Libby’s sights are on setting up a business
STUDENT Libby May, 21, has her sights set on launching her own vin- tage textile business after she received a distinction in her art and design qualification at Coleg y Cymoedd.
The vocational learner found her niche making plant hangers, purses, lampshades and hanging chairs with the complex knotting technique Macrame, which has recently re-emerged as a bohemian trend having previously been popular during the 1970s.
Libby, from Llantrisant, plans to launch her own business after she was nominated to attend Business Wales’ Freelancing in the Creative Industries event, where she received valuable insights on how to market and sell her work from established professionals.
Libby said: “I like the process of trying to work out the knots and I find it very therapeutic. Macrame is most well-known for things like wall hangings and plant hangers.
“It’s quite ‘boho’ style and very 70s, and it’s now coming back around. I normally go down a 70s route, using retro colours like oranges, browns and yellows.
“During my course I made a little purse and had a few compliments about that, which is when people said I should sell them and take commissions. For my final project I made a swinging chair. It’s quite a versatile material so you can do a lot of things with it. In the next few years hopefully I’ll be selling my own stuff and fingers crossed it really takes off.”
While Libby prepares to launch her business, she plans to find a job in the creative sector to continue to develop her skills, and has also set up an account on online marketplace, Etsy, under the name ELEMstudios, where she is currently selling a handful of her designs.
A hair, makeup and special effects learner whose work has been selected to feature in a prestigious national showcase is on the path to a career in film and television after receiving top marks at college.
Megan James, 17, who is studying a diploma in hair, makeup and special effects at Coleg y Cymoedd, has earned a distinction for her enchanted forest-themed body painting and wig design which was also selected to feature in the University of the Arts (UAL) awarding body’s end of year exhibition.
The design was produced by Megan for her Final Major Project, and drew praise from her course tutor who described it as an “outstanding image”.
Megan’s aim is to now complete the final year of her course at college before seeking out a future in
TV and film – with her dream job being to bring weird and wonderful creatures to life on shows like Doctor Who.
She said: “What inspires me is seeing how interesting it is to transform somebody into a character in shows like Doctor Who or Star Trek, and how that transfers onto the screen. Watching Doctor Who and seeing the range of different designs and characters on the show really interested me and made me want to pursue a career in the industry.”
Megan, from Treharris, earned an impressive set of GCSE results while in secondary school, including seven A*s and three As, but resisted a push from teachers to go on to study something ‘more academic’ at college such was her desire to do something she was interested in and passionate about.
“While I was on an open day at Coleg y Cymoedd, I spoke to one of the course tutors by chance who talked to me about the course and what was involved. They seemed so passionate and interested in it themselves, which was inspiring, and they weren’t just teaching the subject – they were also actively involved in the industry themselves,” she said.
“After that I just thought it was a fantastic opportunity for me to actually do something that I really enjoy and not something academic for the sake of it.”