Stepping out: Curtin University, WA
Assia Benmedjdoub speaks to a former and current fashion design student from Western Australia's Curtin University about the real world.
There are many words fashion designers use to describe their career of choice - stressful, demanding, exciting, rarely glamorous. Jocelyn Tan prefers to see it as an "intimidating combination of requirements."
"The fashion industry is more than just designing and sewing," the final year student says. "It involves business strategy, design strategy, exposure, ongoing success, financial support, planning production, PR, market research and so on."
Although, this isn't enough to deter Tan from pursuing a career in the industry. For the last three years, Tan has studied under a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion and Textile Design and notes Fashion Illustration as one of her strongest points.
"From the beginning, fashion students have been encouraged to look into diverse methods of communicating our conceptual ideas and garment designs. We were pushed to no longer look at Fashion Illustration as a simple flat sketch but to explore photography, collage, methods of creating 2D and 3D texture through surface manipulation, painting, mark making and so on."
Last year, Tan was invited to join the Golden Key International Honour Society - a position offered only to the top 15 per cent of students in each faculty. The invitation followed three consecutive Dean's commendations and an equally glowing academic record.
"After I graduate, I plan to travel around Europe to explore international art and fashion," she says. "I also plan to gain work experience in the field of fashion design in Perth or Melbourne and possible look into taking a business-related or patternmaking short course."
In the meantime, Tan is already helming her own jewellery and accessory line called Justin Unicorn. Targeted at women aged between 18 to 30 years, the brand is stocked in select boutiques across Western Australia including Locale, Tu, Estar on Oxford and Merge Clothing. Tan uses a broad range of materials such as wood, hand-printed fabrics, Swarovski crystals, hand cut acrylic, typewriter keys and cassettes to create her seasonal pieces.
"For my next collection, I plan to explore the theme of re-purposing," she says. "Deconstruction and reconstruction of the contraptions of the everyday we routinely rely on, yet overlook."
Bree Kiddey, on the other hand, prefers to see her occupation along financial terms. Sound financial terms. "Fashion seemed more profitable than becoming an artist," she shrugs.
Kiddey, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion and Textile Design in 2004, planned to gain work experience with leading designers before broaching out on her own. But it wasn't to be. The designer launched her womenswear label, Bim Kenesis, after graduating from Curtin and completing a small business management course through TAFE.
"The main reason I started my own label was the lack of job opportunities in the Perth [fashion] industry," she says.
"I would strongly recommend going out and working for another label or designer. Hands on experience is so important because you can learn from the mistakes they have already made rather than having to make them yourself and learn the hard way."
Blunders aside, the designer's quirky collections have managed to attract a solid stockist base across Australia and New Zealand, including Holly Golightly in Sydney, Anaki in South Australia and Parlour 8 in Queensland.
Describing her brand as "fashion forward but wearable", Kiddey says prints are a strong feature in every theme-based collection. Given her love of fine detailing, she says she's exasperated by the lack of production opportunities in Australia.
"I am finding it hard to get production in Australia at a cost-effective price - it's also impossible to source fabrics in Perth. The fashion industry is ever changing and when you think you have something worked out, it changes again."
What's her strategy for overcoming these challenges?
"I don't think you ever get used to it, you just work out better ways of dealing with the challenges presented to you. For me, it's been great to see the label gain some more exposure in the media and starting to establish a strong customer base."
By Assia Benmedjdoub