2 Nov 2018
Student’s designs for sale at major high street fashion retailer
Student Abi Talbot
A student from Loughborough University has had four of her designs used by major high street retailer New Look.
Abi Talbot, who studies Graphic Communication and Illustration, is currently completing her placement year. As part of her year away from studies, she recently undertook an internship at New Look headquarters for one month.
Abi had previously worked at a local New Look store, and after speaking to her manager about design opportunities at their headquarters, was successful in being offered the chance to work at their head office.
After working on a ‘new in’ report at the beginning of her internship, Abi identified a current trend in fashion was pocket logos. She was then tasked by the team to create a variety of designs in preparation for the Autumn/Winter 2018 collection that fitted with the season.
As a result, Abi has been successful in having four of her designs appear on t-shirts sold by the high street chain. Examples include a sausage dog with the words ‘totally pawesome’, and plants inside a vivarium that says ‘rooting for you’ underneath. She also has a Christmas-themed one due to be on sale in the next few weeks.
Talking about her internship, Abi said: “The experience has taught me so much about the entire production process, from concept to print and everything in between. It has also showed me how different roles at head office link together.
“My internship also taught me a lot about how the designers in high street brands get their inspiration. I was sent sample shopping and attended many fashion week meetings and sample meetings which forecasted trends.”
“I’ve always wanted to be a graphic designer, but since this experience I’ve realised just how amazing it would be to do that job-in house for a brand I love.”
Ben Marston and Libby Insch, Graphic Designers at New Look who worked with Abi, added: “Abi was a pleasure to work with. She was enthusiastic, motivated and most importantly, extremely talented.
“She showed a great interest in how we worked and what better way to show this than to get her designs into stores.
“We presented her designs to our Buyer and she loved them! It was so refreshing to see Abi’s excitement and we know she will do great in the future.”
The t-shirts are available to buy online and in-store at New Look now.