Holly Fulton named head of fashion at Cambridge arts school

British fashion designer Holly Fulton has been appointed as the new head of fashion at the Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts (CSVPA), and will now lead its Fashion BA (Hons) degree.

In a statement, the college stated that as a “practicing designer with an internationally acclaimed fashion brand,” that Fulton would bring “both a deep understanding of the fashion industry and a wealth of education experience” to its fashion course.

Karin Askham, head of college, Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts, said: “We wanted to find an active fashion designer to be our head of fashion, to offer our students unparalleled industry insights as part of their education.

“Holly brings both a global understanding of the industry, with the success of her brand in Asia and the US, as well as an incredibly strong UK reputation through her significant position in Graduate Fashion Week. We are very proud to have her on our team.”

When commenting on why she took the head of fashion role Fulton said: “I have been involved with the education sector for over 15 years in different ways. But this is my first permanent role.

“Education is something I am passionate about and this position feels very natural for me. I have had some great mentors in my career and now I am in the right place to share what I’ve learned with students, while helping them to develop their own style and practice. I intend to give them an experience they would not be able to get at any other university.”

Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts appoints Holly Fulton head of fashion

Fulton has been an ambassador for Graduate Fashion Week for two years, as well as working with them for the past five years, and has previously served as a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art, Kingston University and Ravensbourne, as well as being an external examiner for the last 3 years.

The move to appoint Fulton is part of the Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts’ commitment to grow both British and global design talent.

Askham added: “Fashion is a global industry, and our intention is to enable our students to flourish through the incredible teaching and contacts we can offer. This provides them with the platform to progress into jobs in New York or Milan, or in the fast-growing fashion markets in Brazil, the Far East, or China. It is important to give them that international perspective.”

Fulton takes up the head of fashion role alongside her creative director role at her eponymous label, which she founded in 2009.

Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts is an independent arts school that aims to provide a “unique and highly personalised method of learning”, with Fulton explaining on the college’s website that they aim to keep classes small with around 10 students and that each student has a personal tutor, with Fulton overseeing all the students.

Fulton added: “What is unique and great about CSVPA is the small class sizes and the incredible facilities. I have witnessed, in large education institutions, huge class numbers, sometimes spanning ninety students in two days. There is often a lack of continuity, and it can be an unsatisfactory student experience.

“In my experience, the amount of time the students have with the teaching staff at CSVPA is unparalleled in the UK. We have a very strong technical team who bring industry expertise from the high-street experience to designers such as Vivienne Westwood.”

The BA (Hons) Fashion course is accredited by Falmouth University and has a focus on contemporary fashion, encouraging creativity as well as equipping its students with all the skills needed to work in the fashion industry including research, design development, pattern cutting and garment manufacture through to portfolio presentation. Subjects covered also include design, styling, marketing, visual merchandising as well as buying and selling.

Image: courtesy of Holly Fulton/Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts