On Wednesday 23rd September, our Year 12 Double Award Fashion & Textiles students at The Island VI Form had the fantastic opportunity to work with Medina Alumni, Georgia Haywood, from local Isle of Wight company, The Islander.

Georgia met with students for their first client briefing as part of their current Upcycling Project, which focuses on designing and creating sustainable, upcycled bags. During the session, students met with Georgia to discuss the project and asked insightful questions to gain a clear understanding of her requirements and the types of products she would like them to design and create.

The students demonstrated exceptional professionalism throughout the briefing, having prepared a thoughtful and considered range of questions in advance. Georgia also shared valuable insights into the design process within her company, giving students a fascinating look at how an initial idea develops through a series of stages before becoming a finished product.

Georgia brought along a range of samples from The Islander, including tote and compartment bags in a variety of sizes, prints and styles. We’re not sure who was more excited — the students or the staff! Seeing and handling real examples of finished products helped students to visualise what they could produce in response to their live brief and provided valuable inspiration for their own designs.

The Island VI Form would like to extend its warmest thanks to Georgia Haywood for taking the time to work with our students and share her expertise.

Georgia’s journey from Medina student to successful local business owner provides our Fashion & Textiles students with an inspiring example of what can be achieved through studying a creative subject. Her experience demonstrates the exciting opportunities that can arise from developing creative skills, pursuing your interests and turning your ideas into a career.