F FRANCESCA VERSACE found it tough to get in to Central St Martin’s (and eventually didn’t), how did Alice Coral (right), the final-year student that Lucire is following to her graduation next month, get there?
   We’ve had some reader mail, especially from other aspiring fashion design students, supporting Alice, and both she and Lucire felt that readers might like to know how she got there.
   As some know from our earlier articles on Alice, she had studied law in Brazil and felt an urge to go to London to pursue her dream of being a fashion designer. Her collection will have inspiration from strong female film icons, organic lines and cartoon characters, some of which we’re showing on this page.
   After arriving in London, Alice explains, ‘I

‘I wanted to go to St Martin’s. I would try for as long as it took, and apply only for a first choice. She said St Martin’s was hard to get in and that it had been seven years that someone from our college got there. I said I didn't care’

started studying fashion at the Newham College of Further Education in London in 1997, on a foundation course with fashion specialization. At the end of the year I applied for the University of East London (UEL), [my] first and only choice.
   ‘Because fashion in London [is so competitive that] you only get one shot. There is so much competition that selecting a second choice university is a waste of time.
   ‘You [either] get offered a place on the first choice or you might as well try again next year, because there are never any places left on [your] second choice.’
   But it wasn’t great news at UEL. ‘At the UEL interview they said that my work was non-commercial and naïve. UEL is a very commercially-orientated university, who tries to deliver high-street designers.
   ‘I didn’t get a place and thought their criticism was a bit harsh considering they were not offering me a place. I regretted applying there, and I did because I didn't think I could enter St Martin’s.’
   Undeterred, she returned to college for another year, finishing a BTEC diploma in fashion design under the guidance of the same tutor, Jane De Bæck. ‘I told her that the only place I wanted to go was St Martin’s, that I would try for as long as it took, and apply only for a first choice. She said St Martin’s was hard to get in and that it had been seven years that someone from our college got there. I said I didn't care, I would try.
   ‘Jane then advised me to do a different portfolio than what she would normally do: a portfolio that was more about freedom of creativity than technical drawings, and that showed my personality and my vision. We worked really hard and she allowed me to work from home and have a totally different timetable from other students as well as different projects. My marks rocketed because I was allowed this freedom and my portfolio become really interesting, miles away from the portfolio of the first year.
   ‘It paid off, when I went to the interview I was happy and confident and felt I had a chance. The interview was more a friendly chat than an analysis of my work, and my interviewers were my future main tutors: Janet Lance-Hughes and Christine Koussertari.
   ‘We chatted for about half an hour, longer than I expected, and I got two clues that I might have got a place. One was a project about eveningwear: my final BTEC project and my fave of all. As Christine turned the pages she and Janet glanced at each other. [Were they] conferring or laughing? I didn't know, but as an optimist, I thought they were liking it. Then, as I was leaving, Janet called me back and asked about my health. I thought, “Why ask that unless they want me to attend the college?”’
   Her hunch was right. A letter of acceptance came about two months later. ‘I read it about 15 times before I finally believed I had got a place. I somehow had this idea that they would say, “Congratulations, you have been accepted at CSM,” but instead I received a letter from the organization that deals with universities (UCAS) saying I had a conditional offer from the “above institution”. One condition was that she passed an IELTS English test, which she did straight away, with an excellent mark. •

Alice still seeks additional sponsorship to help with her graduation show. If you can assist, please email her care of our feedback form and we’ll connect you.

ABOVE: Alice Coral. BELOW: Research images used by her for her final-year graduation show.