Which institution did you attend?
Cumbria Institute of the Arts
Which campus did you study at?
Carlisle, Brampton Road
What course did you study?
Foundation Art & Design
What years did you study with us?
1990 - 1991
Why did you choose to study with us?
A good friend who was a year older than me in high school went to Carlisle and also did foundation art (Georgina Muir) I came down to Carlisle to see her and to see some of the things she was working on, which all sounded so incredibly amazing compared to our art classes at high school. Georgina took me inside Stanwix House and I felt like my body was switched on. I just felt so immersed in colour and texture and different smells coming from each studio. From that point on, everything I did for the remainder of my time in high school was working towards building an amazing portfolio and apply for the foundation course. It wasn't until I was there as a student, I was aware of the reputation Cumbria had amongst other foundation courses in the country. I also had to fight tooth and nail to get a local grant as my local council (Dumfries and Galloway) wanted me to study at the Technical College in Dumfries. But with the help of my parents and my local councillor I was able to have a grant approved.
Do you remember any tutors? Did you have any favourites, if so, what made them special?
Yes Lorraine, forget her last name, was my textiles tutor, she was so personable, and really helped me pull all my work together into a single theme. I still to this day use her advice on pulling together work into our collection for my own print studio.
Fiona Kerr (I think that was her last name) who was our fashion tutor, who was also very down to earth and relatable. I remember her really pushing me into fashion which is something I didn’t think I was capable of and 33 years later, I'm still in the industry.
Who were your friends, have you stayed in touch?
Maureen Riach was my closest friend, she also lived with Joanna Lord who was also on foundation. I keep in touch with Mo and saw her a few years back when I was on a sales trip to London.
Murdo Mutch was my house mate - we weren't really friends we just shared a house.
What did you do in your spare time as a student?
I was pretty much a loner as a student and probably very nerdy. I worked on my artwork as much as I could in my freezing cold house, usually working with my jacket on. I didn’t have much money when I was at college, so a treat was going out and getting chips and a bottle of cheap wine...lol.
Fridays, I had to go back to Scotland as I lived with a family in Carlisle and they wanted their own time on the weekends, which was fine as I had a part-time job on weekends back home. I remember even using the hour 1/2 journey spent drawing on the train...
Can you remember any student traditions, did you take part in them?
Yes - Going to the Pagoda nightclub on a Wednesday night. I remember all the tutors sitting around as well, which was a little weird. One of our tutors, I think he did 3D design, was also a DJ.
Also, getting together to watch Twin Peaks at my friend Maureen’s House.
Do you have any amusing stories you are willing to share?
I remember we went on a trip to Paris on the bus. I was so excited as this was the first time I'd ever been to a big city; I hadn’t even been to London at that point. So seeing all the high-end fashion stores and just getting lost for hours wandering the streets was bliss to me. Even though I remember being completely soaking wet. I remember building my final project around photos and maps of Paris from that trip. I saved up as much money as I could and my parents probably also gave me a few pounds. But I remember the first day I was there, going into Jean Paul Gaultier and buying a black hoodie covered in Silver Sequins. I wish I still had that now actually....But I spent almost all the money I had on me. I think it was about 100 pounds at the time which in 1990 was a lot of money.
What is your fondest memory of your time as a student?
My walks through Rickerby Park to get to and from Stanwix House, the smell of biscuits on the way home. Being creatively free to do whatever you wanted to do. Trying things I had never tried before and being open to anything.
My foundation was also the year I came out. I had struggled with my sexuality at school and even the first few months of my foundation. But I couldn’t deny my feelings any longer. I grew so much as a person in that one single year.
Current Employer:
NUPRIMARY
Job Title:
Owner and Creative Director
Briefly explain what your job entails:
We create one of a kind printed textile design concepts primarily for fashion companies (Both men’s and women’s) and also the home furnishing markets. Most of our customers are based in New York. Our studio is in Brooklyn, but we have a loyal customer base in the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
Being creatively free to experiment and to be working with such a highly creative team who has been with us for almost 10 years now. I love that my daily job is never the same day twice. As our collection is a constant evolution we always have to strive to be ahead of the curve and show our customers something that may not have seen before. I love also seeing designs we have sold to companies make it to the stores. It’s always exciting to see how one of our designs translates to retail and what a company may do with one of our designs. Sometimes they don't do anything with them, and then sometimes they will make colour changes that I would never have thought of.
What were your career ambitions when you started studying and do you think that you have achieved them?
I really just wanted to be successful in whatever I did. I knew when I left Cumbria I wanted to do something textiles related. When I continued my studies in Brighton, I was given the chance to work in either knit, print of weave. It became obvious that print was where I excelled more than knit or weave.
How did going to university influence your life?
It was everything. I am still working in the fashion industry now and work with some pretty major retailers. University got me in to my industry, my education influenced what I do now on a daily basis. I learnt about different art movements, decades, designers, artists and influencers throughout the centuries. It all makes you a well-rounded designer which I would never have had.
What are you most proud of?
I guess most recently navigating our business through Covid, and we're still here to tell the tale. I'm proud of all the work we do on a daily basis as I have to be the one standing behind it and sell it. Our designers are amazing and are so talented and can literally handle anything we give them. I'm also proud of all the work we've done in the past. When a customer tells us that one of our prints is their best seller, there's no better compliment than that really.
What are your ambitions for the future?
We really want to grow our business back to where we were pre-pandemic and would love to be travelling with the collection again all over the US as we also did before Covid.
We also wanted to grow our business creating our own line of products, from wallpaper to fabric by the yard, woven blankets and rugs.
Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for students today?
When my husband and I started our business, the first year was definitely the most challenging. You have nothing to go on, no previous sales, no favourites, no customers. It’s really starting with a blank slate. This is your time to show the world who you are and what you can do. Follow your own destiny not someone else's. Show everyone YOUR voice, take risks, take lots of risks. most of them will not pay off, but some of them will and with this you'll start building loyalty with customers. Even though this is more applicable to retail, it's also 100% applicable to your college work. Stay in your lane, and just focus on what it is you do best and if you don't know what that is yet, try everything. Experiment and be open minded. Also don't be lazy about what you do, if you think of an idea but your second thought is, oh no that’s going to be too much work - take a step back and try to conceive how to make your idea a real thing. I always seem to have ideas that maybe a little unrealistic, but it’s the best way of challenging yourself and ALWAYS making what you do exciting.
Follow Craig’s work:
https://www.facebook.com/nuprimary/
https://www.instagram.com/nuprimary/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuprimary/about/
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