An afternoon Visit at Polytechnic University-Fashion and Textile Discipline Fashion students show the preface of getting into the glamorous fashion industry, and reveal the hardships behind the look of beauty.
2011-05-21

Fashion is glamorous, but the people who are ready to involve in this glamorous industry proclaimed once again “Besides those luxurious and chic looks patrolling in fashion shows, and before those stunning pieces displayed on mannequins in retails stores come out, fashion is all about practical experiments and hard work.”

On this Saturday, I pay a visit to Polytechnic University responding their consultation day for Jupas applicants. Raining heavily, but my desire to understand the subject was still not .Gathered with almost all young fashion lovers in Hong Kong at the venue MN underground hall, where an accessories exhibition is hold, in which lecturers are answering student’s worries about the admission’s requirements and preparation of the interview. And  fashion students who look fresh and chic are eager to share their experience in their disciplines , talking like an insider of fashion.

And they explained: Spending three years on study a bachelor of Fashion and Textile Studies in three streams, including Fashion and Design, Fashion Business and Textile Technology, we are required to develop in-depth understand about the full spectrum of fashion, from knitting fibres into a fabric, tailoring with a mannequin to construct a gown, to managing the production lines of fashion and merchandising techniques... The ultimate goal of this subject is to educate fashion-passionate young talents into well-rounded and versatile master of the industry, rather than just illustrating drawings and tailoring.

When we visit the studio where they work skillfully with their scissors and mannequins, and there are few of them working on their ready-to-be-judged works, a girl is cutting a funny face off a fabric, the others are sewing their complicated patterned gown, and a students is wondering how the patterns be look like. A year-2 student, Alfred expressed “Though the progress is harsh, competitive and sometimes mundane, I still enjoy it, as I experienced the power of fashion long before I came here, and it still motivates me to go for it."

A hundred times harder than what we watch in Project Runway, fashion students, in order to gain credits in certain design specialists, they are accustomed to tailor in the laboratory overnight and co-operate with hard-to-deal-with partners on some critical examinations. “It is frustrated when the work doesn’t come out as what you had expected, which is just like fashion insiders always feel. It would be better if you get used to it, I believe, and start it all over again. It is scary. But, that’s the only way.” told the chic student in black. Though being innovative is the key to success in this field, but to create an avant-garde is not enough. The creation of student is expected to meet certain standards, for example, the innovativeness of the design, the technique applied, market value and whether it can present the philosophy of students themselves-in short, whether it got the sound and presented well.

“Though the progress is harsh, competitive and sometimes mundane, I still enjoy it, as I experienced the power of fashion long before I came here, and it still motivates me to go for it. “

“So many students came with a misconception that fashion is always glamorous and about drawing beautiful silhouettes and tailoring. And they all finally scared off when they dealt with the hardships, like inventing a new form of fibre with chemistry and mathematics needed to apply.” recalled by a lecturer. And he mentioned that something minors are usually ignored by students, like the production of certain raw materials and transit time of fabrics. Marvellous piece is constructed by many structures which turns a gown into a master piece with  exquisite details. And this kind of making process require a lot of collaborative work, experiments with different combination of materials and colours and patience. And, before getting started, many have to wait for the inspiration comes out and catch it.

Even though a garment is made, this doesn’t mean the process is finished. Students, like today independent designers, have to manage the supply chain and transition of time of material in order to master the skill of fashion manufacturing. And we visit the conceptual shop, called the Future Retails Store, in which a lookingglass with digital function to show what costumers would like is installed.

Students who choose Fashion Business stream, after finishing fundamental studies in year one, need to learn to manage a production line, and retails management related subjects in Fashion Business Stream to possess knowledge to produce and sell. “Timing is crucial.” a lecturer expressed, “You see two seasons in fashion, added with resorts and cruise collections, and mass-production companies like Zara and H&M even have to supply various new designs between seasons to encourage consumption, so you have to ensure the garments are made punctually and ready be put on racks. And that is how they can survive.” Fashion students are prepared to manage all these, studying the supply chains and comparing raw material prices, how to maintain efficient production lines and keeps wide personnel net-work in the industry, to learn to survive in a world that one day they are in, and the next day out.

When garments are made, they should be sold in a season, as the trends change, the stock is designated be sold in half price, which means a loss. However, merchandising strike to avoid this and make shopping into a wonderful experience to encourage target customers to spend.

Fashion students should be able to foresee changes in trends and consumers’ preferences.

“It sounds quite interesting that the way we prepare for this stream when compare it with others subjects. When other students buried their heads in books and papers, we are obligated to enjoy the fun of shopping as a form to study consumers’ behaviours and windows designs.” This can develop an insight in fashion. Having an insight in the up-coming trends is a strength that fashion students should be able to foresee changes in trends and consumers’ preferences. “This would be a disaster when the buyers purchase a gull collection, and this would cause more than a 5% loss of the retails company.” So that is why fashion-senses are needed. “The best way to be an up-to-date is to involve in the rapid changing trends. So why not shopping and throwing out the books and fabrics?”

No matter which streams students take, a numerous of projects which push them to analysis current trends, changes in costumers’ tastes and garments’ traits will be featured in the study. Being insightful and far-sighted does enable students to deal with future work tasks in all fashion careers. As a buyer, you need to conduct good evaluation about consumers’ tastes and preferences as a profession to ensure good sales; as a fashion editor, to discover new talents and provoke new trends like instincts is a must; not to mention as a creative director, always design according to what people like and need. And this is a recipe to innovate ground-breaking designs and to discover new looks and silhouettes.

When mentioned shopping, it is difficult to avoid discussing the phenomena of the road of High-end boutiques, praised as a road in which the total profit made on the street is enough to support the stores in different parts of the world-Canton Road. “It is not a weir experience that you met our students and their work at Canton Road and Chun Wan”, a lecture of the department joked wittily. “Our students have remarkable career prospects. They are sure to involve in the industry as a designer, marketing executives, fashion editors, textile designers, and production-line manager or start their studios. So it is common that you recognise their work and faces in the street of luxury goods” Besides, bachelor students can also receive further studies as a master in Fashion and Textile. And most importantly, they can do what they cling to.”▋