JUICEBOX
What course did you study and what university did you attend ? BA ( Hons ) Fashion at Northumbria University .
Shaun Kearney is an experienced and established New York based fashion designer and starting his journey at Northumbria University many years ago was just the start of what was to become a long successful career in fashion . We ’ ve asked Shaun to comment on his journey across the pond , how he got there and what his advice is for any undergraduates .
Kearney begins his story with his a basic outline of his current work status , “ currently I own a consulting company in Tribeca NYC with a large portfolio of established clients as well serving the role as Creative Director to several brands in NY . I am also working on my own E-commerce business venture .”
What did you expect from your course and what did you hope to achieve ? I always struggled with [ the choice of ] either going to St . Martins or Northumbria as I had been accepted on both courses . I had a great mentor teacher at Art school who had studied at St . Martins and advised me to go to Northumbria . The balance of Art & commerce was perfect , unfortunately a lot of courses are either one or the other and you do need both for longevity in this business . There are a select few that have the right balance . I also opted for a 4 year sandwich course which allowed more room for lengthy internships . My advice to pre-graduates is that if you want to be a “ star ” go to St . Martins , but don ’ t be disappointed if you don ’ t make it , the odds are very low . If you want to have a career in fashion choose wisely .
What were your original plans / next steps when leaving university ? I always knew I wanted to leave and work abroad . I was disappointed on how the Fashion industry in the UK was not taken seriously and completely under funded . It has gotten better over the years as I graduated in 96 . During those times , one had to leave in order to be compensated well . I do miss the UK but my design aesthetic was always probably a better fit for New York . ideas about the fashion industry ? Internships are crucial to your study regardless of how mundane your day to day responsibilities maybe . Observation is important as this is the realty show that you will be starring in when you graduate . I was fortunate enough to be given a good amount of responsibility . I designed the Men ’ s Destroy diffusion label by John Richmond ( a hot 90s label ) and learnt a lot about the technical aspects of denim , a fabric which was entirely new for me . I won a competition in Japan was led to an internship for Yohji Yamamoto . It was my first work experience abroad and I was nervous as hell working for such an iconic fashion house- culture shocking to say the least . Besides the obvious ,( of course it was great ) the best reward was probably ‘ stepping out of my comfort zone ’. I learnt a lot about myself . Soon after I spent time working for Miss Selfridge working alongside a buying and visual creative display team . Working for a corporate company and designing product for a bigger audience was a different experience than my previous internships but it was a great insight to see how a company on that scale operates on a day to day basis .
If anything was possible , where would you be in 10 years ? Hopefully in a place where I can say ,” Wow I really did all of that ?” Life is unpredictable and fashion can be too . Who knows ? Iam very happy with what I have achieved so far in my career but there is always room for growth . I do believe anything “ is ” possible ,
What is your work motto ? ALWAYS : Do your best and go with your intuition-Allow the universe to work with you . NEVER : Lose sight of your dreams and if they don ’ t scare you , they aren ’ t big enough .
To follow Shaun and his work just visit his online profiles , you wont regret it !
For other background info see web / profiles :
www . cfda . com / members ? member _ id = 540 & tab = h #! shaun-kearne
Have you done internships and / or work experience related to your studies and do you think they ’ ve made a big impact on your outlook or www . shaunmkearney . com /
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