By Debrina Abdullah @ Debbie Chan
A journalist who ventured into the glitzy world of fashion to seek out the balance, if it’s possible, between practicality and fantasy.She launched into a fashion career while working as a fashion coordinator and writer in Doha before landing in Milan for further training in this line.
Her #Takeaways from the journey into a career in fashion,
1. Design is not just about no-holds barred creativity. It has to be framed within a sense of commerciality and wearability. Often, we romanticize the creative process, as promoted by mass media, with the designer conjuring up fantastical dresses and collections that awe. But in reality, design is a structured process that finds inputs from the most ordinary things; practicality, seasonality, and what the customers really buy. And what do customers really buy? Black, blue, navy, and sometimes a pop of yellow. So that’s why you often see a world of fantasy on the catwalks, but rows of monotone classics in stores.
2. Being quick to respond and being versatile are important keys to running any business but especially so in fashion. Tastes are fickle, retail spending and seasons change according to macro and micro factors (economics, politics) around us and the ability to adapt quickly your offerings and strategies is important to make sure your brand stays relevant.
3. It is a business that is so much more that meets the eye. Behind the spotlight and runways, is a complex business structure that spans countries, social classes and emotional connections. Especially the emotional aspects. Being in the retail front has allowed me to see the different ways women attach meaning to the clothes that they buy. Many project their inner insecurities onto their shopping habits, and often turn the shopping experience into an unpleasant process. “I look fat in this,” “this only works if I am taller,” “why do I have to wear a size 12?” Many others harbor hopes that in their new purchases, they can seize the new day. Even after eight years, I m still both intrigued and perplexed at how fashion can both be self-depreciating and liberating at the same time.
