LCF Grad Futures: From Graduate to Fashion Industry Professional

Join us to hear LCF alumni share how they broke into the industry and offer their tips on CVs, networking, and interview success.
About this Event

This session is only for London College of Fashion students and graduates. It is aligned to your Graduate Futures careers and employability journey.

Are you a soon-to-be graduate or an LCF alumni looking for career inspiration and industry insights? Don’t miss this in-person event to hear LCF alumni share their career journeys since graduating and offer valuable advice on navigating the fashion industry.
Hosted by Graduate Futures Careers Consultant Melanie Mitchell, this engaging panel discussion will answer any questions you have about the challenges graduates might face, navigating the recruitment process and how to make an impact once you’ve secured your dream job.
This is the perfect opportunity to network with other soon-to-be graduates and alumni whilst gaining insights directly from LCF alumni now on the path to becoming future fashion leaders.

Speakers

• , Graduate Futures Careers Consultant: Leveraging over 20 years of experience as a Buyer, Headhunter and now Consultant, Melanie has worked with a number of brands including Christian Louboutin, Vivienne Westwood, AllSaints, Threads Styling and Sweaty Betty on projects relating to talent acquisition and executive search. Passionate about helping to build both brands and careers through putting the right people, in the right place at the right time she continues to use her industry expertise to coach and inspire the next generation looking to pursue careers in fashion.
• , Buying Admin Assistant for Menswear Knit and Jersey at COS: Having progressed from an internship with the brand into a permanent role. His journey into fashion buying and merchandising followed a successful career as a Benefits Manager at Selfridges, before returning to education to pursue a new direction within the fashion industry and he graduated from the LCF BA Fashion Buying & Merchandising in 2025. Since joining COS, Carmelo has gained hands-on experience across the buying function, developing a strong understanding of product development, commercial strategy, and cross-functional collaboration and brings a unique blend of operational expertise, people management experience, and commercial awareness to his work.
• , Assistant Designer at Joules: Lucy is a 2025 graduate of the LCF BA Fashion Design and Development. With experience spanning luxury ready-to-wear, outerwear, and eveningwear, she has developed a strong foundation in garment construction, technical design, and product development. Lucy is particularly interested in materials, fit, and the technical processes that underpin successful design. As an emerging designer, she is committed to continuous learning and is excited to contribute to the future of fashion through innovation, craftsmanship, and product excellence.
• , Production Assistant and Social Media Manager at Studio Private: Since graduating from BA Fashion Styling and Production at London College of Fashion in 2024, she has built a diverse portfolio of experience across fashion, media, talent, and creative production. Her background includes roles as interning on the editorial team at Bricks Magazine as a student before becoming a freelance Talent Assistant, Net-a-Porter as a Social Fashion Assistant, experience in PR and Operations at Jawara Alleyne, and work supporting casting projects. Passionate about the intersection of fashion, culture, and media, Odera is driven by a desire to work with a diverse range of creatives and contribute to stories that are both impactful and culturally relevant.

Useful resources

In this session, you will develop the key skills of connectivity, proactivity, storytelling, and curiosity as defined by the UAL Creative Attributes Framework (My_CAF). Before attending this activity, we suggest you:

• Check out the Graduate Futures Moodle page, (or for alumni the Graduate Futures Leavers Pack), which is filled with resources, learning guides, and podcasts.
• Students should explore the Graduate Futures Careers Padlet, which is filled with useful links, videos, and further reading.

If there are any barriers to your participation in this event or you have access requirements you wish to discuss, please contact [email protected] in advance, we'd be happy to talk with you. If you can't sign-up as the tickets have run out or expired, please email and see if you are still able to attend.

Image credit: LCF Graduate Futures industry panel and networking event. Photography by Eilwen Jones.