Olivia Neighbour, a second-year BA Fashion Design student at Plymouth College of Art, is currently undertaking an internship at a womenswear brand called Aesthetic Laundry, with support from the Drapers’ x UKFT Bursary Programme.

UKFT and The Drapers’ Company are working together to support fashion and textile students across the UK to achieve good quality internships through the scheme.

Financial support from the Drapers’ Company is available to ten students annually to take up internship opportunities they may otherwise struggle to afford.

Aesthetic Laundry @aesthetic_laundry is a casual clothing brand designed and made in-house in London.

Olivia said: “[My internship] is so much fun and I’m having the best time! It’s been better than my expectations. The people are all so friendly and because it’s a small business I’ve been able to speak with each of them personally and they’ve all given me amazing tips which I never would have got if I was at a bigger company.

“I’ve been doing a bit of everything, sewing experience on spare garments, packing orders, cutting out patterns and lots of other things.”

UKFT is providing mentoring, guidance, and networking opportunities to each student to ensure their internships are safe, enjoyable and valuable.

The scheme is part of UKFT’s work to increase the industry knowledge and experience of graduates, as well as opening up new routes into the sector.

Find out more about the bursary scheme here.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT UKFT’S WORK WITH UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES