The world-renowned fashion designer Stella McCartney has announced that she will help talented students to achieve a place at the prestigious Central Saint Martins by funding an MA fashion scholarship! The lucky student will be supported throughout their Master’s studies and will also receive a year paid placement at Stella’s Design house too! By pioneering this incredible gesture, McCartney hopes that this will inspire other design houses to follow suit.
Having graduated in 1995, McCartney said of Central Saint Martins to be Life changing and wants to give students the same opportunity. It is announced at the same time as news of tuition fees increasing next year, making it increasingly more difficult and expensive to go to university. Tuition fees are set to increase in 2013 with the average fee increasing from £3,414 to £8,507 for Higher education institutions.
McCartney recognises this and offers the scholarship with the intention of sending an exceptionally talented student to Central Saint Martins without the burden of fees each year.
The designer, who this year had the honour of designing the official Olympic Kit for team GB said: "To get to a college like this is so hard for so many talented young people. For that reason, I am setting up this scholarship and I encourage other fortunate fashion houses to do the same."
This is a refreshing concept that gives hope to those fashion graduates, who often see prestigious London Colleges out of reach due to high fees.
The scholarship will also be offered to EU and international students, not just UK students. Recipients of the grant will be chosen based on previous exceptional work and talent shown throughout their designing history. The first scholarship will be awarded in October this year but it is still unclear as to how many lucky students will receive this coveted prize.
The British designer holds strong values of which she is respected in the industry for. She is committed to not using any product that harms animals in the making of her clothes, including fur and leather, these values she inherited from her animal rights activist mother, Linda. She asks the students awarded the scholarship to abide by these morals during their studies too.
This is a great opportunity from a very inspirational figure. Having gained an internship at Christian Lacroix at just 16 then heading on to an art foundation course and finally Central Saint Martin’s fashion course, she is the perfect role model to inspire future fashion designers.
