When it comes to spotting and supporting emerging fashion talent, the British Fashion Council are all over it. In 2012 Jousianne Propp won the Mulberry Design Competition thanks to the Council's initiative programme.
Jousianne graduated from Manchester School of Art last year before going on to scoop up the £2,000 competition prize. After submitting five looks for Autumn/Winter 2013 along with all her research and inspiration material, Jousianne was selected as winner by Mulberry's creative director, Emma Hill and head of ready-to-wear Frances Stringer.
Jousianne is now working towards an MA in Womens Knitwear at the Royal College of Art but she took time out to talk to MyDaily about her degree show and explain why she's still hungry to learn everything the industry has to offer.
What challenges did you face during your final show?
My graduate collection was almost entirely knitwear, and I had only learnt to knit a year before I graduated. It is a very complex field and I had to learn a lot of the techniques and ways of working as I went along. At the same time I wanted to be very free and playful with the materials I used - discs cut from plastic document wallets - and incorporate them into the collection in a refined way.
What advice/words of wisdom would you offer to students about to graduate?
I would say to enjoy the fact that you can be completely free and creative. Take your work seriously - it's about learning the proper techniques, but it's also about forgetting about them and saying ''why not''. You can't please everyone, so don't be afraid to make mistakes. I'm currently in my first year of an MA at the RCA, so I have to remind myself of these things sometimes. There is always more to learn.
LOVE JOUSIANNE'S WORK? Be inspired and take a look at some pieces from her graduate collection:
MORE NEW TALENT
See all the latest graduate fashion and degree shows here.