Jessie Stanners

Jessie Stanners has a fashion industry job she loves and she got it thanks to the skills she acquired at Ara Institute of Canterbury.

At Ara, Jessie studied the New Zealand Certificate in Fashion. “What I learned from ‘just a certificate’ blew me away,” she says. “All the classes were so in-depth and the skills I gained far outweighed what I expected.”

Prior to the course, Jessie had been working full time in hospitality and doing odd sewing jobs for friends. With a love for the design and construction of clothing, she decided to follow her passion and put her creativity into action. “Physical creativity is what I enjoy and fashion is the best way to portray beliefs, ideas and personality.”

Hailing from Taranaki, Jessie decided to study at Ara in Christchurch because of its reputation for in-depth, hands-on education that was also fun.

During her studies, Jessie gained a solid grounding in fashion industry skills including patternmaking, construction, and design using a range of specialist software and tools. She also became familiar with the terminology used in fashion workplaces and gained substantial knowledge of textiles.

Jessie’s commitment to her studies won her the Ray Everett Highest Achiever Award for her certificate group.

Her tutors played a big part in her success. “They were so friendly, relatable, helpful and approachable,” she says. “They all seemed to love what they taught and that made learning easy and enjoyable. Their support and belief in me was a major thing.”

Today Jessie is a merchandise controller for Longbeach Holdings. The role involves assisting the project manager, fabric testing and selection, liaising with suppliers in China, seasonal management of 200 garment styles and stock maintenance.

“I love my role at Longbeach and I intend to stay here and continue to learn, grow and evolve for the foreseeable future.”