One of biggest names in footwear has given a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student the opportunity of a lifetime.
Benjamin Donlan, a Footwear Design student due to graduate from DMU this summer, has earned himself a unique opportunity by landing a three month work placement with Kurt Geiger at its UK base at Britton Street, London.
Having the opportunity to try his hand at impressing experienced designers at a truly global company such as Kurt Geiger would be huge for any young designer, and Benjamin still can’t believe his luck.
He said: “It was a complete shock to get the job to be honest. To be going into my first job with such a great brand is a massive first step on the ladder for my career.
“Just having the name Kurt Geiger on my CV will be great, I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in now and seeing how the design industry works from the inside.”
Philip Stewart, senior lecturer in Footwear Design at DMU and one of Benjamin’s tutors has praised his achievement and hopes to see a continuation of big name brands lining up to employ some of the best designers around.
Phil said: “Ben’s been very consistent throughout his three years, he really came out of his shell and started to show what a talent he was in his second year.
“Kurt Geiger is obviously a very well-known company and they’ve employed quite a few graduates from DMU in the past. With the skills and personality that he’s got Ben should fit in very well there.
“There’s a queue of companies wanting to work with us because they know that they’ll get a lot of great designs and they also know it’s a chance to scout some of the talent here.”
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Benjamin is understandably optimistic for the future having landed this work placement, but he remains grateful for the help and support he’s received at DMU.
He added: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at DMU. It’s been a massive learning curve, the course has really brought me out of my shell and that will really help me going forward with my career.
“I’d really like to go on and work in high end design. That’s certainly what I’ll be working towards but after this the sky really is the limit.”
Posted on Tuesday 23 June 2015