Meet Vanessa Wiggins, 22 year old Fashion Designer and Pattern Cutter from
East Sussex.
Can you tell me a bit about your background from before university?
Before Uni, I only did dressmaking as a hobby and did academic subjects at school but after finishing my International Baccalaureate exams I took a year out and decided that Fashion was what I really wanted to do so I applied to Portsmouth on the off chance that I might get in!
Do you do mostly fashion or textile design, why?
I focused on Fashion in the second year, mainly because pattern cutting and construction were my favourite parts and also I didn’t have enough patience for screen printing!
What was your final collection inspired by?
My final collection was inspired by the beach, in particular the contrast between the natural and man-made things that can be found on the beach itself.
What do you feel is the most important thing you’ve learned these three years?
How to promote myself. Without those skills it is impossible to get anywhere in the fashion industry.
What about your collection do you like the most?
I like the combinations of colours that I used. I moved away from my usual colour palette of reds, pinks and oranges and am really pleased with the result.
Who inspires you?
Eccentric old lady’s who are beautifully and colourfully dressed inspire me. I hope that I will be like that when I’m old.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years time I hope to be working for a small design company as their pattern cutter and sample maker or possibly working as a textile teacher.
Thank you Vanessa!
I’m looking forwards to seeing more of your work in the future 🙂
To see more of Vanessa, or contact her, go to
or see her tumblr page
