I was born with a critical disdain for fashion. That is why i have the tiniest inkling how on planet earth i got in this field. But, as i grew working my ass out there, i did some backtracking, and here are things i've learned.
First, it is only now that i personally understood that everything (like anything under the sun) can be learned so long as one is willing to. See the image up there? I kinda consider it (along with a ton more books) my fashion bible now - since it talks about the lives and design philosophies of 150 fashion designers in the world. I remember how my brother used to tell that there are two ways to become a fashion buff: it's either you'd literally live that kind of lifestyle (i.e. you'd be one of those well-traveled, culturally-exposed kind who gets to enjoy every element the fashion scene has to offer), or you may just be that someone who would simply read a lot. And my book up there clearly signifies the latter, doesn't it? It does. And i find nothing wrong about that, i mean, with too much reading. In fact, one would need not choose from these two. Aiming for substance, they should actually work hand in hand.
Secondly, i have learned to delineate being a fashionista from a fashion designer. While i was on my way to facing this field i am currently in, i had a tough time trying to understand how i can be in this when i have never been fond of dressing up? My answer is this: one can be as avid as a monkey when it comes to following fashion trends, but designing is a whole different story. Design, in any particular way (in this case, say, fashion), involves extensive research, a wide cultural awareness, and discipline (in its purest sense). Decades ago, the fashion scene here in my country has often been associated with pure materialism (since people from the high soceity are the only ones who can appreciate), but thank goodness that now, people are beginning to delve into a deeper and more substantial essence of fashion. Thanks to some key fashion critics, for they are now continuously eyeing for young, upcoming and promising fashion designers who exemplify a sincere mixture of culture and design.
Oh my, i rashly began writing my thoughts down about my field but then i'm beginning to realize there are a million thoughts that deserve to be squeezed in. However, i'd try to make this as concise as possible.
The last thing i have learned is that one may not be adept at dressing herself up, but dressing others up is also, a different story. In relation to this, i have always believed in the story of the 2 barbers. In this story, one is asked to choose where he should go for a haircut: to the barber who always wore a clean haircut and whose shop has always had a neatly swept floor, or to the barber whose hair almost covers his entire face (as if no one could tell if he's human or not) and whose shop has always been full of hair dust on the floor? I'd rather go to the second one. He's much more promising since he had always been preoccupied with servicing his guests. Guests who have trusted his workmanship since.
Ehemm, same goes with any field. Now that I have learned to love my job, i must admit that striving to grow in this field has been preoccupying me that's why if you could please forgive me for not dressing up the way i need to. Ironic for me, that i choose not to waste my time primping myself; Just as how i have never been fond of shopping when my job says it's the world that i literally wallow in. I choose, rather, to offer my people the most sincere designs that i can always come up with and allow my people to grow with me as i work with them in this field.
One thing to close this, i'd like to encourage my colleagues not to give up in discovering themselves. I, for one, can say that i hold a keen eye for aesthetics and this is one key that has led me to, or should i say, that has kept me moving. And because i've decided upon myself to stick it out there no matter what, i have discovered a genius in me that can still be honed in time which i can't wait to witness happen inch by inch. Moreover, for my fellows out there, i'd like to share that i've learned not to look at my inabilities as a hindrance for keeping up. I have always challenged myself to make use of what gifts i have to meet and converge with the standards the world dictates. Hence, my niche.
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