For creatives set on a career in design, Heathfield School offers a unique approach and close links to leading fashion and art institutions
Heathfield School has a long tradition of taking fashion and design seriously. Located in Ascot in a wonderfully designer Italianate mansion in extensive grounds (former home of the Paravicini family), its famous alumni include the legendary editor Isabella Blow, interior designer Nina Campbell and Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon. In fact, the arts programme here has nurtured notables over many years – from actress Sienna Miller and model Amber Le Bon to fashion consultant, stylist and editor Charlotte Stockdale.
There’s good reason to take fashion seriously. Largest of the creative industries, it’s estimated to be worth £26 billion in the UK alone and employs some 800,000 people. Over many years, Heathfield has built strong partnerships with leading UK institutions such as Falmouth School of Art and with New York’s Parsons School of Design. Recently, it became the only UK school to enter into a collaboration agreement with Parsons Paris.
Heathfield’s team believe Parsons’ approach of merging disciplines to cultivate design-led problem solvers is a great fit with the school’s philosophy. The bespoke curriculum is also reflective of practice at Heathfield. The partnership means that art and design students at the Berkshire school benefit in a variety of ways, including extracurricular and scholarship opportunities.
Parsons regularly attends the school’s fashion events to view students’ work and is also on hand to review the portfolios and presentations of students applying to study art and design at university. Heathfield Sixth Formers also receive a 10% discount on the Parsons Paris Summer Programme, which offers international students an immersion in subjects across the global fashion design, business, design management and fine arts fields.
Heathfield’s partnership with Falmouth School of Art is, like its Parsons’ partnership, fruitful for students and unique in the UK. Course leaders for last year’s Falmouth Challenge Competition set the school’s students the same brief as its own university students and were impressed with the sheer breadth of ideas they explored.
Heathfield has attracted other fashion insiders, keen to support its students’ creative spark. In 2019 students benefited from the input of fashion and luxury brand insider Stephen Lisseman, who shared his experiences of working in the sector alongside names such as Karl Lagerfeld, Christopher Bailey and Tom Ford. He further supported GCSE and A-level students via one-to-one tutorials to help consolidate their design skills and delivered a series of lectures on topics around the theory of design, fabric selection, preparing a portfolio and building a collection.
Heathfield’s Art Department team are instrumental in developing these partnerships and supporting broader knowledge. Fashion and Textiles students are encouraged to work across a wide range of disciplines, including print making, painting and drawing, lens-based media, and sculpture. They also explore more traditional skills, such as pattern cutting, fashion illustration, costume, jewellery and branding. Adjoa Essel, current Heathfield Designer in Residence, says: “I love helping them to learn new techniques, processes and inspiring them on their own textile and fashion journey. It’s really rewarding to see their work progress and watch their own styles evolve”.
Head of Art and Design, Angela Farrugia, says it’s important to deliver an innovative and dynamic approach via the curriculum in order to help students explore different mediums and find their artistic style – and she’s also passionate about the broader value of a strong arts training for all young people. “Art and design is imperative in schools as it not only teaches students to think critically and be creative, but also teaches them key life skills such as perseverance, commitment and focus.”
Angela Farrugia’s mission is to encourage students to build up a broad skillset in preparation for the time when they enter the working world – whatever industry they choose. There’s no doubt the Heathfield approach inspires creative careers. Every year its leavers are accepted at leading universities, such as Central St Martins and London College of Fashion, alongside its partners Falmouth College of Art & Design and Parsons New York. And the school’s biennial fashion show is ‘one to watch’ to see next gen talent coming through.
The show has become a fashion ‘hot ticket’, always attracting a diverse (often starry) audience of industry insiders, alongside proud parents and supporters. At the 2023 Primavera fashion show, produced by Angela Farrugia, students took to the catwalk in a diverse range of designs created by fellow students. It was an impressive runway production, and behind the scenes girls had flexed their creative muscles in other ways – ranging from photographing outfits and making a magazine to showcase all the work to styling the models. The show, as always, was a collaborative event, giving students a taste of what it’s like to work in real time within the fashion and design industries.
Heathfield School heathfieldschool.net
Further reading: Maida Vale School on the importance of a creative curriculum
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