St Joseph’s College

Popular ‘old boy’ returns to St Joseph’s College to talk about the cutting edge of fashion and why giving back is so important to him.

London-based menswear designer and fashion lecturer Basil Lam returned to St Joseph’s College Ipswich to talk to Textiles, Art and Photography students, offering many useful insights into getting ahead in the world of fashion design.

Basil, who left the College in 2015, illustrated his journey from broad inspiration to finished concepts with slides. He described the long process of working up initial ideas, with the fitting process becoming increasingly important as he reached MA level, and he stressed the power of social media in gaining reach.

The students were particularly interested to hear about fashion shoots, the choice of locations and selection of models. Basil favours professional dancers for their dynamism. Asked how he coped with rejection, he said it was in the nature of the creative industries that not everyone would love your work; you had to find self-belief, accept honest criticism and plough on. ‘Try everything! Everything will benefit you,’ he urged.

Basil warned students they may not always make the right choice the first time; he had embarked on a degree in fashion marketing but soon came to realise it was the design side he loved. Similarly, he once saw drawing as a personal shortcoming but necessity and practice had changed his view.

He stressed the importance of live research – screens offered little idea of texture or weight, for example. Nor were mainstream museums and libraries enough; students must go out and about, discover specialist galleries, and seek out collections devoted to particular cultures.

Basil’s label, ka.wai.lam, has already featured widely in top flight fashion press, including Vogue Italia, which published part of his graduate collection, Melancholy for Lost Youth, and the Fashion Crossover website, a showcase for the best upcoming designers.

Following a BA in Fashion Design from Regent’s University, London, Basil went on to secure an MA from the University of Westminster. Conscious of his ‘privileged’ years in education he decided he wanted to ‘give back’, and has been teaching students at the highly diverse University of East London. He is the first to say his students’ stories frequently leave him feeling humbled.