The role of a “Fashionista” is not to be taken lightly as it comes with many responsibilities and requires an advanced set of skills which are as followed but not limited to:
- Looking for fashion experts to reinvent the runway and fashion as we know it
- Pinterest board connoisseur
- Somehow have creative directing experience of major couture brands straight outta college
- Basically owns Fashion Week
- Brunches with Anna
- Influencer status
- <3 * NYC princess * <3
- 50 additional points for nepo babies
BFFR
So what actually makes a fashion designer the real deal?
Well we can start by ruling out all of those glamorized misconceptions that make everyone and their mother think they want to be in the fashion industry.
In reality, being in fashion is like being an athlete, which still might be a foreign concept for some of us art students. To explain, you have to practice to get good, learn from your competitors and peers to get better, and strive to be the best in order to make it. Bad news is that scrolling through #fashtok isn’t going to land you that creative director role or get Donatella and the Hadid girls to take you under their wing. Don’t be scared of fashion, embrace it. Good news is we got you covered on what will take you from imposter syndrome to the real deal
1. Eat, sleep and breath “Vogue”
The “Vogue” app is a fashion creatives’ nuclei. Scroll through “Vogue Runway” like you would Instagram, TikTok or any of your other favorite sites. Absorb the latest collections, introduce yourself to different styles and discover upcoming designers. They don’t bite!
2. Keep the credit card hot
Go shopping! Yes, that’s right. This is the validation you were waiting for to go out and spend quality time at the racks. See what is selling in stores and thrift shops, pay attention to fabrics, finishes, prints and construction details. Knowing what is out there being sold in stores is the best way to get a consensus of what is “in” and what has already been done. If anyone questions your commitment to this task, let them know it’s for the greater good of your success, duh.
3. Be a failure
Try, fail, try again, fail again and keep trying until you stop failing! We hate to be the bearer of bad news but there isn’t a magical, pubescent day where you wake up with all the gifts and talents from the fashion god. You have to fail to learn, try to fail and fail forward until you succeed. So go refine those skills and make something for yourself or a friend. Even if it turns out terribly, you learn what you did wrong and try again. The tenacity you build within yourself is more important than the amount of achievements you have. God speed, fashionistas.
4. Know your plug
There is a whole world of supplies outside of the SCAD Bookstore, as “high quality” as those products are. An efficient designer knows where the best spots are to get supplies. Get to know where to source materials by visiting different local places. Get to know your local fabric store owners. They’re the ones who will be providing the goods, you might as well form a good relationship with them.
Check out the Connector’s article on resources for FASH majors here.
5. Ever heard of friends?
MAKE FASHION FRIENDS! Yes, it is intimidating to speak to strangers especially when they’re wearing 6 inch platform stompers and a custom RBF with airpods in. But, the more you can talk about fashion with others, the more you can learn. It’s like learning a new language, you need to surround yourself with it in order to become more fluent. Fashion is our shared love language so fully emerge yourself and don’t be scared to disagree! Different perspectives are what sets us all apart from each other.
6. Go to the library…no seriously
Be a vessel of inspiration, don’t be a snob on what is worth your attention. Inspiration hides in the cracks and crevices of life that you don’t necessarily think or want to look in. Approach the library. Seriously, there is a lot more than just class required texts, suppressed coughing and weird smells in there. Flicker through the aisles, listen to your favorite playlist and grab the spines of books that intrigue you! Take everything you find to the scanner, if there’s one that’s functional, and compile your research!
Let’s stop here while your attention span is still on us, unless we’re talking to an oblivion and nothing really matters. For any of you who have made it this far, you’re already six steps ahead of everyone else that clicked out of this article so slay. This message was for you and these points can be applied to your life to become a more versed and knowledgeable fashion creative. We all are just trying to survive each week and this week you did just that and read a self help article, so go you.
