...are over.
phew!

The first week was rather easy, the second a bit trickier.
Our inspiration boards were due last Thursday. I managed to get it done but not without a few hitches. I'll talk about inspiration specifically in my next post tomorrow.

My Elizabethan England class is awesome, I'm really enjoying it and the professor makes it fun too. I'm a bit nervous to do a symposium becuase I've never done before, but that's not that big a deal.
Research Methods is pointless and boring for me. It's not a class or skill I can ever see myself using, especially the depth they're teaching us. I got so bored the second class and had other work to do that left me unable to focus thus I left to go do it. But thankfully it seems better then last years class -- the professor last year was apparently terrible, so at least that's one good thing about the class.
The first week of senior design project, the professors were just giving us a basic run down of everything, everything we had to do and what not, you could see everyone getting ready to have a panic attack -- even I got a little antsy thinking about all the work we have to do! But hey, just need to take it one week at a time.

My biggest problem(s) right now include:
Money. I was waiting for a conformation e-mail from OSAP to tell me I could go pick it up butfor some reason never got one. So I called the school asking, they told me to check the site and of course I find out my osap was avalible for me to pick up AUGUEST 22. Epic fail on my part. I managed to get it all done and over with on Friday, just have to wait for the money to show up. But it's meant I can't buy anything (fabric, school books, new computer that I desperately need) until then.
Jobs. Yes. Jobs, as in the plural. I somehow managed to get TWO jobs. I went for an interview at Reitmans at the end of August, they took their time getting back at me so I found a sewing job on craigslist at Artifice Clothing. Artifice does PVC garments, costumes, corsets and some other REALLY COOL stuff. More so I can use it to get the last 100 industry experience hours I need for school AND I'm getting paid for it -- paid to make things I'm interested in! The job is only guaranteed until the end of October, since that's their busy season and it's only a couple times a week, along with Saturday's in October.
Reitmans basically called me back on Thursday telling me I got the job. And while I'm quite happy at Artifice I desperately need fashion retail experience since my problem in the summer was that while places were hiring they were looking for people who had fashion retail experience and I had none. Thus I NEED this job and it would be guaranteed to go past October. The only problem is the location I'd be working at is closed weekends (the location is in a building that caters towards the bank buildings downtown and rarely gets people off the street, thus no point in being open when the bank buildings are not) and I need to be available for at least 3 shifts. While not working weekends would be awesome it means with Artifice, I'm stuck squishing everything together during my week.
I'm forcing myself to keep BOTH jobs and make them work since I want the experience from Artifice, it's only two months and I essentially need the fashion retail experience from Reitmans.
Then at the end of October we also have musilins that are due -- the 'roughs' for our collections.
Sick. I also got some sort of virus specifically in my throat. I'm not snotty, I'm not coughing, my throat is just swollen to the point I feel like I'm gagging. I've been popping tylnol and asprin as often as I can since they're the only things helping, and I went to a walk in clinic to make sure it wasn't anything serious. Yesterday was the worst, I felt like poo at work and was going slow with my work (which the boss noticed I think) but after a good nights rest I feel a LOT better. I was worried it'd develop into something bad and a cold is the last thing you need while at school! So remember to take care of yourself!

Basically October will be hell for me. But hopefully very very worth it in the long run!

Labels: fashion school, internship, stress, work

First of September!
Classes start next Tuesday (but I have no classes on Tuesday, so Wednesday for me).

I got into all the classes I wanted this semester, with the professors I wanted. Didn't have to switch anything around so that was a nice stress relief -- but I've always seemed to be lucky with my schedule, getting classes I wanted. I know some people aren't quite as lucky. I have Elizabethan England (been trying to get into this class for years, hope it's worth it! it's the last upper liberal class I need), Research Methods (seems boring, but potentially easy if I pay enough attention and get the work done) and Senior Design Project (collection!). I'm only in class Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Progress is, sadly, slightly on hold for getting my inspiration board done as my printer has hairs on the printing roll and while it can print for personal stuff it isn't very good for high-quality images, leaving hair lines of ink everywhere. While I'd easily put pictures on a usb and go to a printing house to get them done I have no money! Suck waiting for OSAP. This is making me slightly anxious but alas, life of a student.

Goals today: Finish designing (5 left to go!), format pages, clean up my work tables (somehow they got covered in action figures, books and art supplies, whoops). If I have time I think I'll also look for/make a new layout for this blog since though this one is pretty, it's not very user friendly.

