Henri Lloyd Visit

Today I visited the Henri Lloyd studio on the outskirts of Salford. I met with their designer Rob Charnley who I contacted through Helen Latimer. I arrived at the studio at 9.am and met with Rob and we sat down and began a discussion about exactly what I do at university, how I came in contact with Helen Latimer (his ex colleague at Umbro) and began speaking about a possible work placement opportunity for me. We continued our chat over a cup of tea and then Rob took me down to the design team. In the studio I met Rob's boss Craig and 3 other members of the design team. Craig called his team over to the meeting desk and asked them all to listen to me present my work. I felt confident because of the way Craig and Rob had greeted me on my arrival, and the design team were very friendly. Craig asked me to explain to the group where I studied, what I do, where i live, and tell them as much about myself as possible. Then he allowed me the opportunity to present my work to the team. I gathered round the desk with designers and firstly presented my Fred Perry project (which I am currently working on). I showed my influences, a few of my designs and a few spec sheets along with my sketchbook, I then showed my Lyle & Scott brief and explained how I had improved as a designer this year. They seemed impressed with what I had produced and admired my thought process and could clearly see where my ideas developed from. Craig then asked me to stay in touch with Rob and come back into the studio in a few weeks to do a formal presentation in the boardroom and then they will give me feedback on my work, offer me help and discuss a work placement schedule.