Hello, I’m Hannah Corns. I am 24 years old and I studied Fashion at Sandwell College. I completed the course in June 2014 and I was awarded a Distinction for BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Art & Design (Fashion & Clothing).
I would like to reach out to say thank you to Sandwell College and my tutors Sarah and Jill, as the qualifications, skills and knowledge I gained led me on the right path to where I am now with my own successful fashion brand, HUMANOS. The course I studied gave me the skills and experience to enrol at University of South Wales, where I graduated with a 2.1 BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion Promotion.
What did you enjoy most about the Fashion course at Sandwell?
I designed and produced clothing garments. I learnt how to create a pattern to size measurements and how to sew fabric correctly with different types of stitching. We were encouraged to do a photoshoot with our garments and at the end of each year we planned a fashion show to exhibit our hard work to family and friends. This was very fun as we also got to choose the music, the lighting style and practise choreography on the catwalk with the models. In year one, I chose a safari theme for my final collection and in year 2, cocktail dresses. It was a good course and I learnt a lot. I enjoyed designing the clothes, styling, doing photo shoots and helping to plan the fashion shows. I feel the education I have received at both Sandwell College and University of South Wales have prepared me well for the future.
What fashion industry experience did you get during University?
During my 3 years of study at the University of South Wales, I built on the knowledge I had gained at Sandwell College and continued to develop a more in-depth understanding of the fashion industry. I studied fashion branding, marketing & promotion, fashion photography, fashion media, consumer behaviour and much, much more. Assignments varied from fashion shoots and fashion promotion videos, producing fashion covers and writing articles for magazines, blogs plus other forms of media, designing for shop window displays to organising fashion events. We often worked with high street fashion retailers. I got an opportunity to do photoshoots for Topman’s social media; I worked with a male model for 12 months and followed a brief from Topman head office, alongside my Uni work. I also got experience as a stylist / production assistant and helped out with the Cardiff fashion shows by organising, styling and dressing the models ready for the catwalk. In my last year at Uni, I participated in Graduate Fashion Week in London and was put forward for the 3INA Styling and Creative Direction Award where I made it to the top ten runners up.
So what does the future hold for you now?
I now have my own fashion clothing brand called HUMANOS and started to build my business in Cardiff just over a year ago. Last year I was recognised and awarded for being a Rising Star in Business in Wales. I have worked with professional mentors over the last 12 months who have given me business guidance and advice. I have done various events to promote my brand and plan to do more in the near future. My ambition is to become a well-known fashion brand with good ethos.
