In all honestly I have completely forgot to blog, I had a week off of work and everything came to a holt - washing, house work, even my legs didn't get used that often for a few days. May have even gained a few pounds, but it's all good, been back on that yoga hype and all.
Now this post isn't a feel sorry for me blah blah blah, its going to be more of an insight into the life of a fashion student; my perspective anyway. I have recently embarked on a wonderful year of industry placement, however my initial end goal is not where I currently am. Going off on a tangent is an understatement, complete 180 I would describe it as. But hey, it got me here writing this now so something you know what they say, "when one door closes, two doors open". Firstly, I decided to work the summer to save some of the old pennies to help towards travel food et cetera. As many know that the world of Fashion very rarely pays their interns for the help they provide; I will touch more on this later. With a couple of quid in my back pocket I decided last September was the perfect time for me to embark on my adventure to London where I was welcomed into the family at Joshua Kane.
Life of the Unpaid, the dream, the ambition.
Now as I said perviously this isn't a feel sorry for me or a negative against anyone in particular, especially not Joshua Kane's company - as they were wonderful - it is however a dig at the fashion world in general. My dreams were quite ambitious, a tailor on Savile Row was what I had in mind. My final project in my second year, I specialised in the English cut. I spent hours researching what it was that went into creating the perfectly fitting suit. How each fibre of the jacket is pressed, stitch and manipulated into position; so as the years of wear go by little changes to the suit. I was looking for the quality of the craft, the pure love and nourishment that goes into the years of training to be welcomed into such a luxurious section of the market. However, not only did I have my dreams slightly dinted by my university but I was failed by the industry that I hold on such a high pedestal. I was told that Savile Row would never accept me (without even attempting to contact them) which set me back a little, confidence was crushed - I won't lie to you. Its fair enough, I'm on a design course, not a tailors course. Now the thing with tailoring is you have to learn it on the job, a lot of these house have been around for a very long time, every skill and every piece of knowledge is passed down from master to apprentice. Its not like other pattern cutting where their are youtube videos, nothing you can self teach. So this year was crucial for me to make it as a tailor. I strive for the perfect fit, how the garment will curve along the back, how the cut is perfected to shape the way the arm hangs with the detail and the 'craziness' being restricted to things such as embroidery, pocket cuts et cetera. This is where I wanted to be and what I wanted to be creating. These desires and set backs lead me to finding Joshua Kane, if you have a moment watch or look at his work it is truly inspiration. I regained my love for fashion just in the few months that I interned there. The passion and enthusiasm he offers is incredible.
Life of the Unpaid, the fall.
This is where the industry failed me. Certain internships pay for different things, some may pay for food, others travel and some are just travel within certain zones in London. I didn't have the money to live in London so I was traveling from Peterborough. Most days I was going into london for 10am to leave at 6pm to come back to peterborough to complete a shift until 1am and then repeating the next day. I even worked on my 21st birthday, on that day my nephew was born as well. I was burnt out, I was just constantly angry and tired all the time. Not only was I feeling the strain of this emotionally but physically and I just couldn't afford the travel. I couldn't justify the late night and early mornings for a job, thats what it became, nothing that I had love for anymore. I had to make the extremely hard decision to mitigate the year, if this wasn't the case I would not be in the healthy mental space I am now. But because I took the bold decision to put my health first I missed out on the valuable teaches and experience these places could have taught me all. If I had been paid I wouldn't of needed that second job during the week, and I probably would still be at the same company, as I truly can not find a fault with them and their teachings. The crazy thing is we (as fashion students) need these experiences to progress into the industry so why are they making it so difficult to do this? It seems if you don't have the money or other ambitions in life then you aren't allowed to succeed in the industry. Its hard, and I for one have been one of the unfortunate people to fall off the band wagon and decide to focus my energies elsewhere; hence the recreation of my blog. I love fashion and I find so much enjoyment from it but thats what I want, enjoyment. I don't want the hassle or the unhealthy atmosphere that it has created for me. I gained so much knowledge which I will be pushing forward into my career but ultimately it made me realise I am not cut from the same cloth as these people. I don't have it in me to be completing the crazy hours. I need the time for me as a human not just a sewing machine.
One of the people on my course created this change page, please please please if you have a spare 5 minutes sign this petitionand help people achieve their chosen career dreams.
What I have come to realise over the past few years is, if it doesn't feel right it isn't right. If something is grinding you down and slowly sucking the life from you, then move on. No matter how many years you have train, no matter how much energy and effort you have forced in to such area, its not worth the upset it will cause you in the long run. People say live life to the fullest, and I couldn't get behind that even more if I tried. It's so important to look after yourself first, even if others are pushing you. Stick to your guns, stick to what you know and what you want and move forward from there.
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