Students turn plastic into something fantastic

Plastic shopping bags are recognised worldwide as an environmental hazard, but fashion students at Waltham Forest College have found a fascinating way to recycle them.

They have turned the throwaway items into fantastic dresses and gowns in a design project based on recyclable materials.

The bags were ironed, steamed, knitted, stapled, pinned, sewn and crunched into shape to make a collection of stunning creations, some outrageous and others the brave might dare to wear.

“I laughed when we were given this project,” student Sahra Moalim said. “I first thought, making dresses out of plastic bags, no way. But I was wrong.

“I learned that you can make anything glamorous and different. It works if you try hard to think of the design and forget about the material you are working with.”

Sahra, 20, is in her second year of a two year course leading to a BTEC National Diploma in fashion, a qualification equivalent to three A Levels, and plans to study design at university.

Her team used a variety of techniques, including adding sequins, to create a yellow and black gown from Morrisons bags.

Fashion tutor Melanie Boraster said students were split into teams of three, each consisting of a first year, a second year, and a fashion pathway student, to produce a garment.

“We visited the Fashion and Textile Museum and the Tate Modern to get ideas and inspiration for their designs,” she said.

Annie Sophocleous, 18, said: “I was inspired by the exhibition of corsets at the Fashion and Textiles Museum. I chose to knit a waist band with Morrisons plastic bags to get a tight waist effect with a puffy, girly-look skirt.”

Grace Crathern, 17, said it was her uncle who is a window dresser in Paris who inspired her to choose a career in fashion. She said: “My group really loved the bright yellow colour of the Budgens plastic bags. It was seeing a picture of a bra in a museum's leaflet that gave me the idea for the design of this dress.”

Mature student Femida Mahmood said her team’s design made from Waitrose bags was inspired by a 19th century “umbrella dress” seen at the fashion museum. The 53-year-old said: “I have five children aged between 10 and 19 and have a workshop at home where I make clothes for all the family and our friends.”

Radna Jassin admitted that she regarded her team’s design made from Asda bags more as “a piece of art” rather than a wearable outfit. “It’s punky and funky and you might get away with it around Camden Town,” she added.

However Niya Mignott said his team had deliberately set out to produce a wearable creation using Sainsbury’s bags. “We had a discussion and decided we wanted to design something that somebody might want to wear to a club.

“This project has taught me how to be creative, work as a team, how to use different ideas, and also how to compromise.”

Sarah Yombo said her team drew on the 1970s for inspiration for her beachwear outfit of knitted bra and matching skirt. “I had just been taught how to knit so I thought of incorporating knitting into the design,” she explained.

The conical bra worn by Madonna was the inspiration behind the outfit which featured a multi-coned bra designed by Luqman Ali’s team. He said: “You can do a lot of things with plastic that you can’t do with other fabrics, like burning it to make it tighter and crunchier.”

Shumaila Aslam said her team’s red, white and blue creation made from Tesco bags was designed to resemble a 19th century promenade dress with elaborate hat that elegant ladies might wear on their walks in the park. “We ironed and cut and steamed the bags and painted some of them to create the effect,” she added.

Saidah Kitimbo wants to continue her studies at the London School of Fashion when she completes her BTEC course and believes the skills she learned on the project will help her get there. “It was a fun to experiment and it proved that you can make anything out of plastic bags by using different techniques.”

The College runs a range of fashion courses to suit people at all levels. The majority of students progress to university or straight into employment, following the successful completion of their courses. For information about courses available at Waltham Forest College please phone 020 8501 8501, email info@waltham.ac.uk

Free training scheme helps the jobless get back to work

Jobless people who have been out of work for six months or more are queuing up to take advantage of free training on offer at Waltham Forest College. The scheme being launched this month provides skills training to help people find work in business administration, caring, hospitality and catering.

Units are offered in subjects including: computer skills, developing customer handling and general administration skills, working in the early learning sector, food preparation and cooking, and food and drinks service.

The Challenge Unemployment programme provides courses to improve the employability skills of the long term unemployed.

Waltham Forest College is one of eight colleges in London to benefit from a £100 million funding boost, the cash coming from the government and the European Social Fund. Iain Elliott, the college’s director of business, said: “Our experienced staff aim to build the self confidence of people who are out of work and to help them cope with the challenges they face.

“We want to help them identify their personal goals and improve their personal presentation skills so they can move from the benefit system into paid employment. Our specifically trained staff will identify an individual’s skills gaps and enable them to obtain nationally recognised qualifications.”

