Me in central London right across the street from the famous Big Ben clock tower
Author: Maddie Feuerbacher | Major: Apparel Merchandising and Product Development | Semester: Summer 2023
Since I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to study fashion and study abroad in some of the most well-known fashion capitals of the world. So, from the start of my freshman year here at the University of Arkansas, I began my search for the perfect program to fit my goals. After years of doing so, I found a program that really fit everything I wanted. This program was so unique because it is a partnership between Richmond American College London and Condé Nast Fashion College. The two-work hand in hand to give the students in this program a one-of-a-kind insight of Vogue and the Condé Nast school of Design as well as a traditional classroom lecture and discussion daily at Richmond University. The opportunities it offered in a short 4 weeks in addition to a class trip to Paris made this the perfect fit for my undergrad studies as an AMPD major and French minor.
The Fashion College of Condé Nast Building
Through this time abroad, I was able to learn key insights of each category and each profession within the company of Condé Nast, the Vogue house, and luxury fashion buyers that work with alongside with them. These include buyers for high fashion houses such as DIOR and Burberry. I was able to be taught by and surrounded by some of the most incredible men and women in the fashion industry through this program and because of this, I have gained an immense of new perspective, understanding, and passion for the fashion industry.
My class work each day was a mixture of lecture in the morning by a professor of fashion for over 20 years at Richmond American College who I absolutely loved, followed by a field trip or meetings the Vogue House in the afternoon. Although we had lecture and discussion each morning, our afternoons were filled with a new adventure each day to further out fashion and merchandising knowledge, or a meeting with professionals at the Vogue house in London. I loved the freedom of and uniqueness that this course brought by being different every day yet also allowing for discussion during class time, conversation, and creativity of our own throughout these weeks abroad. I absolutely loved every second of it.
Richmond, a small town West of London that sits alongside the river
In addition to school life abroad, my daily life outside of school was just as unique. From walking to get coffee with my classmates each morning on our way to catch the tube to go to school to then meeting up at a local pub at the end of the day with the other students was truly the best part of life in London. To be able to live like true Londoner was the best way to really immerse yourself in the culture and life in the UK. In addition to my everyday life before and after class, my classmates and I loved to try new restaurants, and classic British foods such as fish and chips on the weekends. I also painted pottery, visited iconic monuments, shopped, and took several day trips including a day to Brighton, a beach town south of London. I truly feel like I was able to live the life of a Londoner rather than a tourist during my time aboard.
Richmond American College London
I would absolutely recommend this program and studying abroad in general to anyone who is an undergrad student. I was truly changed as a person, and as a fashion student since my program and it was truly an experience I will never forget. Beforehand, I wish I knew that getting adjusted to the new country, life, culture, and jet leg would take longer than a day or two and that is completely normal. I really pushed myself to jump right in the second I got there, and it is perfectly normal to need time and space for acclimation and adjustment to this entirely new way of life. Don’t worry because it does come! When I got home from being abroad, the first thing I did was go to yoga and go to my favorite brunch spot for avocado toast. Although the food was great and the walking was endless in the UK, I was ready to get back into my workout routine and ditch the beans and toast for breakfast for a few days.