The Woman behind some of Britain's Greatest Designers
The Fashion MA at Central Saint Martins College in London is often called the most prestigious course of its type in the world. It is fun by Professor Louise Wilson who is arguably the most influential person in Britain’s fashion industry, nurturing talent and inspiration. Among her students have been Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon, Phoebe Philo, Matthew Williamson, the late Alexander McQueen and Scotland's Jonathan Saunders and Christopher Kane. It's said more than 90 per cent of the two dozen students who graduate with their masters go on to join one of the big fashion houses or start their own label which is an astonishing rate. It also explains why so many aspiring designers are clamouring to get in to Saint Martins and gain good footing in the fashion world. However, Louise says the course’s reputation shouldn't intimidate hopefuls or put them off. She said: "I'm not saying it's hard to get on the course because it's not. I don't want people to believe you've got to be super-duper. We take risks on all kinds of people. However this is not saying it’s easy to get on as she adds "it's certainly not 560 applicants and you're agonising over each one. Less than half will be contenders for a place." Her straight-talking has gained Louise a reputation as a tough cookie but none of her students have a bad word to say about her. For her the fashion industry affects people’s lives in ways they don’t even realise, from the colour of car interiors to carpets. In 2008, Louise received an OBE for services to the fashion industry and education. Louise’s latest project is a collaboration with Pringle to create an archive of the company's 195-year history. For Louise there are two benefits: Sponsorship from Pringle which facilitates the course at Saint Martins, and a learning curve for the students. Louise left Jedburgh, Scotland at 18 to join the London course she's now in charge of. After graduating, she moved to Hong Kong and worked as a designer and consultant. She returned to London to become course director of womenswear in 1992 but five years later left to work for Donna Karan in New York. In 1999 she returned again to the college, this time in charge of the MA course, and has been there ever since. She insisted she didn't miss designing herself, pointing out that by guiding her students she has a hand in dozens of collections every year. Louise said: "The work the students produce now is far in excess of what we produced when we were students. "The quality, what they're expected to do, what the world expects of them is much more. "Working with the kids here is a privilege. I would like to be more under the radar because the bigger your fame is, the more intimidated people are at the beginning and it takes a while to break that down. "But Saint Martins was here long before I was and it'll be here long after."
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