School of Art & Design’s community spirit exemplified in alumni workshop

Sophie Dionne Pyke, an alumna from BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion, and MA Commercial Photography, returned to campus to inspire and support current students

Sophie leading a workshop with current FCP students

Students from our BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion (FCP) course were given a fantastic opportunity to hear from a successful alumna this week. Sophie Dionne Pyke, who graduated from the course in 2017 and went on to do our MA Commercial Photography course the following year, returned to campus to chat to second year students about their current projects and future ambitions.

Since graduating, Sophie has gained a wealth of industry experience, most recently working as a Junior Photographer at River Island. She additionally has a number of award wins under her belt, including exhibiting one of her photographs in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall as part of Uniqlo Tate Lates, selected by renowned presenter and DJ Reggie Yates.

Over two days, the students got the chance to attend a series of workshops with Sophie, to help guide them through projects and to gain advice on commercial shoot planning in particular, which is an integral part of the course activity. Sophie went through the students’ inspiration and goals for their projects, and answered questions around potential final outcomes. It is the strong community spirit on the course, and in the School of Art & Design more broadly, which leads to alumni giving up their time to come back in and mentor current students.

Work from a current FCP student project

Lecturer Claire Phipps told us: “We were really proud to welcome Sophie back to campus. She was able to provide our second year students with a unique perspective, relating FCP coursework to industry practice. Not only was her lecture full of useful tips and advice, it also drew upon her experiences on the course, and she shared careers advice on how she was able to secure her job as a photographer at River Island.”

She added: “Events like these, where previous students return to NTU, give the current cohort insights into many areas of the fashion industry, where skills gained from their studies at NTU will be highly sought after.”

Find out more about Sophie's work by visiting her website.

Published on 24 October 2018