They also finally released the syllabus for Senior Design Project up. I am excited to the point of dancing around my apartment with my cat and nervous to the point of foaming at the mouth and passing out.

Labels: courses, fashion school, progess

So before I begin my final year of university (LESS THEN A WEEK! SRSLY!) I figure I'll actually talk about the last four years at Ryerson and give some general background about the school and why Ryerson specifically in a bit more in detail. This is a loooong post, sorry.

Studying fashion in school, especially design, is such an odd thing. Admittedly, a lot of it is all about learning for yourself through trial and error. Through practice you learn what works, what doesn't and when you don't know or want to learn something, you intern, or learn under someone. School can't teach you everything, there's simply too much to cover, to many factors and what if's. I think a lot of it too. is natural skill. You have to have your own eye for things and an inner awareness. Just by seeing a fabric you need to know how it will drape or move, would it be better on bias or straight? School can help you with how to do things, get your skills to an industry standard, tend forecasting, but they can't teach you how to design, what features look good together. That's something you have to already have.

I can't say if having a fashion degree/bachelors maters in the industry (I'm not there yet) -- if having a piece of paper that says you went to school for four years matters over skill. But in a society where people are beginning to expect and hire specifically people who have been to some sort of post-secondary institute, it can't hurt right? And if you were in my boat (having jumped the fashion wagon very last minute and not sure where to start knowing so little) it's a nice place to learn the basics and then have freedom to do what you want while getting advice from people who have worked in the industry. Testing the water, so to speak.

If you're stuck in Canada and looking for a fashion school there are a few to choose from. Fashion Incubator has a nice list here. Most of the schools will give you some sort of degree, some are in French, some are really obscure and only a couple will net you a bachelors of design.

I knew after poking around and looking at schools for Fashion Design that Ryerson School of Fashion was the only place for me. I/my mother wanted me to get a bachelors so college was out, I can't speak french so most schools in Quebec were out too. As far as I know Ryerson has one of the best reps in the fashion industry in Canada and has had their School of Fashion established for a good... amount of years (I can't find the exact date but I know it must have started before the 1950's). Plus Mass Exodus is the largest student run fashion show in Canada,pretty fucking cool and I wanted to be a part of that.

Anyway. Once you've decided on fashion at Ryerson you actually have two branches of fashion that the school offers to choose from, communication or design. Communication kids do all the stuff the design kids don't (that's how I usually explain it to people), so they do photography, dabble in journalism, magazine articles/set up, packaging, brand management etc. Where as design students focus on designing and making clothing, trend forecasting etc. When you know which you're going for, hopefully you meet the academic standards you'll submit a very specific portfolio before finding out if you're accepted or not. Approximately 80 kids are chosen for each communication and design every year out of thousands of applicants. It's a hard program to get into, but even harder to stay in. You'll see why in a moment.

The first year at Ryerson, communication and design students ALL have the same classes together, where you're learning the basics of both streams. So communication students are stuck pattern making and design students are stuck doing graphic related art. I'll tell you now, out of everything I've done so far my first year was the hardest, and probobly the heaviest course load too. You really do need to be prepared for it and know fashion is what you want else the first year will tare you to shreds. The main things I can say for fashion design is first semester you learn how to draft and sew some god-awful samples you will never forget. Second semester you draft, pattern and make a simple spring dress.
My first year courses for both semesters included: Fashion Design I, History of Art I, Intro to Fashion I, Illustration I, Fundamentals of Design and Colour I, Textiles I, Fashion Design II, History of Art II, Intro to Fashion II, Illustration II, Fundamentals of Design and Colour II, and a liberal.



Second year is where you'll branch off into your specifics. Sadly you won't see the communication people around much until fourth year (and in any liberals you may take together). Second year was probobly my favorite. First semester the design kids learn to drape and make a woman's two-piece suit. Second semester you do evening wear that's featured a smaller fashion show that also shows the third year work. That's my design above, and yes, I hand beaded that pattern across the front.
Second year courses included: Intermediate Fashion Design I, Marketing I, History of Costume I, Intermediate Illustration I, Intermediate Fashion Design II Textiles II, Intermediate Illustration II, a fashion elective and 2 liberals.



