CSMU Fashion Makeup Students Work Backstage at London Fashion Week

There are some things you simply cannot recreate in the classroom.

This September, we were incredibly proud to take a group of Central School of Makeup students to London Fashion Week, where they joined our team at Somerset House to provide makeup for a Birmingham City University fashion show.

For students training to become professional makeup artists, opportunities like this provide an invaluable introduction to the reality of working within the fashion industry.

It was a fantastic day and a brilliant opportunity for our students to take the techniques they have developed during their fashion makeup training in Birmingham and put them into practice in a real working environment.

Backstage Makeup at London Fashion Week

Working backstage at a fashion show is very different from creating a makeup look in the classroom.

There are timings to meet, creative briefs to follow, models moving between different areas and a wider production team all working towards one deadline.

Our makeup team was responsible for creating the makeup for nine models, with our students working alongside professional artists to deliver a cohesive look across the show.

For our students, it was an opportunity to experience how a professional backstage makeup team operates and to put so many elements of their training into practice.

That included setting up and maintaining a clean and organised workstation, working efficiently on different faces, following the makeup direction, communicating with other members of the team and adapting their technique where necessary.

It also reinforced something we talk about throughout our professional makeup courses at CSMU: working successfully as a makeup artist requires much more than being able to apply beautiful makeup.

Professionalism, communication, hygiene, teamwork, time management and the ability to remain calm and adaptable are all important skills when working backstage, on set or as part of a professional makeup team.

From Fashion Makeup Training to Real Industry Experience

At The Central School of Makeup, we believe there is enormous value in being taught by artists who are actively working within the industry.

Our tutors are working professional makeup artists with experience across fashion, commercial work, television and film, bringing current industry knowledge and professional working practices into the classroom.

But we also want our students to understand what happens beyond the classroom.

Learning professional makeup techniques is one part of becoming a makeup artist. Understanding call times, creative briefs, kit preparation, hygiene, backstage etiquette, teamwork and how to conduct yourself professionally on a job is equally important.

That is why real makeup industry experience can be so valuable alongside professional training.

Taking our students to work at London Fashion Week gave them the opportunity to experience those things for themselves.

And they were brilliant.

Watching them work confidently, support one another and become part of the backstage team was an incredibly proud moment for us.

Why Industry Experience Matters for Makeup Students

One of the biggest transitions for any newly trained makeup artist is moving from practising techniques in a learning environment to using those skills professionally.

A live fashion environment introduces completely different considerations.

You may be working on a face you have never seen before. You need to understand the brief quickly, organise your kit, manage your time and create a finish that works as part of the overall creative direction of the show.

You are also part of a much larger team.

Experiences such as London Fashion Week help students begin building that bridge between professional makeup training and working within the makeup industry.

Being backstage, observing how a professional team operates and working on models within a live fashion environment can build confidence and give context to everything students have learnt during their course.

Fashion Makeup Courses in Birmingham

Based in Birmingham's Creative Quarter, The Central School of Makeup has been training professional makeup artists since 2013.

Our students come to us from Birmingham, the West Midlands and across the UK to develop the practical skills needed to work professionally within the makeup industry.

For students interested in fashion and editorial makeup, training goes beyond simply learning individual looks.

Students need to understand colour, skin, current and historical references, photographic makeup, working to a creative brief and adapting their artistry for different faces and environments.

They also need the confidence to work alongside photographers, models, stylists, designers and other creatives.

Our approach is hands on, combining practical professional makeup artist training with portfolio development and opportunities to gain greater insight into the realities of the industry.

Our students and graduates go on to explore many different areas of makeup artistry, including fashion, editorial, commercial shoots, e-commerce, television, film, events and freelance work.

From Birmingham to London Fashion Week

Being based in Birmingham doesn't mean that your career needs to stay in Birmingham.

The makeup industry is freelance by nature, and professional artists frequently travel for shoots, productions, events and fashion work.

Taking our students from their training environment in Birmingham to Somerset House during London Fashion Week was a wonderful example of where developing professional skills can lead.

For some students, experiences like this may confirm that fashion and editorial makeup is the direction they want to pursue. For others, it introduces them to an area of the industry they may not previously have considered.

Both are valuable. Part of training to become a professional makeup artist is discovering where your strengths and interests lie.

Our Next Fashion Makeup Course Starts January 2027

After such a fantastic experience at Somerset House, we are already looking forward to creating more opportunities for our students to experience the professional makeup industry beyond the classroom.

We are also incredibly excited to welcome our next cohort of fashion makeup students in January 2027.

Our fashion makeup training is designed to develop practical technique, creativity, confidence and an understanding of professional industry standards.

Students learn how to interpret a creative brief, work efficiently across different faces, understand products and finishes, develop their portfolio and begin preparing themselves for professional freelance work.

Whether your ambitions are in fashion makeup, editorial, commercial shoots, e-commerce, events or a varied freelance makeup career, we want students to leave CSMU with more than technical ability.

We want them to understand what it actually means to work as a professional makeup artist.

Our experience at London Fashion Week was a wonderful example of exactly that.

A huge thank you to Birmingham City University for inviting us to be part of the show, to everyone involved in bringing the event together and, of course, to our fantastic students who represented The Central School of Makeup so professionally.

We couldn't have been prouder of them.

Train as a Fashion Makeup Artist in Birmingham

If you're considering a career in professional makeup and would like to develop skills across fashion, editorial and other areas of the industry, you can find out more about training at The Central School of Makeup in Birmingham.

Our next cohort of fashion makeup students starts in January 2027.

Explore our professional makeup courses or speak to our team about which training route would be most suitable for you.