Taking fashion design training to the next level
As a Visiting Professor, Cedric Jacquemyn will work within the Fashion Design program at the Faculty of Architecture & Design, which was founded in 2013 by Lebanese designer Elie Saab and the London College of Fashion. Cedric will take the training to the next level and update the entire study programme.
In addition, Cedric supervises final-year students and teaches design classes (tailoring) in the third year. He already introduced the traditional historical costume, an assignment he worked out himself during his master’s degree in Fashion in Antwerp, in his design class.
It is clear that this creates a bond with Antwerp. The third-year students in Beirut are now working together with the MoMu library in Antwerp for research into the historical costume.
“Digitizing without taking into account
what the millinery entails doesn’t work.
We must retain our acquired expertise in digitization.”
The fashion industry is in full swing with sustainability and digitization leading the way. Is that teaching material in Beirut?
Cedric: “I do indeed get a lot of freedom to add assignments. And I did that with the historical costume that the students have to design during the training. After all, there is an increasing focus on sustainability, circularity and digitization, but we must not lose sight of the link with craftmanship. I see the training as a total concept, where craftsmanship goes hand in hand with digitization and sustainability.
By teaching the students how to cut fabrics most efficiently for patterns, they automatically start thinking sustainably. Moreover, the harsh reality is that due to inflation, substances are now extremely expensive. In an assignment to design affordable pieces, students also have to deal with themes such as circularity and “zero waste”.
Tamino Amir wearing full look Cedric Jacquemyn on new album release SAHAR. photo by Eva Lalo, styling by Adrien Gras. (Humo)
Portrait by Yves De Brabander