Third year was a bit of a nightmare for me. I was dealing with a lot of personal issues and my work suffered for it. They also introduced something new to the syllabus, the Danier Design Challenge and while I discovered I loved working with leather from it, it also put more stress on us. First semester you make a winter coat (men's or woman's) AND you participate in the Danier Design Challenge, making a leather jacket. Second semester you're working in groups of 5 each creating a menswear look to walk down the runway. It's fun, but hard -- having an amazing group seriously helps! Leather jacket above is mine. Sadly, you can't see the back.
Third year classes include: Fashion and Society, Advanced Fashion Design I, Grading, History of Design, Computer Aided Design I, Advanced Fashion Design II, Integrated Visual Communication I, 2 fashion electives and 2 liberals.

And then comes fourth year...
Which is suppose to be the hardest. I split mine in half though to make it easier on myself. You're suppose to be working on a 5-look collection (unless you're working in a pair, then it's 7-look collection). The whole year and most of your classes will revolve around this collection. You'll be making logos, hang tags, market research and so on. You'll also have to take a few classes that don't have anything to do with your collection, thus I got those out of the way asap.
Here's what I've taken already that is part of fourth year: Integrated Visual Communication II, Computer Aided Design II, Fashion in International Markets, two fashion electives, one liberal.

In order to graduate I still need to complete: Design Senior Project I, Design Senior Project II, Research Methods, Strategic Project Management, one liberal, 400 hours worth of internship (100 left to go!), and have to have a GPA of 2.4 or around there. I know mines above it but it's always good to keep in mind.

And that has been the last four years of my life. Phew.

Labels: about, courses, fashion school

Where are you from?
Mississauga, Ontario: I commuted to and from school (public transit can really suck!) but it’s great for catching up on sleep!!

How much experience did you have in fashion before and/or outside of Ryerson?
I took both Grade 11 and 12 Fashion design class, in high school. In addition, my mother and grandmothers are really good and avid seamstresses. So I have been exposed to fashion and sewing from a very young age ...Serging used to be fun! :P

Did you have a job/internship during your forth year? Would you recommend it for others?
No internship, I did continue working part-time at my retail placement (which I worked all 4 years during school). It wasn’t bad; it’s all about time management!!! I do recommend having your 400hrs finished before 4th year!!! It helps from scrambling last minute, because they are due the beginning of March.

How did you find your inspiration for your collection and what was it?
I am kind of backwards to the ways of Ryerson.....I actually had I usually stick to design ideas and then found a related inspiration!! what I like and know! My inspiration was Graffiti and Graphic Design.

How much did you plan out in the summer before hand, if at all? Did it help?
I did think allot about what category I wanted to do and how I was going to go abou t it!! I also had information provided by previous 4th years, to what is necessary to survive 4th year!
A student can survive without early preparation; however you have to have EXCELLENT TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS!! Or you will not survive. Expect everything to take 3x-4x longer than your original guesstimate...if you can get things done early DO!!!!

General estimate how much you spent on the collection?
Well I did 5 swimwear pieces and 5 cover-ups..... All sewing was done by me; just materials would probably be around $800.00. If you are looking for spandex...try Ann’s Fabrics (http://www.annsfabric.com/) or The Textile Centre (http://www.thetextilecentre.com/) in Hamilton!!! They are worth the travel. Labels (purchased and fashion tag and label; go with a group to get a good student deal!!) were like $124 (with tax) for 2 types of 100 each.
PRINTING will be a huge cost. You will have to get many booklets printed during the semester. Try the printing place on the side street by metro! (Can’t remember the name) they have good student pricing and do really nice printing. That or the student centre is probably the next best (do show your student card at copyrite to get a cheaper rate!)

If you could have done one thing different what would it be?
Worked further in advance.... and kept copies of everything!! But I was very happy with my final line! And wouldn’t change it no matter what!....Also be careful of who you hang around with during 4th year, it is a really stressful time, so being surrounded with calm and collected people who are positive should be taken into consideration!!