Programmes can be tailor made to each person’s needs and can either be college or home based learning as appropriate.

The Flexible Employability Training Framework offers support to people from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances including lone parents, those not fluent in English, individuals with no or few qualifications, and mature learners. It also provides support for people with health conditions and those with additional learning needs.

Within the framework, help with literacy and numeracy is provided and the courses aim to improve communication skills by providing courses in How to Write Effectively, interview skills and workplace numeracy skills. If you would like to obtain further information about this free training programme or other College courses please call 020 8501 8501, or email info@waltham.ac.uk

Learning to take the fast track to success

WFC students achieve their Uni dream

Daniel Tran wants to be a Formula One engineer, fine tuning racing cars in the pit lanes of the world’s Grand Prix circuits. Now the 18-year-old has the chequered flag in his sights after earning a distinction in the engineering diploma he studied at Waltham Forest College.

Daniel has won a place at City University in London where he will study for a degree in Automotive and Motor Sports Engineering, a four year course in which he will spend one year working in the motor industry. The ambitious teenager is one of more than 1,000 students from Waltham Forest College who are taking the vocational route rather than the academic route to achieving their goals.

Rather than stay on at school to study A Levels, Daniel chose to go to Waltham Forest College to study for a BTEC National Diploma in Engineering. The qualification is worth three A Levels. Daniel obtained a distinction and two merits in his diploma which earned him 280 UCAS points, the equivalent of two grade B passes and one grade C pass at A Level.

“I am really excited that I have a confirmed place at university,” he said. “It has been really hard work but it has paid off in the end. “The course has been fantastic and will help me achieve my ambitions in Formula One. The teachers have helped me a lot. They give up so much of their own time to give us extra support.”

More than 300 students will be heading off to university in the coming weeks after celebrating their success in vocational courses they have taken at the college. Many more have secured jobs in their chosen fields, and will continue their learning while they are earning.

Victoria pursues her passion for fashion

Fashion student Victoria Akinte is celebrating after securing a place at university where she will learn how best to design her own collection and market her own label.

Her success in the BTEC National Diploma in Fashion Design she took at Waltham Forest College has won her a place at Birmingham City University to study Fashion Promotion. She heard of the college’s outstanding reputation for teaching fashion design and decided to travel 30 miles a day from her home in Kent to study at the college’s campus in Forest Road, Walthamstow.

“I would recommend anyone with an interest in fashion as a career to study at Waltham Forest College,” the 22-year-old said. “I have gained an insight into aspects of fashion that I didn’t even know about before.” As the daughter of a dress designer, it was perhaps inevitable that she would develop a passion for fashion. She already has a diploma in media which should also help her in university course.

“I was working in a bride and groom salon when I decided I wanted a career in fashion,” she added. “I gained experience and confidence in design but decided I needed formal qualifications to progress. A friend in the business who has his own label told me how good the course is at Waltham Forest College, which is why I decided it was worth making the long journey every day.

“The course I did at college taught us not only design and garment making skills, but it also taught us the business skills we will need and I found I was quite good at that. As I want to have my own collection it is important to have marketing, promotion and business skills, which is why I chose to study fashion promotion at university.

“I would definitely recommend anyone who wants to study fashion to do so at Waltham Forest College. The staff are very patient and very positive. It was a beautiful and wonderful experience.”

The practical alternative to A Levels

From as nearby as the University of East London to as far away as the University of Cumbria, students from Waltham Forest College are choosing universities across the country to continue their studies.


School leavers are discovering that A Levels are not the only route to achieving success in their career goals. A variety of alternative vocational qualifications are offered by Waltham Forest College that enable young people to achieve their ambitions.


In addition to BTEC Nationals in engineering and fashion, they are also available in subjects including public services, travel and tourism, health and social care, sport studies, business and computing.


Other qualifications include the Cache diplomas in subjects such as childcare and education, OCR qualifications in business and computing subjects, and the AAT in Accounting.

Students showcase sartorial talent

(The following piece appeared in the Waltham Forest Guardian, Tuesday 30th June 2009)

WALTHAM Forest College was given a taste of the catwalk as fashion students staged their end-of-year show.

Flounces, frills and old socks all made appearances as models strutted their stuff on the runway on June 25.

With inspirations as diverse as Country Life magazine and the African savannah, the show ran the sartorial gamut, from street chic to evening wear.

