Bradford College Makeup Graduate Makes Glamorous College Return

A make-up artist who has gone on to work for magazines and fashion websites after studying at Bradford College returned to present a masterclass to students.

Ashley Jordan Jones, whose career as a freelance hair and make-up artist is flourishing just a few months after he completed his Media Make-up with Special Effects BA (Hons) degree, gave a demonstration of a beauty look to current students on the course at the college as well as visiting students from a neighbouring college.

Whilst making up his model, Ashley shared styling hints and tips and spoke about his experience of landing work in the highly-competitive industry.

The 22-year-old artist has gained assistant experience at Cosmopolitan magazine, worked at London and Manchester fashion weeks and worked for international brands Love Too True, Jutah Studios and Miss Swimsuit.

He has also recently worked on editorial shoots for the magazines Dreamingless and Noctis.

“Since I have graduated things have taken off for me,” he said.

“It has been nice to go off and find my style and my place in the industry and find myself as an artist.

“I would describe myself as a versatile artist who can do everything from pure beauty looks right through to super edgy and weird and I have had the opportunity to explore a wide variety of work since leaving college.”

Ashley’s advice to the students looking to follow him into the industry is to gain work experience and make contacts whilst still at university.

He said: “I felt really prepared for the world of work as I had done a lot of freelancing whilst studying and did a lot of work experience.

“I used my last year to make the connections in the industry I really wanted. I thought, why not speak to the creative people who I want to work with? I really used that final year so I had my place in the industry before actually finishing.”

Ashley thrived on the creative independence given to students on the degree course at University Centre Bradford College.

“As students, we were given freedom to explore ourselves, our skills and our ideas and were able to take projects where we wanted them to go rather than being strictly guided on what to produce,” he said.

“The open and non-restrictive briefs really worked for me. I feel it allows students to explore their own style and learn who they are artistically and where they fit in the industry.”

And Ashley was keen to tell students that they are entering a vibrant industry at a great time.

“It is a really good time to be in the industry right now,” he said.

“There are a lot of conversations about diversity and equality.

“The fashion industry as a whole is really developing into a safe space for everyone and is becoming much more inclusive and less exclusive and it is inspiring to be part of it.”

Anyone ready to find out more about media make-up courses at Bradford College is encouraged to attend the Open Event on March 23, between 11 am and 2 pm.