Thanks to a Scottish International Scholarship, 26-year-old Dana Finnigan will no longer have to worry about convincing customers to take risks with curtain styles. The Massey textile design student, currently working at Lewis's in Tawa, will soon be studying alongside an elite group of young international designers at the prestigious Glasgow School of Art.

Thanks to a Scottish International Scholarship, 26-year-old Dana Finnigan will no longer have to worry about convincing customers to take risks with curtain styles. The Massey textile design student, currently working at Lewis's in Tawa, will soon be studying alongside an elite group of young international designers at the prestigious Glasgow School of Art.

The Scholarship Scheme is part of the Scottish Executive's Fresh Talent initiative to attract high-calibre entrepreneurial postgraduates to Scotland. Sandy Heffernan, Head of Massey University's Textile Department, believes the award will be immensely valuable. "We're so isolated down here, even with the web, and there's no substitute for direct experience rather than observing from afar. Many schools here in NZ are trying to mimic what the Glasgow School of Arts is doing in postgraduate studies. It's very ahead of its time in terms of working with leading designers, using the latest technology, and building a wide appreciation of design in many forms. She'll have access to amazing libraries and databases for her research."

While many of her design school peers live in the computer labs, Dana is proud that she's "not one of those digital kids". She likes to get her hands dirty with real cutting, pasting and printing - not just keyboard shortcuts. "The mistakes are what makes it great," she explains. "Fabric by nature is not perfect - with printing and weaving one metre will never be the same as the next, and it's those imperfections that catch the eye."

This craft-based approach is strong in Scotland, where the textiles sector has survived in the face of competition from India and China by focusing on high-end quality rather than mass-market production. "This award will mean I get exposed to new trends and techniques in the UK, and when I come back home I'll have the skills and contacts to head up my own studio," says Finnigan. "I'd also like to tutor, so I can share the knowledge I've gained."

To find out more about opportunities in the UK, visit www.britishcouncil.org.nz. 10/7/07