Emerging womenswear designer Valerie Jaquet recently scored a mentoring opportunity with Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW) founder Simon Lock. Jaquet kicks off our post-RAFW 2010 “catwalk free” coverage, as we profile exhibitors, business clusters and showroom delegates at the event.
It all started as a casual talk with a makeup artist – Jennifer Foo – with whom I often work. She suggested that I apply for a mentoring program run by Fashion Future (www.fashionfuture.com.au).
As I’m in the process of setting up my clothing label, I thought having a mentor would be a great opportunity to learn as much as possible about the Australian fashion industry. I went straight to the top and chose Simon Lock, the founder of RAFW.
I submitted my resume along with my portfolio and explained why I chose him, my vision, aspirations as a fashion designer and goals within the Australian fashion industry. A week out from RAFW, I received an email from Fashion Future advising me that I was shortlisted for the mentor program. A few days later, I received a call telling me that I was chosen out of 300 applicants. I was also told that I was invited to attend three Deloitte business management seminars. I was just ecstatic.
On the last day of RAFW at 1pm, I met up with Pamela Trantalles from Fashion Future, who introduced me to Simon Lock. The mentor program ran for half a day and with Simon as my guide, I witnessed first hand the complex production and logistics involved in staging such a grand event.
Simon and I quickly exchanged a few words – mainly me introducing myself and where I was at in my career – before he took me to see the Swim Fashion Week group show. When we arrived, the show had already started, but we managed to catch the latest swimwear collections from Karen Neilsen, Lisa Blue, Lisa Maree, Rebecca Manning and Roopa Pemmaraju.
When the show was over, I followed Simon to one of the make-up and hair studios. The place was buzzing with preparations for the New Generation group show. Whilst observing the frantic scene in the studio, Simon explained to me the challenges facing the production team in planning, timing and getting the models ready for each designer and each parade.
We then moved to the second studio where I met Marie Hatzis, the designer of the Hussy label. The models were getting ready for the 4pm show. After that, we went backstage and Simon explained the process that goes on behind the curtains before and during the runway: from the rack set-up, to the marked pathway on the floor, to the backstage screen where the models are reminded of their choreography, timing, attitude and posture prior to entering the stage.
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the planning that goes into a well organised show. I gained an appreciation and understanding of the logistics of staging a production of this magnitude and the value of planning to the very last detail to ensure a successful show.
After a thorough explanation of what happens backstage, Simon and I sat down for a one-on-one session while looking at the setting up of the New Generation show at the Overseas Passenger Terminal.
I explained the challenges and issues I’ve encountered as a new designer in the industry, from manufacturing, networking, dealing with media, negotiating with buyers to selling to the end customers. Simon answered my questions and gave me very valuable advice on how to face some of those challenges and gave me directions to explore, knowing that my label caters for a specific market.
After a long chat and observing how the room slowly filled up with some of the most prominent fashion industry people, Simon took me to the sound/lighting engineer booth that overlooked the runway. I was given headphones so I could hear the overall operations between backstage and the sound/lighting engineer booth and how everything had to be synchronised from lighting, music, logo appearing/disappearing, models timing to the designer closing the show – it was a real bee- hive.
Having put on ‘modest’ fashion shows, this experience gave me a priceless insight into what to do for my next showcase.
Nine upcoming fashion labels showed their collection to an array of established designers such as Alex Perry and Wayne Cooper, international and national buyers, media and other industry people. Before my mentor session was over, I asked Simon what it would take for Valerie Jaquet to showcase at next year’s Future Generation show.
He looked me in the eye and made it very clear that the career path I chose is not an easy one, yet should I persist and work hard, it’s going to be a very rewarding journey.