Any advice or tips for future forth-years?
Be sure of the choices you make and what you want to do.
BE ORGANIZED – this will seriously help because many projects overlap and so you can use allot of materials and projects for several courses...It also helps from having spending unnecessary money on things you already bought but misplaced.
KEEP EVERYTHING! This applies to what was mentioned above. It also helps because you never know what you may need until it is too late. And trust me YOU WILL NEED IT!!
MAKE THINGS STURDY - as much as “high-quality” and “beautiful, precious” materials and great (yes they look beautiful) be aware that once mass ex gets your garments anything can go. This can possibly mean destruction of your expensive and all-nighter garments. Make-up, tearing, zipper breaking, anything is possible and you won’t know till you get it back. SCARED? WORRIED? You should be. Make sure no matter what that your stuff is durable...if it fragile, I recommend you become the class representative so you can see the garments during dress rehearsals!
NO SYMPATHY – prof’s have no sympathy, you don’t get it done, your own problem....So get it done, unless you don’t care about your marks (if that’s the case....why even bother?)
BE PROUD AND LOVE WHAT YOUR MAKING – if you are not attached emotionally to your line, it will show – in quality, in how you display and care for it, and your confidence of it!!! Find a way to love what you have designed!
PROF’S AS FRIENDS – make friends with all your professors they can help you allot!! Also Audrey, is the bestest friend you will ever have! Just talk to her, she is in fact REALLY easy to get along with!!! SERIOUSLY!

Best and worst part of the whole forth-year experience?
Best? I found out what category I really love, and also what parts I don’t. In addition I was open to many experiences and people...friends and skill that will help me throughout my life! I created things I never knew I could!
Worst? Well it was stressful. So find a happy place!! And the cover-stitch machine is the spawn of Satan!! If you are doing anything that involves cover-stitching, have like 8 back-up machines!!

Labels: mass exodus 2011, paula, questionair

Where are you from?
Newmarket, On

How much experience did you have in fashion before and/or outside of Ryerson?
About 3 years of sewing.... nothing much.

Did you have a job/internship during your forth year? Would you recommend it for others?
I was working part time but only twice a week because I could not keep up with my schoolwork. I think it really depends on other factors like how complicated your collection is and if you get it contracted out or not.

How did you find your inspiration for your collection and what was it?
Dior's spring/summer 2011 couture collection, but I’ve always wanted to do couture. My inspiration was cage birds.

How much did you plan out in the summer before hand, if at all. Did it help?
Nope, nothing I slacked :)

General estimate how much you spent on the collection?
$2000, but totally worth it in the end. Either go big or go home right? You can't do an avant garde collection expecting it to be cheap.

If you could have done one thing different what would it be?
Chosen to use silk instead of poly satin.

Any advice or tips for future forth-years?
Don't slack!

Best and worst part of the whole forth-year experience?
Best: getting into top 20, couture award and having one of my dresses being chosen to be on display at holts this summer :). Best experience ever.
Worst: late nights

Labels: jeannie, mass exodus 2011, questionair

Where are you from?
Ottawa (well if you really want to know the nitty gritty, I'm actually from India haha) but to keep it simple, Ottawa.

How much experience did you have in fashion before and/or outside of Ryerson?
I started designing and did my first fashion show when I was 13/14. I contributed to my high school's fashion show every year from 9-12 putting in anything from 2-8 outfits. In grade 12 I co-organized the show as well as designed. When I was 16 I participated in my first local designing competition in Ottawa at a show put on through Carleton University for local designers and boutique owners. I somehow managed to get away with third place Haha. But that was all pre -Ryerson. After getting into Ryerson, besides the Ryerson shows for evening/men's and Mass Ex, I designed for a few charity shows during the summers, but truthfully I couldn't manage to do anything extra during the school year because of our ridiculous workload.

Did you have a job/internship during your forth year? Would you recommend it for others?
I never worked during the school year from years 1-3 (it was all during the summers) and then when 4th year hit I realized I was going to have to do something during the year as well if I wanted to afford my collection/continue eating. So I tried to find a job with the least possible hours that would pay decent and what I found was that the best solution for that was getting a campus job. I worked as the lead fashion mentor for the trimentoring program where I worked about 8-15 hours a week (it could be more or less depending on the events that week) and it paid $ $12/hr. Not bad for a relatively unstressful job. And because it was a campus job they were VERY understanding and accommodating if I had to miss a shift/be late because of school work/exams/pulling an all nighter in the lab (and that happened often). Mind you, even with that very manageable job I was STILL struggling. Doing your collection will be like having a full time 80 hr/week job, add that to your other 6/7 classes and their work load, add that things you may be responsible for (if you live on your own, things like laundry, doing groceries, etc)...it really builds up. Essentially you'll find yourself cutting out things that are sort of necessary to live. The most common first thing to go is sleeping. Literally never happens. Never doing those things you're responsible for-- living in filth ‘cause of the disarray of your apartment, not never having time to do groceries (which kind of doesn't matter, ‘cause you never really have time to eat)...it really takes a toll on you. So my suggestion? FINISH YOUR INTERN HOURS BEFORE THE YEAR STARTS. The last thing you want to be worrying about on top of all that other shit is your stinking internship hours. Just do them. Do all of them the summer before 4th year if you have to, just get them out of the way. Also, I know this is hard for most people (I couldn't even manage without one) but if you can, try and live without the job for the year. Trust me, any spare time you can possibly muster will be spent sleeping.

