CFW Day supports Raffles Design Institute to nurture emerging fashion talent

Wednesday, 11 March 2015 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The CFW Team with the Raffles Management Team

The CFW Team with the students and management team at Raffles Traditional teaching methods where students sit in class and listen to the lecturer are not the most effective in terms of helping students to develop real skills and competencies that are necessary in today’s workplace – especially in the high speed, rapidly changing competitive world of fashion. In order to be effective, students must be active participants in the education process, and lecturers must create rich, relevant and challenging learning environments in which planned activities, learning and assessment outcomes take place. Raffles Design Institute strives to nurture emerging fashion talent by providing students with a wholesome and interactive learning experience. CFW Day helps Raffles to achieve this objective by providing students with the valuable opportunity to meet and learn from other successful designers. In addition to on-campus facilities, Prof. Steve Rawlinson of Raffles Design Institute believes that institutions must include off-campus opportunities where students can see, experience and practice what they learn in college alongside industry professionals. Commenting on this, he stated: “One of the most exciting opportunities that our Raffles students have is participating in the CFW Day, hosted by HSBC Colombo Fashion Week. Here, students are able to work alongside professionals who have experience at national and international levels, and are able to receive relevant advice and guidance during the overall process. Raw talent is the material of the future in all creative industries, but initiatives such as CFW Day enable students to fine tune and develop their raw talent into real market deliverables.” Preparing for a career in fashion World-renowned designer Dinesh Chandrasena, who is also a Fashion Design Lecturer at Raffles stated, “The learning context at Raffles is designed to ensure that our student professionals are given not only the best theoretical knowledge but also in-depth ‘real life/real time’ learning opportunities, both of which add to their ultimate employability and ability to create their own career paths.” Chandrasena reiterated that students should have opportunities to locate and nurture their intrinsic creative abilities, and develop their technical skills. Students must also learn the critical elements of the world of fashion design that can make the difference between success and failure. Prof. Rawlinson notes that working with professionals who lead CFW Day helps students learn skills that can be critical for future success. Time management, the ability to work with others but remain true to individual creative outputs, teamwork, meeting deadlines and managing change are fundamental skills that are vital for the designer of tomorrow. CFW Day provides an outstanding opportunity for students to see these skills in action and to be challenged to operate at a truly professional level. Raising profiles of design schools Raffles has been delighted to be involved with CFW not only because it is one of the most important and well respected competitive activities in Sri Lanka, but also because it effectively positions Raffles as a college that has the highest aspirations in terms of nurturing talent. The relationships that have developed over the years have been of immeasurable value to the students and lecturers, and they have also provided a collaborative platform that contextualises the reality of the fashion design industry in the most professional of ways. The high status of CFW and its preparatory activities are wholly aligned with Raffles’ determination to be a leader in design education and the Raffles team is delighted to play an active part in sustaining and developing this relationship for many years to come. Further highlighting the Raffles Institute’s approach to design education, Chandrasena stated, “At Raffles we believe in helping students to develop a strong sense of self-esteem and learning activities are designed to be self-empowering for the student body. Participation in top end activities such as CFW Day aligns perfectly with this Raffles philosophy and, as a college, the relationship is seen as beneficial and productive. The fashion design industry is fast paced and, at times, unforgiving and design professionals must be secure in their decision making skills, knowing that they may have to go above and beyond designated job parameters in taking chances and risks with ultimate confidence. CFW Day enables students to taste this challenge and Raffles appreciates the opportunities to work with the CFW in a way that promotes excellence in competition.” Enhancing learning experience for fashion students Andreea Lonhardt Muresan, international fashion design educator and Senior Lecturer in Fashion at Raffles believes that student competitions in general encourage students to work and study harder. She maintains that the real life challenges are motivating for students, and notes that the CFW Competition challenges and stimulates student creativity and enables them to produce their best work. Commenting on how CFW Day supports the learning experience at Raffles, Muresan stated: “The Raffles collaboration with CFW is very strong since we both appreciate the importance of the fashion industry, recognise how critical it is to be relevant and move quickly and, critically, we both value the role of competitions in education. At Raffles, student competitions are incorporated into the curriculum and Andreea notes that it is amazing to see the amount of effort that the students put into the competition projects. The CFW Competition is based on the actual material taught in school and the results are as effectively utilised to evaluate the students’ performances.” It is important that education is enjoyable, and the CFW Competition is a fun contest for students that provides guidance through the whole process from fashion sketches, technical drawings, sampling of fabrics all the way through to final execution. The students have a chance to work very close with the CFW team, to meet other participants, and connect with renowned fashion designers. In doing so the students are able to experience the integration of specific elements of knowledge and skill sets into an overall experience of the industry: this is an invaluable learning experience for all. Muresan states, “Working with CFW for the third year in a row has helped us forge invaluable ties with industry leaders and provide extremely valuable opportunities for our fashion design students at Raffles.”