Teaching in From Idea to Product in Fashion Business
John Boddy
Head of Fashion Design, Falmouth University
I first became interested in fashion when I started to notice how tribes of people could be identified according to the clothes that they had decided to wear in order to express their allegiance to particular styles of music. I was fascinated by the idea that you could ‘belong’ yet at the same time be an outsider based solely on the t-shirt that you chose. Growing up in a small town in the north of England I was drawn to magazines such as i-D and The Face which opened my eyes to a whole other world and I soon decided to make the journey south to London.
I attended Central Saint Martins where I studied Fashion Design and continued to develop my love for clothes and their meaning. During this time I assisted Alexander McQueen on his now infamous Highland Rape collection and it was here I learned that in order to be an authentic creator, you must always be willing to take risks and always push beyond your comfort zone. I went on maintaining this belief and worked for many years exploring clothing, fashion and identity through my work as a pattern cutter, a costume designer for theatre, film and TV and through my own clothing brand and concept store.
Now, as a full time educator I instil this notion of risk-taking in all of my students, ensuring that they are continually asking themselves, “is this the best I can do?”. At Falmouth we deliver a progressive curriculum that pushes engagement with original research, in-depth analysis and translation into exciting 3D pieces through sketchbooks, drawing and technical research.
