Evaluative Report

My period of study in Paris was an unforgettable journey of personal and cultural discovery, which has broadened my imagination and challenged my ideas concerning the role of textile designers. From my quivering first day to my emotional departure I grew to become at ease in my surroundings and to except and embrace this city as a new home. The contentment brought by total immersion within an unknown, exciting environment was overwhelming. The mouthwatering smells, exotic sounds, and even the chill of the crisp Parisian Autumn air spurred me on to learn and explore.

In September the realization of my ambitious task was exceptionally daunting. All classes were to be taught in nothing but French and with little knowledge of technical textile terms in English I was unprepared for this steep learning curve. Reflecting back, it would have been so easy and so tempting to turn back on Gare du Nord platform and sink back into my familiar Chelsea life. Despite this, there was something driving me on to embrace the challenge with zealous enthusiasm. Studying in a foreign country had always been an intriguing concept for me as I am a firm believer that new experiences (be it good ones or bad) are key to a fulfilling life.

Despite being some of our closest neighbors, the Parisians could not be more different. I view their self-assured attitudes with great admiration and respect. They posses an enviable freedom from worry, stress and lack the continuous battle to better ourselves that plagues us British. The atmosphere in Paris cannot be paralleled. If the French do anything, it is to their best ability. In Paris you are enveloped in an aura of remarkable beauty. The city is like a bourgeois interior with carefully manicured grass rugs and immaculate street facades like decadent wallpaper. A five minute walk can so easily slip into an hour long meander through the sublime streets.


The approach to study at ENSCI was unlike my previous experiences. Importance was denoted to the acquisition of skill, perceived as the essential foundation to assure a successful design career. The approach was methodical with emphasis placed upon consideration of the final outcome before starting. If you were making men’s suiting fabric, forward planning was of paramount importance as a poor choice of yarn can have significant influence on for example the durability of the final cloth. This is especially applicable to weaving. In past projects I have rushed the initial planning stages and ended up unsatisfied with my choice of warp but without sufficient time to redo another. I have now learnt to take more time to consider my preliminary decisions.

During my studies I learnt to create commercially viable fabrics with quality and practicality taking precedence over experimentation. Work was led by the tutors who set strict, detailed briefs and monitored our adherence to these. Lessons were dedicated to meticulously unpicking existing fabric under a microscope in order to thoroughly understand its construction. Although initially I struggled with this rigid approach and felt creatively stunted, it taught me a valuable lesson. With a deep understanding of your tools you can develop your designs in a knowledgeable way, reaching more accomplished outcomes.

One of my best decisions was to immerse myself in the French way of life. Living with French girls and socializing with my French classmates did wonders for my language skills and by the end I was so proud that I could actually understand snippets of conversation on the metro and give directions to a lost French tourist.


Despite having a textile department, ENSCI is dedicated to industrial design. Final year pupils are encouraged to collaborate within the two departments. Unlike the work of the first years, these projects were innovative and combined an interesting mix of complex technology to create smart textiles. During my term I saw LED’s and electronics woven into illuminating decorative interior objects for a lighting project. Importance was placed upon addressing a balance between practicality and aesthetic beauty. This made me consider how to advance within the design world. These days, with an abundance of unwanted designed goods the role of the designer has changed. I am now convinced that collaboration is the fundamental key to successful design. In my future work I will aim to look at the bigger picture and to push textiles into other design fields.