How did you find your inspiration for your collection and what was it?
The inspiration for my collection was found while I was interning in India over the summer. Specifically, in the middle of downtown Mumbai inside a high-fashion store called Bombay Electric. There, designs by all up-and-coming Indian designers could be seen including some from designer Manish Arora and his stunning dresses covered in jewels. This got me thinking about old Indian Maharajas and Maharanis and the kind of bejeweled amour they wore to war. I started thinking about how while the men went off to battle in their ornate amour, the women just sorta stayed at home. So this inspired me to create a line for the “Modern Day Maharani” in the form of cocktail dress amour, for the modern day woman’s battle of cocktail and dinner parties.

How much did you plan out in the summer before hand, if at all. Did it help?
Well the main thing I did the summer before was figure out exactly what it is I wanted to design/inspiration, and started buying materials for it. See, this doesn’t sound like a lot but it is. Figuring out what you actually want to do and how you’re going to go about doing it can take a bloody long time. The last thing you want is to come into 4th year not knowing what you want to do and with the inspiration boards and 30 sketches of your garments all due within the first couple of weeks of being back in school, you really don’t want to rush that creative process and force yourself into doing a collection you aren’t really into (you will be spending a hell of a lot of money on this collection, not to mention time and effort, you need to be doing something you actually want to do). And for me, figuring this all out while I was in India really let me take advantage of the great resources I had available to me. My collection had armor that was covered in jewels and had strings of fresh water pearls. One string of pearls here is anything from $15-20 in Canada. I bought something like 150 string for $120 in India. Like that’s less that $1 a string and I needed all of them for my collection. It would have been astronomically expensive if I hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do until after I was back in Canada.
So my advice, I mean some of you who’ve are taking this extra year to do your collections are already going to be so ahead of the game, so make sure you take advantage of the stuff you know is coming upalready have done.
-figure out what you want to design
-start planning it out, planning your budget, your materials
-start buying your materials if you happen to have access to some great deals (BUT SAVE ALL YOUR RECEIPTS. You are going to need to know that information about costing and fabric content etc like all year long)
- if you’ve gotten to the point that you’ve already got 5 outfits sketched, start sketching the rest of the 30 that you’ll have to submit.
- Technicals, on illustrator. And if you don’t know illustrator or are still not comfortable with it, you better practice your butt off during the summer and get acquainted with those programs. You will be using them for a lot of stuff. Also if you can afford it, I would suggest buying the adobe master collection (with photoshop/illustrator/indesign etc) or if you can get a knockoff copy from someone, def do it. It will be so much nicer doing your technicals and style books from the comfort of your own house than in that over crowded comp lab. And you WILL be spending lots of time on those programs. Trust me.
- if you’re really keen start doing some test muslins. I mean honestly you can really get a lot done before the year starts. One of the biggest flaws in our program is that they do not give you guys the course outlines for the next upcoming year, or at least a general outline. If I knew exactly what we had to as soon as we start the year during the summer, my life would have been SO much easier.
General estimate how much you spent on the collection? Oh god, I’ve honestly lost track now. I kept my budget strongly in mind while I was designing (ie doing cocktail wear because doing full length dresses with $50/y silk jersey would have ended me) but in the end…umm I can only give a general estimation, I think just the materials for the collection cost about $1500-$2000. But keep in mind there are whack load of extra costs that come up throughout the year. Like printing. Holy cow, the amount of BOOKS you need to get printed and bound and with specialty paper, it’s insane. Design books, look books, judging packages, production books, stylebooks. Oh god. And each one could be like 30-80 pages depending on how many garments your collection has. Then you’ve got people who want to contract things out (I didn’t use a contractor, mainly because I know if hella expensive) and then you’ve got photoshoots and getting your garments professionally pressed, if you get an oil stain on a garment (and this happens sometimes, beware of those machines in the lab, some of them leak oil like you wouldn’t believe) then there is dry cleaning bills. So basically… I can’t really tell you how much to save; it really depends on your collection… I mean people who did full length evening were or bridal, I can’t even tell you how much they spent. Just be smart about your spending, look out for good deals, try and get a sponsorship.


