Fashion designer Tim van Steenbergen about the new Accessories degree at School of Arts PXL-MAD

Belgium didn't have a specific education for fashion accessories yet, but that will change in October. School of Arts PXL-MAD in Hasselt expanded its training offer with the postgraduate Accessories degree and appointed Antwerp fashion designer Tim Van Steenbergen as artistic director. FashionUnited recently spoke to Van Steenbergen about the new postgraduate program, what students can expect and why students should definitely join this new program.

PXL-MAD recently added the Accessories postgraduate degree. Can you please tell us more about this degree and why it is created?

This degree was born out of the need for the combination of artistic support and business advice for both young starters or more experienced designers with a design degree. In regular education, a lot of attention is rightly paid to the artistic part, the designing itself, but there is insufficient opportunity to work out a project from A to Z. After a relatively short training in fashion, jewelry design, shoe design, etc., some consciously choose to start their own brand or to produce and distribute their designs through a company. Needless to say that most of these designers would welcome a lot of extra support allowing them to close the gap with the (professional) marketplace.

This postgraduate program will satisfy this need, based on individual artistic and business guidance for individual projects, and on top of this students will receive workshops, lectures, company visits, input from entrepreneurs from the field. Bear in mind, these days more than ever entrepreneurship and artistic skills go hand in hand.

You are the artistic director of the Accessories degree at PXL-MAD. Can you please explain why you took the step into fashion education?

Besides my own brand and assignments I find it interesting to share my knowledge with enthusiastic starters. I know how complex it is to launch a collection on the market, to sustain it, and to find the right balance in all the tasks involved. Moreover, the world of fashion is becoming more and more complex and as a designer, you are also obliged to take things like sustainability into account. The trainees will be surrounded by a pool of interesting people and will be invited to make use of this network. A luxury I did not have as a starter.

How is the course structured through the year(s)?

On the one hand, there is a great deal of individual support tailored to the student's project. For the artistic guidance, we work together with Toos Francken, LNKnits, Annelies Timmermans, Toon Somers from theo glasses, Joeri Smets from Kipling, Nele from Atelier Content, Wim from Studio Segers. For the business guidance we can count on Jasmijn Verlinden, Astrid Lefèvre, Niki De Schryver, Geert Meyers and Simon Gryspeert. In addition, the students can choose from a package of workshops, lectures, and company visits. All of these from a business and/or artistic point of view, which are interesting for their path. In the meantime, they continue to work on their own project which they will present at the end of the year. I have monthly meetings with all the students and will keep an overview of the whole and guard the balance between business and creativity. The student can choose to complete the program in 1 or 2 years, depending on his/her time investment.

What can students expect? And what can they ultimately do with this degree?

Those with a bachelor's or master's Postgraduate degree receive a certificate, others receive a certificate of participation. But what is more important is the experience and network they built up and the project they developed. This project must be artistically and commercially ready to be launched on the market.

Do students have to meet certain requirements?

The students must have had prior training in design. It is not the intention to start from scratch. For example, A student who studied jewelry design knows his profession and field and has taken the first steps towards his own line or has a concrete idea about it. This idea is scrutinized, further developed, discussed in terms of feasibility, technically supported until all aspects are correct.

Most of the classes were online last year. What will be the planning for this year?

We start in October and we assume that all classes can be held on campus. The students will have classes on Mondays. The other days they can, if they wish, make use of the studios and infrastructure of PXL-MAD School of Arts.

When does the course start?

Project proposals are welcome now, the actual start is October 2021.

Do you have any tips for future students who want to sign up for this postgraduate degree?

Start from yourself: what are your strengths, what do you stand for, what are your values, what makes your work unique, and do not forget to look at your own work and designs with a critical eye. Combine your energy and passion with the experience of fellow entrepreneurs to transform your story into a realistic plan.

Also read: School of Arts PXL-MAD expands with postgraduate Accessories degree