

“Fashion has always been a popular subject with people of all ages but now more than ever, hobbyists as well as professionals want to enhance their skills. You only need to look at mainstream media, with programmes such as The Great British Sewing Bee and Kirsty’s Homemade Britain, and the boom in social media sites such as Pinterest, to see that arts and crafts are making a come-back,” explained Yvonne Fisher, Textiles & Fashion Lecturer at Shrewsbury College.

“We offer courses for all abilities and ages including full-time, part-time and Higher Education courses in Fashion, Dressmaking and Textiles. These courses will involve working with a variety of techniques and industry standard facilities, and can result in progression to design based Degree level courses in a range of relevant subjects, such as Fashion Design, Fashion Management and Fashion Promotion.

“Many graduates are employed by international designers and multi-national companies, or even go on to become international names in their own right,” she added.

Melissa Jones, 24, a former Fashion student at Shrewsbury College and current Assistant Merchandiser at Berwin and Berwin, said: “My course at Shrewsbury College created a valuable stepping stone in my career and allowed me to progress onto my degree course at Manchester Metropolitan University, where I studied International Fashion Marketing.

“Since leaving University I worked as an Assistant Buyer at Mama’s and Papa’s, and I’m currently working in Leeds as an Assistant Merchandiser for one of Europe’s largest suit producers, Berwin and Berwin. The skills and knowledge I acquired at Shrewsbury College has helped me greatly in my years since leaving the College.”

Sebastian Free, 18, Fashion student at Shrewsbury College, said: “I transferred to the Fashion course after helping out at the end of year Fashion show, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and buzz.

“I really enjoy the practical aspects of the course, and the creative freedom we get with our projects. I think the end of year art show is a fantastic opportunity for all of the fashion and arts students to present their hard work in a real life show environment.”

All Fashion courses at Shrewsbury College are taught by industry professionals in a friendly and welcoming environment.

If you are interested in joining an evening Social Sewing group at Shrewsbury College in April please call 01743 342333 or for more information about all of the Fashion courses please visit the Shrewsbury College website.