We caught up with the winner of the first ever Level 4 ASOS Future Talent Communications Award winner Lauren Roberts, to hear more about her photography and styling projects, and her university experience so far. From finding endless inspiration in modern female magazine The Gentlewoman to the relationship between art and fashion, find out what inspires the emerging stylist and why network network network is always on her mind...
FIRSTLY, A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING AT GRADUATE FASHION WEEK 2018! WHAT AWARD DID YOU WIN?
Thank you! I won the Level 4 ASOS Future Talent Communications Award.
HOW DID IT FEEL WHEN YOUR NAME WAS READ OUT?
Unreal - I was SO happy!
WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND, AND HOW DO YOU THINK THEY PREPARED YOU FOR GRADUATION?
I attend Liverpool John Moores University and will be going into my second year in September.
DESCRIBE THE INSPIRATION AND CONCEPT BEHIND YOUR WORK.
The work I submitted was from projects I worked on in first year. One was inspired by The Gentlewoman magazine and the relationship between art and fashion. The second was about the plastic trend from SS18, in this project I focused more on the styling whereas the first I was looking more at the photography side.
WHAT ONE THING WOULD YOU RECOMMEND OUR READERS DO WHILST AT THE EVENT?
Network, network, network! It’s so good to get into a habit of it early, not only to meet people in the industry but it will also help grow your confidence too.
WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO PURSUE NOW, AND WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO BE IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
My plan is to continue pushing my styling to the next level and to soak up everything I can while at uni. In 5 years time I hope to be happy in a career I love but the ultimate goal for me is to work for a magazine, or even publish one myself…
IF YOU COULD GIVE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO YOURSELF IN FIRST YEAR, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Being 26 and being classed as a mature student, I would probably tell myself to not focus on age too much as it really is no biggie at all!