In the “Make Do and Mend” category, first year fashion students stitched together old socks to create a range of shift dresses.

They also drew inspiration from TV series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, based on the novel by Alexander McCall Smith. The result was a collection of multi-coloured leather waistcoats, worn over blouses, skirts and shorts in African-style prints.

Benita Odogwu-Atkinson, the college’s curriculum manager for fashion, textiles and media, said: “Each year we look at different cultures for our inspiration and this year I wanted to focus on the British culture. We aimed to produce the Burberry look, with a collection of outfits in tweed and woollen fabrics.”

Models from the I Feel Experience agency showed off the students' work, as well as friends, family, other students, and in some cases, the designers themselves.

First-year BTEC student Luqman Ali, 17, said he spent 12 hours making a dress from old socks.
“I have always had a passion for clothes,” he said. "When I was younger I used to watch my mother sew and it stemmed from that.”

Taking a two-year course in fashion and clothing, Luqman hopes to go to university to study design and plans to become a designer and model.

The show was staged at the college in Forest Road, Walthamstow on June 25, featuring from students from a variety of courses.

Students complete mentoring scheme

(The following piece appeared in the Waltham Forest Guardian, Thursday 11th June 2009)


STUDENTS from Waltham Forest College have successfully completed a mentoring scheme set up by a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer.



A total of nine students took part in the scheme, called Aiming Higher, which was set up by Waltham Forest prosecutor Pauline Curtis. It was set up with the aim of “empowering young people to make positive life choices”.

Ms Curtis ran the scheme alongside seven other prosecutors from around London, including the Borough's crown prosecutor Antony Salmon.

Lasting five months, the nine students, aged 18 and 19, were linked with a role model or mentor, spending four hours a month together.

During this time, they took part in career planning and goal setting exercises and were also allowed to spend time in their mentors' workplaces.

Pauline Curtis said: “I first had experience of a mentor in 2004 and it changed my whole life. Most importantly, the mentor gave me confidence and I want to give young people the same opportunity to succeed.

“The scheme has drawn attention and we are hoping to expand to include more students at Waltham Forest College and to launch the initiative at Greenwich University in the autumn."

THE WALTHAM FOREST COLLEGE ART EXHIBITION 2009

Waltham Forest College hosted a reception evening to launch this year’s annual end of year art exhibition on Tuesday 9 June at its Forest Road site.

The exhibition, which closed on Friday 12 June, featured an incredible collection of artistic talent reflecting the diverse ethnicity of students who attend the College. Many of the artworks on display were based on their own personal experiences and family history.

Students worked with an array of media, including photography, sculpture, painting and appliqué to produce a wonderful visitor experience.

Exhibits included major projects produced by final year BTEC National Diploma students (equivalent to 3 A-levels) who have all secured university places. They will progress onto a range of degree courses such as architecture, textiles, fashion design and photography, graphics and the fine arts.

Peter Glasgow, Vice Principal at Waltham Forest College, said: “Some of our students exhibiting have overcome barriers to the exploration of and the fulfilment of their artistic potential; these barriers included disability, financial restraints and family commitments. Our students have devoted real energy to their work and this has resulted in some outstanding displays”
Sue Royle, Curriculum Manager, said: “I am really proud of the way in which all students have contributed to organizing this year’s exhibition. I would also like to thank our sponsors the Star of India for providing the buffet served during the opening reception”.

Mayor of Waltham Forest, Councillor Anna Mbachu, commented: “The Exhibition was brilliant and the work was very creative. These students are not only imaginative; they must also be very focused to produce such marvellous exhibits”.

Chris Kiernan, Executive Director of Children and Young People Services for the London Borough of Waltham Forest, commented on the extremely high standard of work at Waltham Forest College particularly at level 3, i.e. equivalent to A levels. He also felt that the work exhibited very much reflected the diversity of the learners at the College.

Art student, Courtney Joseph said “I came to the College three years ago as a BTEC First Diploma student and I now have a place at university. I would encourage anyone to come here because of the help and encouragement you get from all the staff including the technicians”.

Award Ceremony Celebrates Students Achievements

Waltham Forest College’s School of Service Industries held its annual awards presentation ceremony on Wednesday 27th May 2009. Certificates, trophies and cash prizes were presented to 32 students.

Held in the College’s Mallinson Restaurant, the presentation evening was hosted by Claire Shire, the College’s Director of Young People’s Learning. There was an atmosphere of great excitement as staff and guests celebrated the achievements of students who had completed courses in Travel & Tourism, Hospitality & Catering and Public Services. The awards were presented to students to recognise their commitment, hard work and outstanding achievements on their programme of study.

