The Effective Simplicity of Adrian Foster

During my time at CAFD, I crossed paths with a charming fellow student, who was a year above me. Other students would talk about him and his work. It was clear that his potential was being marked by teachers and  closely observed by competitive colleagues. No one can deny that Adrian Foster has been blessed with  magical talent. By some work of the universe, he and I found ourselves in the same Contemporary Fashion History class. Naturally I gravitated towards him, and we sat together (also with seatmate Ricky B. Holla!), giving me the opportunity of getting to know more of him than just a fantastic illustrator and perceptive eye for design.

Adrian is like a cat. He is quiet and gentle. His delicate interaction with people make him like-able and easy to be around. Then there will be that moment where his company is caught off- guard by his passion, and his fierce love for fashion and art will arouse a startle. At only 23, Adrian has been recognised for so much. Aside from making waves at CAFD, he was awarded Designer of the Year by Enasha Photography, San Francisco in 2010.

I was able to ask Adrian some big questions, Naturally, he gave me even bigger answers!

How did you become involved in fashion?

Fashion for me started at a much younger age, unaware and uneducated about the industry or what I was doing. It was only then in my late teenage years I was introduced into fashion by a great mentor, now deceased. I remained with his teachings and experiences which help grew my interest even more. Now I’m studying fashion at the Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design at UTT. I am now living my dream. 

What is your design aesthetic and who is your client?

ADRIAN FOSTER embodies “Simplicity that is effective” with clean contemporary lines and silhouette that accentuates the curves and valuable asset of a woman’s body merely to highlight her natural beauty. A sexual sophistication and minimal colour and hints of texture all to depict the simplicity of the design but effective and appealing to the eye. My target customers are young successful professional women who have very active social lifestyles.

How do you plan to affect, change and contribute to fashion in Trinidad?

By introducing a fashion brand to the Caribbean Market, the goal is to stand distinctively as a fashion designer brand name “of the Caribbean, from the Caribbean” My company is working towards changing the way islanders see Caribbean Fashion by providing a product and service that is of great value and quality which infuses a stylized ethnical Caribbean flare which can be appreciated by the many niches of the industry. It is therefore my company’s way of contributing towards the development of the fashion sector in Trinidad and Tobago.

What is your vision for the fashion industry in Trinidad?

I believe Trinidad and Tobago is entitled for many improvements for it to be a fully successful fashion industry. However in all due time it will. With that said, what I personally will like to see in the future is –

1.      A Fashion Association – by no means I am not trying hamper those that currently exist but, in my honest opinion Trinidad and Tobago is one country and I am pretty sure that we conduct one fashion industry which host many entities. Therefore why is there a need to have three and four Fashion Associations and most of which are not serving a purpose to help the problems and the developments of this fashion industry.

Furthermore, there are many sides to a fashion industry – fashion is not only about an image, design, or brand - it is also most importantly a business industry where buying and selling of goods and services are conducted.

Trinidad and Tobago needs to understand first that this is a business before we can even think about entertaining. This is where I believe a stronger Fashion Association can be introduce to conduct this fashion business in Trinidad and Tobago. One of the main responsibilities of Fashion Association is to develop a yearly plan of a seasonal Designer buyer’s month or week where during that season all design houses of Trinidad and Tobago and buyers/retailers come together where designers showcase their products to these retailers so that it is sold on retail. This is merely for those houses who wish to go retail.

2.      A Fashion District – the fashion industry in Trinidad and Tobago needs to officially take it’s place! We need a location which can house most of the high business of fashion; Caribbean Designer Brands mainly! Not sure if I can say “high end’ but quality retail stores which support Caribbean designer labels and so on.

3.      Production houses – Not all Fashion houses will be vertically integrated, but for few who wish to outsource production, I will like to see more fashion production houses setup in Trinidad and Tobago. Also it is the only way a real fashion industry will exist in Trinidad and Tobago.

I have to agree with Adrian. The fashion industry is a business. It may be fuelled by creativity, but it has the potential to feed our nation economically and sustainably so. Adrian is just one of the future entrepeneurs to be graduating from CAFD. Hopefully his colleagues share this type of thinking, drive and commitment. I'm ready to witness the game-changing result!

Adrian's Work was featured in the most recent issue of 6Carlos magazine