If you could have done one thing different what would it be?
Well, I don’t know how possible this would have been, but I would have tried to avoid working in the lab as much as I did. I have a home machine, but seeing as how I was doing an all knit collection I needed to use the school sergers so I was there like 24/7 along with everyone else. The thing that happens in fourth year is that if you feel like you’re going crazy because of lack of sleep/good nutrition, you’ve got to realize so is everyone else. Stress levels are super high. And being in that condensed little lab full of other stressed out people really ended up taking a toll on me. It just made the whole experience a lot more negative than it needed to be. I mean that was just me, personally, but if you can manage to surround yourself with positive people and/or work at home in your own personal space…it might be a better experience.

Any advice or tips for future forth-years?
Haha well, there’s not much more I can say, I mean it’s a tough year, there’s no beating around the bush on that. I went into the year fully knowing and understanding that I’d be giving up my social life, all my money, sleep, fun, etc. and it still blew my mind. But I got through it. And trust me if I got through it, anyone can. You’ve got to stay organized, time manage and work ahead as much as you can. I bought myself one of those giant white board calendars and as soon as those course outlines were up on blackboard I wrote out every single due date for ever single class for the whole semester. That really helps keep you ahead cuz you can start multi-working on projects so that you are ahead of the game. Mind you, it will eventually catch up you’ll end up being rushed anyway (such is the nature of our program) but at least you will have been ahead for a while. Best and worst part of the whole forth-year experience?
Worst- the stress.
Best- being done. (i.e. there being a light at the end of the tunnel)

Labels: aarzoo, collection, mass exodus 2011, questionair

So tomorrow I'm going to start posting "interviews" that some very kind and helpful friends filled out for me after completing their fashion collections in April.

These were people who I spent the last four years with and was so proud too see their collections go down the runway for Mass Exodus, Ryerson's largest fashion show put on by Fashion Communication and Theater School students each and every year showing off forth year Design students collections.

Again, I decided to split my final year into two, so I'll be doing my collection this year! Though I was slightly sad to not go through my final year with these lovely people I spent the experience that is fashion school with, watching them slave away has given me a slight edge (I like to think) and got lots of advice and tips and tricks on what to do for my collection/how to do it.

I wanted to say thanks to them and congratulations (again) on graduating earlier this summer.

On another note, I have about 20 designs done right now and I'm going to meet a friend tomorrow for coffee and some help on picking some designs out that tell a story. So here's hoping!

Class schedules come out on the 18th I believe. Nail biting experience -- hoping I get into the classes I want with the profs I want. I'm also in the slow process of cleaning my apartment from head to toe and print off inspiration pictures to pin to my cork board to serve as a make shift inspiration board all so I'm more comfortable working at home and all ready to once September rolls around. It's so soon!

But yeah, check back tomorrow! I'll be posting Aarzoo's interview. <3

Labels: mass exodus, progess

Labels: inspiration, tumblr

In order to kick off one-ish month until school Imma talk about me.
I know, you're dying to hear it.

But really, how did I end up in fashion? I wonder that a lot sometimes since I was not the type of girl growing up who would ever consider fashion a career. When I was younger I wanted to draw comic books for a living. Well, manga, really, which are the Japanese comic books. I was obsessed with them, read any I could get my hands on. I played video games a lot, avoided people, was terrible at sports. You know, that typical nerd kid. Mostly though, up until grade 10, I thought fashion was stupid. I never wore anything nice, in fact, I usually wore clothing too baggy to hide my body (ohh, if only I knew then what I know now!) and if anything, I was more a tom-boy.

I remember sitting in art class one day, talking with some friends (art class was the only place I was happy) and one of them, Shanice, was very girly. I remember her mascara and how thick she would wear it (how much I loved that look and wish I could wear mascara but it would just be weird if I did), and how she loved fashion. She was passionate about it, as I was comics, so even though fashion was stupid then, I respected her love of it. I was planning on drawing my friends into a comic I was working on and I remember her flipping through a magazine and asking me to draw her in this jacket becuase I was working on designing everyone and it was fun to get their opinion. I asked for the picture for reference and remember how much and how cool I thought that jacket was. I couldn't wear it myself, but I could draw it and that would be fun. Could I make it too?