NVQ Level 2 Catering student Jade Combrinck commented: "I'm really pleased my team won the Mallinson’s Trust Prize. It was a great experience to organise a charity event for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a charity close to my heart. I really enjoyed working as part of a team; we had a good team spirit and worked hard to achieve our goals."

This event was sponsored by several high profile organisations which included: Aramark, a world leader in professional services; Metropolitan Police, Swiftpack, Russus, Andaz Hotel, Queen Mary University and Anglia Ruskin University, and The Mallinson Trust.

Robin Jones, Principal and Chief Executive at the College said: “I would like to congratulate our students on their achievements. This ceremony highlights the excellent progress they have made. Many of our award winners are moving on to jobs or university where they will use the skills they have gained.”


Award recipients
Hospitality & Catering: Scott Hunt-McDonnell, John Modeste, Anna Powell, Shinder Singh, Bernadette Forde, Marcin Gronwald, Frazer Connelly, Clair Marie Suragh, Peter Phelan, Billy Best, Linsey Satnarine, Stephanie Giola, Ida Amegby, Jade Combrinck, Jade Modeste, Diasy Morgan, Jono Stephens, Anna Szarek, Carrie Veitch.

Travel & Tourism: Mohamed Hanafi, Paulina Kuskky, Cornely Mulumba, James Kennedy, Maria Stanczykiewicz, Gloria Mbuyi Kabengele.

Public Services: Anisa Aga, Adam Vandepeer, Kirstie Gifford-Pitcher, Sarah Ann Gills.

Charity Bike Ride by Staff Waltham Forest College

On Sunday 6th May eight members of staff at Waltham Forest College took part in a 20 mile fundraising bike ride. Braving the inclement weather conditions, they raised in excess of £200 which will be donated to Essex based The Little Haven Children’s Hospice.

The hospice aims to provide support and care for children and their families who are affected by life-threatening illnesses. The hospice offers short-term respite care and specialist terminal care when the need arises, to children from Essex and outer London boroughs.

The team are now gearing up to take part in the National 60 mile London to Cambridge charity bike ride which will be taking place on Sunday 26 July. Funds raised will be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the UK's leading breast cancer charity.

This event will give participants the opportunity to cycle through beautiful countryside from Pickett's Lock, Lea Valley to the finish at Midsummer Common in Cambridge - a perfect place for friends and family to cheer you over the finish line. The route is fully signed with comfort breaks and marshalled to help you on your way.

Training sessions take place each Sunday so if you would like to take part in this event or simply wish to have some fun whilst getting fit contact Debbie Dennis 0208 601 8259.

Well done and Congratulations to all 20 mile bikers!!

Waltham Forest College Has Got Talent

The Waltham Forest College Has Got Talent Show brought together an array of artistry including singing, rapping, beatboxing and comedy. Auditions were held prior to the main showcase which took place in May. 17 students attempted to wow a panel of judges who would decide whether they had the talent to perform.

An audience of over 150 waited for the 8 finalists. The student common room was filled with energy and more importantly talent. The level of audience appreciation was used to judge each performance as the artists displayed their skills with enthusiasm and emotion.

BTEC National Certificate student Aroda Ryan was delighted and proud to be named Waltham Forest College Has Got Talent Winner. Aroda’s rendition of ‘Ready for Love’ by India Arie, with accompaniment by Engineering BTEC National Diploma Student Ade Damilola on guitar, won the hearts of the audience. Aroda was presented with a trophy, £100 and a voucher to the Waltham Forest College Hair and Beauty Salon for a pamper day. Second place and third place went to Tanika Richards, an RnB singer and Sara Hassan, a pop singer. The 7 runners up were Shannyce Oswald, Kevin Obrefo, Erik Obot, Mrinal Madub, Sid Zenaf, Zino Bouakaz and Ashley Cooper Clarke.

Aroda said “I’m thrilled to have won. I love singing but maybe lack the confidence to sing more in public. After this, I feel able to perform in front of crowds and I look forward to my next performance. I would like to thank Ade for accompanying me and also the WFC crowd for choosing me as the winner.”

Student Union President Batula Sharif added “the talent surpassed last year’s because of the diversity. Waltham Forest College really does have talent.”

The event was organised by the College’s Student Union who will now be putting their efforts into organising the End of year Student Ball.