At university, I am currently attending a module called "20Th Century Fashion", which i find very interesting. So far we've looked at Rebellion, Fantasy and Power, in terms of how these have affected fashion movements, couture, photographers, models and magazines. These lectures so far have been packed with information about various designers, the couture houses, and have described how the war affected trends in fashion.
Yesterday we were very lucky to have Roland Klein as a guest speaker and this was a truly inspiring lecture. Klein spoke about his experiences and his past jobs within the industry. He was very honest and clear about what he liked and what he didn't. For a short time he worked for Christian Dior and worked as an assistant for Karl Lagerfeld, in which he specialised in couture in Paris. In the sixties, he moved to London to design Ready-to-Wear collections, until he was ready to start his own name and collection. He later moved to the Italian company Max Mara and has designed for Princess Diana and the Duchess of Cornwall.
What was really inspiring, however was his outlook on fashion with quotes such as "inspiration comes from everywhere" and "fashion is a reflection of what's going on in the world". He still believes in couture, and that it creates a fantasy world, where people can buy clothes to feel more confident and to get away from life's big problems. He believes all jobs in the fashion industry, not just the design jobs, are important. Any job whether it's in marketing or retail or styling, can give you experience and knowledge of things you might not learn elsewhere. His beliefs and opinions have helped him through his career as a designer and it seems as though he has learnt something from each job and he has taken that to the next one. I really enjoyed Klein's talk, it has made me more enthusiastic about applying for a placement and getting out into the industry.
Yesterday we were very lucky to have Roland Klein as a guest speaker and this was a truly inspiring lecture. Klein spoke about his experiences and his past jobs within the industry. He was very honest and clear about what he liked and what he didn't. For a short time he worked for Christian Dior and worked as an assistant for Karl Lagerfeld, in which he specialised in couture in Paris. In the sixties, he moved to London to design Ready-to-Wear collections, until he was ready to start his own name and collection. He later moved to the Italian company Max Mara and has designed for Princess Diana and the Duchess of Cornwall.
What was really inspiring, however was his outlook on fashion with quotes such as "inspiration comes from everywhere" and "fashion is a reflection of what's going on in the world". He still believes in couture, and that it creates a fantasy world, where people can buy clothes to feel more confident and to get away from life's big problems. He believes all jobs in the fashion industry, not just the design jobs, are important. Any job whether it's in marketing or retail or styling, can give you experience and knowledge of things you might not learn elsewhere. His beliefs and opinions have helped him through his career as a designer and it seems as though he has learnt something from each job and he has taken that to the next one. I really enjoyed Klein's talk, it has made me more enthusiastic about applying for a placement and getting out into the industry.