My younger sister started drawing and out of no where and was more then amazing at it. I burned me to admit it then but she was a lot better then I (still is) and it hit me hard how there was no way I could draw comics, I was no where near good enough. So what else could I do? I had a lot of other interests. I loved reading and writing for one. I could go to school for that? But no, my spelling is awful. Graphic design maybe, I was already coding and making my own websites then like no ones business, so that may have been too easy. I played the violin and considered going to school for music. I liked history too but that couldn't really land me a job anywhere unless I wanted to teach, which I didn't.

The problem was most of those things were/are hobbies for me. I didn't want to turn something I loved into work, then it wouldn't be fun anymore. I needed something I enjoyed doing, that would challenge me, allow me to be creative, and I wouldn't mind hating occasionally. Paradise Kiss, a manga by Ai Yazawa was one of my favorite manga in early in grade 10. I think it was sort of the final thing that helped me decide fashion was what I wanted to do. Paradise Kiss follows the story of Yukari, a girl just trying to make her mother happy, who gets pulled into fashion by these crazy kids who need a model for a school project. Yukari eventually realizes that no, she's not really a smart kid and getting into some crazy prep school isn't what she wants so much, it's more what her mother wants. So after meeting the crazy fashion kids (and with their support) she decides to peruse modeling. Her mother of course is furious about this, but years later after Yukari has become successful has accepted her daughters choice. The thing that was so much fun about this manga was the outfits. Ai Yazawa is the author + artist behind Paradise Kiss, and unbeknown to me until years later was a fashion-student drop out. If there was one thing Yazawa knows how to do (besides tell an awesome story) is put an outfit together for her characters and made the comic as much fun to look at as it was to read. You also got a little taste of fashion school from the students who were an odd mix of a punk, a dashing prince charming wannabe, a cute little lolita girl and a cross dresser who liked to dress in Victorian period clothing. I suppose what I realized from this manga too, was one of my favorite things about drawing comics and coming up with characters was that I loved to draw their outfits.

So what the hell, why not. I took a risk, switched high schools so I could go to one that had a fashion program and haven't looked back since. I was crazy and only applied to one post-secondary school and had the plan of reapply for another 2 years and if I didn't get in after that I'd do something else but it's still kind of amazing how everything worked out the first try. Sure, I've wondered "Rachel, wtf were you thinking" but it's always fun to prove to yourself just wtf you were thinking. And hell, maybe it was all meant to be.

Over-all though I feel like I got a late start in fashion and I worried about that (and still do, though I like to think I'm catching up). I didn't know names, what was good what was bad, I had no personal sense of style and I didn't know how to sew -- except a little, it was tradition in my family to make your own Halloween costume something which was always fun and why Halloween was my favorite 'holiday' and not Christmas (which also was added to the pile of 'why I should do fashion). So I took the little I knew from my manga and went from there.



If you've read some of Ai Yazawas' stuff, she makes reference often to Vivienne Westwood and even draws some of the designers clothing into her comics (NANA specifically, which is by far my favorite manga ever). So Westwood is probobly the first actual designer I was aware of. I know, pretty much everyone thinks she's amazing, has done amazing things for the fashion world, but I have to say, being my first real experience of fashion she set the bar high for any other designers I may like. In a lot of ways too, I could relate to her early 'fuck fashion' like approach to things, as much as I thought fashion was stupid. But it's funny how as you learn things and get older it's not so much 'fuck fashion' or fashion is stupid. From her I learned there was so much more to fashion and so much you could do.


The only other designer I have ever loved (constantly that is), is Alexander McQueen. I only really became aware of him my first year of university, but I loved how he plaid with everything and immediately knew that was what I wanted to do. I was (and still am sometimes) devastated he died, he will never make another collection and I will never get to meet him or work for him like I really wanted to do eventually after school. Meeting and working for him was a huge goal of mine, when he died it slightly shook my confidence in fashion -- what was I going to do after fashion school now? Though Sarah Burton was (thankfully) the right person to continue the brand I still sometimes don't know what I'd do without McQueen after fashion school. At least I know the stuff I want to do is possible becuase of him.

So there. That's how I ended up in fashion and most of the factors that resulted in it and provided a base for me. How I got into lingerie is another story I may or may-not share eventually.

Thought it all sort of fell into my lap I'm still amazed how right it felt. And honestly, so glad it's worked out this far.

Catch me the night before a deadline though and I'll deny the previous sentence.

Labels: about, fashion school, inspiration

Labels: progess, to do