Stepping out
Ragtrader speaks to a former and current fashion design student from RMIT about what they hope will propel them towards a long-standing career in the industry.
Paul Cordero is one of those rare individuals who always knew what he wanted from life.
Now a final year advance diploma of textile, clothing and footwear student at RMIT, Cordero received his first sewing machine for his 13th birthday - and has scarcely left it sitting idle since.
It seems his early persistence is paying off.
Recently he and creative partner, fellow student Laura Holmes-Brown, won the 'Dairy by Design' competition, held as part of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival. The brief was to design a garment with a dairy theme, and the duo used doilies and hankies to create a piece creatively titled Dairy Doily. Proving his versatility in his chosen field, Cordero was also selected - along with three fellow RMIT students - to create a window display for a new Melbourne-based magazine store. In keeping with the theme of the stores, the group designed and constructed a dress and suit entirely out of magazine covers.
Having made his own garments as a hobby for the best part of five years, Cordero has now turned his attention to helping others, assisting start-up underwear label Ms Fat Booty in and around his studies.
Keen to get as much experience in the industry as possible, he will shortly help [Melbourne-based designer] Anastasia La Fey in developing costumes for a new performance 'Origami' premiering at Sydney's Opera House later this year.
Yet despite the demands on his schedule, Cordero remains undeterred by his heavy workload.
"I personally love to challenge myself - whether it be with design, pattern making, product development or garment construction. I feel that it is the best way to learn if you push yourself. The only major challenge I face is constantly being poor. The life of a student is hard and this course can be costly."
Unwilling to remain in the 'poor house' forever, Cordero hopes to work in fashion in Australia for a few years before taking his skills on the road.
"I eventually want to start my own label, although I don't think it will be for at least five years - I'd prefer to gain experience and see the world first. I am not sure which gender I will be designing for yet, I guess time will tell."
Mark Pereira has come a long way in the course of two years.
When he and fellow buddies XXXXXXX and XXXXXXX enrolled to study fashion design at RMIT two years ago, Pereira - by his own admission -didn't even know how to "turn a sewing machine on".
"The first year we learnt the basics - pattern making, sewing, design specs, teamwork, grading, materials and fibres. The second year we covered a higher level of pattern-making with more freedom, computer grading, CAD design, specifications, production planning and product development. From there I learnt to make patterns from scratch and turn them into working garments following all the design processes in between."
Today the former graphic designer and his two buddies - one a former street artist and the other a former architect - are the principals behind burgeoning streetwear label Restinpeace.
Having recently celebrated the one-year birthday of their enterprise, the boys are about to launch their second spring/summer collection. They also have plans to enter the 2006 Mercedes Start-up competition run by Australian Fashion Week organisers IMG.
Yet despite their differing backgrounds, Pereira says each member of the design team always knew fashion would one day provide their bread and butter.
"It is a creative outlet that we enjoy and [through which] we are able to express ourselves. [Each of us] entered the course knowing we would never work for anyone else but ourselves."
Having founded the label while midway through the two-year course, Pereira admits the trio took more time than it expected to adjust to the demands of the industry.
While there was a lot to be gained from completing the course, no single learning institution can cover all aspects of starting and running a small fashion business, he says.
"We have learnt just as much out of the course as we did in the course. But because we had that six-month period where we were doing our own thing we were slowly able to adapt to the 'fashion world'. It is quite amazing to go from scratch and get back a garment that has taken so long to sample and have it come back exactly the way you imagined or better."
And his advice to others wanting to break into the industry?
"Think about it. It's not all bright lights, crazy parties and cute girls. There is a lot of hard work that you don't see, and a lot they don't tell you about in any course that you have to discover on your own."