Oraza : "This experience has allowed me to be more confident and talk to people in the nonconventional way!"
Ozara has spent a year in Paris studying fashion. Her experience includes crazy fashion shows, PowerPoint and a lack of coffee to go! Read about her surprises and what she has learned, while studying in the city of lights.
Tell us a bit about yourself!
Hello, my name is Oraza, I’m a BA Fashion student from Coventry University in the UK and have chosen to do a study abroad year with Mod’Art International in Paris. I enrolled in their MA Luxury Brand Management course for the academic year 2021-22.
What decided you to study in France in the first place?
I did a Fashion internship with a London based Luxury brand in 2019, as part of the internship they took me along with them to Paris for their showroom sales and fashion week. I fell in love with Paris! It was my first time, and my trip was a short 2 weeks. I was around fashion every day during the two weeks and was convinced Paris is the heart of the luxury fashion world. Along with this, Paris provides a lot when it comes to exhibitions, cultural shows, and collaborative work between fashion and other industries. The city is also amazing on the food front, I discovered Lebanese food which is surprisingly quite popular here in Paris.
What has been the biggest culture shock whilst in France?
When I had confirmed my place at Mod’Art International in Paris, I then began to find an apartment in Paris whilst I was in the UK. This was hard. Trying to secure an apartment and persuading the landlords and agencies to do a video viewing was impossible for me. The value for money against the apartment/ room was very disproportionate, so it took me a while to find a ‘great’ place that would keep me happy and safe throughout my stay. I’ve included pictures of my current apartment which I love! A culture shock would defiantly be the difference in the standard of education and the level of organization from university, tutors and even other services in Paris is quite poor. Expect paperwork to get lost, emails to be responded to late and submitting assignments via email…. This was strange. Also, I really missed the ‘laptop in a coffee shop working/ studying’ culture that we have in the UK! There’s none of that here, people enjoy cafés for food and you’ll always see people drinking on café terraces on the streets of beautiful Paris. Overall, the experience will be rememberable as it’s very different to London and UK universities and life as a whole.
Can you share a special memory from your time in France with us?
Paris is lovely, I really enjoy all the kind and wholesome interactions I have with the French people and my classmates. The vibes are very calm, and everyone is willing to help if you are lost. A special memory, in particular, was getting to take part in the fashion weeks via showrooms and helping various fashion brands. It is a real experience for any fashion student or someone wanting to eye in on the glamourous world of luxury fashion. Highly recommend.
Did you keep any habits from your time there?
The teaching of my course was very PowerPoint-based, where the professor would be going through it, and the class would all have their laptops out and take notes. I’ve improved my notetaking and have built up a great information library on Notion, a great note-taking application for students, which I will continue to update and add more to.
How did studying in France change who you are as a person and impact your career?
Studying in France has developed me greatly, firstly I don’t speak French at all other than Bonjour and even then, I’m mostly saying ‘Helllloo’! This has allowed me to be more confident and talk to people in a nonconventional way, which has been a unique experience and quite fun! The experience has also made me see just how lucky we all are to even be able to go study in another country. I met girls on my course from countries that are experiencing war, and they were so delighted and grateful to be in Paris seeing that sort of energy made me extremely grateful to be British. I hope many, many students after me also get to experience beautiful cities to complete their studies in.
Why would you recommend studying in France to somebody else?
Paris is very special. It is a cultural hub for the arts, fashion, gastronomy, business and hospitality. It’s very multicultural and because of that you’re sure to meet people from all parts and paths of the world. The studying experience is also great, I preferred it as it was much lighter than my course in the UK.
