My design career

My passion for design started back in high school when I was inspired by my design and technology teacher. Although back in high school I was more interested in fashion design, after finishing high school I went on to do a course in textiles, clothing and footwear at Ultimo Tafe. There I gained valuable experience in clothing production and design. My qualifications enabled me to work initially as a pattern grader for an evening gown company. Subsequently I went on to spend 6 years in the industry employed as a pattern maker, assistant designer, production coordinator and marker maker for companies that manufactured items such as sleepwear, kidswear and ladieswear. I enjoyed my time in the fashion industry because it was fast paced and challenging, however I never found my niche. That’s when I decided to learn new things and expand my horizons and apply for industrial design at uni.

My family and I are very hands on, for example, my older brother is a cabinetmaker and the company he works for manufactures some incredible products using PMMA, an acrylic resin that can be easily heated and moulded into various forms. My younger brother was an art teacher who also needed a career change due to lack of creativity in his current occupation. Now he is a stonemason creating sculptures using sandstone and marble as his medium. I love seeing what they create and am inspired to use mediums other than textiles for my own work.

After finishing this course I hope to be able to work in furniture design and hopefully get a family business started with my siblings. It would be great if we could design and create interiors, furniture and gardens. That is one of my main goals but product design and graphics also interest me and I hope to incorporate that into my future. Although I have yet to find my design style, I would like to be ecologically conscious when I form my ideas and use sustainable materials. I admire designers that can utilize materials we have and make it into something new again. I would also like to be able to help those that are less fortunate to be able to help themselves, for example the Approtec project. They help the Kenyan people to build their own community using their own resources, or help them transport water much easier than they have been or providing heat with their homes without electricity and prevent smoke inhalation. As you can see, I want to start small but I have big plans. J