This evening I went along to one of BBC radio 1’s Academy events, ‘Fashion Show with Bold Souls – Jobs in the Fashion Industry’. The idea behind ‘the academy’ is to invite young people to events and Q&A’s in order to provide them with inspiration for their careers, encouraging them to follow in the footsteps of those they admire. The events bost an a-list selection of guests ranging from Hudson Mohawk and CHVRCHES to Kevin Bridges and Sir Richard Branson. The bold souls event which I went along to aimed to give an insight to what it takes to break into the fashion industry. To start the show off there was a procession of models with gorgeous long locks dressed in the collections of Chouchou, Danni McWilliams, and Rebecca Torres, respectively. All three brands are Glasgow based and bring something a little different to the table. Chouchou are known for their ‘Hollyhood’ which is a cross between a hood and a scarf but what they showcased today was selection of form fitted outfits made from really interesting fabrics. Danni McWilliams collection took inspiration from the 1990’s with bucket hats, backpacks, crop tops and dungarees. Rebecca Torres uses fabrics traditionally associated with sportswear, teaming them up with her in-house digital prints to make statement dresses which have been hugely successful in online sales.
After the fashion show a panel of five fashion industry insiders took to the stage to tell us more about what they do. There to answer our question were; Dr. Tessa Hartman, founder of the Scottish fashion awards and editor of Caledonista, a new digital emporium for fashion beauty and luxury lifestyle, Dumi Oburota, recently featured in GQ’s list of 50 best dressed, manager to chart topper Tinie Tempah and creator of street style brand Disturbing London, Rebecca Torres, creator of the aforementioned fashion brand which shares her name, Freelance photographer Stewart Bryden and Model Chris Millington (who has a huge twitter following).
A piece of advice which popped up a few times was staying true to your brand, whether you are a photographer, a designer or a model, your brand is how you show people what you are about and what people buy in to. The theme of luck was discussed as well, Chris Millington was scouted by a modelling agency while he was in London branch of costa. This idea of being in the right place at the right time is something that has popped up again and again at lectures and talks I’ve been to about the creative industry. At this evenings event it was suggested that this is only half of the equation, yes it sometimes is a case of being in the right moment, but that means nothing if you don’t put in the hard work to back it up. The fashion industry is a really hard one to crack and it is vital to put your all into it if you want to make it.
At the end the microphone was offered over to the audience for any questions they may have. The necessity for a new brand to be based in London in order to become successful was one which returned answers from every panel member. We were advised that it is possible to become successful without moving to the countries capital, yes London is Britain’s fashion hub, but you don’t have to be there to be represented there. It was suggested that being outside of London also had it’s advantages, not being surrounded by the same trends as everyone else can mean that your brand is more individual.
It was really interesting to hear from people who do different things within the same industry, their work is quite varied but what they were advising was largely the same. I will be going to a few more events throughout the week which I hope will be as good as this one.
Marigold 