Students pitch innovative designs to retail giants

Six students on GCU’s MSc International Fashion Marketing course got the chance to visit one of the UK’s most successful outdoor clothing retailers.

The Strategic Fashion Branding module gave students the creative freedom to design a unique line of clothing for Scottish clothing giants, Trespass.

Six students were selected as having the best designs and given five-minute presentation slots to pitch their ideas at the company’s headquarters in Glasgow.

We caught up with two of the students involved, Keyssi Kelsch and Lindsay Provan, to hear about their journey into the world of fashion and how the Trespass experience will benefit them going forward:

How did you come to study at GCU?

Lindsay: “I did my Undergraduate in International Business at GCU, and I was a bit unsure where to go from there. My dissertation focused on fashion and sustainability, so I decided to go in that direction. My interest in fashion is something that’s stayed under the surface and grown over time.

“For me, there was no better place to continue my studies than at GCU. I did have a look at other Universities but there was nothing that interested me, and all the lecturers here are amazing so I knew it was the right decision.”

Keyssi: “I’m from Germany and studied Film Making & Screen Writing at UWS in Ayr. I really enjoyed the part where you could do production design with the costumes, so that’s why I thought fashion could be another avenue to go down. I eventually found the course at GCU and there was no previous experience in marketing required, so thankfully I got in!”

How did the opportunity to get involved with Trespass come about and why did you want to get involved?

Keyssi: “We basically got an email from our lecturer, Aileen Stewart. The thing that appealed to me most, in all honesty, was having that chance to gain experience. I wanted the opportunity to look inside a big warehouse and see how everything works behind the scenes at such a big organisation. I’d never actually heard of them before, so I was definitely intrigued.”

Lindsay: “It was the same for me. I really wanted to gain experience and I feel like there’s such a big focus on English fashion brands and how they operate. I was excited to see behind the scenes at a Scottish brand and witness the day-to-day operations, as well as getting that chance to present to the staff members.”

What did your different designs focus on?

Keyssi: “I created a motorsport line for motorcycles and racing. My dad absolutely loves racing and has the same motorbike as Tom Cruise in Top Gun, so that acted as inspiration for me. I designed a jacket, shirt, trousers, sunglasses, kidney belt, balaclava, boots and gloves. I felt it was something different for Trespass to look at and would help take them into a new market.

Lindsay: “I went down the fishing route. When I was doing the competitor analysis, I realised that a lot of their main rivals have a fishing range already. Fishing is such a big industry in Scotland, so I felt it would be beneficial for them.”

How did you feel presenting?

Lindsay: “I like to pretend I’m not nervous, but I was definitely super nervous! I think I rushed a bit at the start because we only had five minutes to present. It was definitely nerve-wracking but once it started, I was fine.”

Keyssi: “I was nervous as well, but once you start talking and get used to the people in the room it’s absolutely fine. It was difficult only having five minutes, but then the Trespass boss told us to take our time so that helped put me at ease!

“I also decided to keep the presentation simple and keep their attention by using bright colours in my designs.”

You also got the chance to go on a tour of the facility, that must have been interesting?

Lindsay: “It was really interesting to see how everything was all laid out. They spoke us through what everyone does and it was really good to see the processes and all the different departments. We also got to see the actual warehouse, which was massive!”

Keyssi: “I was curious because obviously I hadn’t really had an insight into the fashion world before. The place was so big and it was interesting to see all the different jobs and how everything links in to another part in the chain.”

“It helped make me think about if this was what I want to do with my life or if I want to go in a different direction. There are so many options in fashion so it was great to see it all.”

What would you say to any other students about getting involved in course-related opportunities?

Keyssi: “Definitely do it. Once you leave university you’ll definitely regret not trying out different things and taking on opportunities like this.”

Lindsay: “I think any opportunity to network with people in your field is incredibly important. It’s really important for us to try and expand our contacts as much as possible, even if it’s just getting someone from one of these companies on LinkedIn.”

Find out more about GCU’s MSc International Fashion Marketing programme here

By Ross Clark           
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter