We sat down with Denise to talk about life at VIA as an exchange student in The Fashion Experience programme. Denise is studying International Fashion and Branding at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute and enjoys practicing photography. As she would like to expand from still fashion photography to narrative fashion film, she chose to spend her exchange semester at VIA to explore the genre of fashion film.
“I was pleasantly surprised that life as a student here is a bit slower than in the Netherlands. You have more time for your own experimentation and projects. I really enjoy that. You get to develop yourself both personally and professionally.
Surrounded by friends and inspiration
During the first week of the programme, Denise learned that VIA puts a lot of emphasis on making sure that the students get off to a great start.
“Our first week was an introduction week where we got to know each other which was really nice. We were also placed in buddy groups consisting of exchange students and one local student from the school to lean on for guidance about the city and so on. VIA also arranged for some of us to live in the same dorm which makes it easy to spend time together. All in all the environment here is really nice. The school is surrounded by film studios and creative businesses which makes you feel like you are part of the industry”.
Day to day
The Fashion Experience programme is divided into 3 modules. Each module requires the students to complete a graded project by working together in groups. Throughout the semester it’s very much up to each group to plan and structure their projects.
“Each module typically consists of 1 week of classes, 1 week of pre-production, 1 week of production, and 1 week of post-production. Here, school is from 9:00 to 15:00. That leaves room to recharge and work on other projects. The other day, for example, we organised a photo shoot after school and went out and shot a some photos. You’re also able to use the school’s gear for your own projects. VIA actually really supports and encourages you to work on your craft”.
What would you tell students who might have the same questions as you did before you applied for the programme?
"What stands out to me is that there is no other programme quite like The Fashion Experience out there. Fashion film as a genre is rather new, but at VIA they have already been practicing it for a while. With that said I wouldn’t worry about the fashion part too much. I have a background in fashion, but there are lots of different people in my class. Some of my classmates are students in media, marketing, and film. So you’re not expected to know everything about film and fashion. We complement and learn from each other which is really nice".