My advice to the CAFD Graduating Class of 2014

It was heartbreaking for me that I had to miss the thesis fashion show on Sunday, but duty calls.
I did however mange to see some images of the designs that walked the runway, and all I could think about is how absolutely proud you must feel to see these sketches materialise, and how relieved you must be to make the transition out of "Student".

I hate to break it to you, but you will forever be a student. Fashion permutes constantly, and there is no way that that the last four years are enough to keep you abreast with the dynamic cycles. So this is my advice to you: Stay hungry. Just because you are no longer receiving a report card at the end of a semester does not mean you should not work as hard. Keep researching, studying, experimenting and pushing yourself.

Many graduates run straight into planning their own fashion brand and want to start work immediately out of school. A meagre minority will be successful doing this. If you have the opportunity to travel, do so. Apply for internships with internationally established fashion brands and learn the ins and outs of a running fashion business. If you are not able to go abroad, seek out designers like Meiling and Claudia Pegus and see if you can work with them, helping out doing anything-- even pressing clothes! There is so much to learn on the field you have no idea.

Author: Peter Vogt

Do not assume that you are destined to be a fashion designer just because your degree is fashion design. I came across an amazing book which lists a plethora of fashion jobs for which you may already qualify. Design is becoming a bit saturated in Trinidad and the Market is small. Too small. Designers are lacking Fashion PR personnel and stores do not have proper buyers. Think about building modelling agencies and becoming fashion business strategists. What about journalism? There are no real fashion journalists reporting in our mainstream media.

I hope to see you all spread your wings. Do not limit yourselves. I am really looking forward to meeting one of you in the future and for you to tell me of your experiences working at Burberry or Heather Jones, that you are one of the buyers for Macy's, and how you are going to apply what you have learned to create improvements to the fashion system in the local industry.