Ever wondered how you can break into fashion design? Well you're in luck because we have everything you need to know about it right here, in this post!
We spoke to Tashanna Sangster, founder of the fashion design brand Rawclass, about how she first became interested in fashion design, the subjects she studied at college, what she enjoys the most about her career, and more.
Tashanna's Background
Tashanna said she first became interested in fashion design from a young age. "I grew up in Jamaica and moved to Manchester when I was 13." She added: "Throughout my childhood in Jamaica, my grandma would always make our church dresses, school uniforms, everything really."
This inspired her to want to create her own clothes. "Seeing that growing up, myself and my older sister would make little doll dresses and stuff like that." She added: "So I have always had an interest in fashion, designing and creating clothing."
Her interests were also reflected through education, as she decided to take art in high school. "I would learn a few little skills on how to sew properly and do other techniques like using specific machines to do certain things." Tashanna also studied art at college and would do her own sewing on the side, before deciding to do a foundation degree, where she developed skills on working in the industry, along with different sewing techniques and garment construction.
Tashanna has been passionate about fashion from a young age. Photo Credit: Tashanna Sangster
Career Highlights
When asked what she enjoys most about her career, it was clear that Tashanna is passionate about what she does. "Definitely the creating, the creative freedom of it as well." She added: "Being able to see something or imagine it and then bring it to life."
She also said she enjoys using her skills in order to help others. "I also enjoy helping others because not everyone can create or do what I do, so people come to me and they are like 'I want this' or sometimes they don't even know what they want, so I can sit down, help them, and see what they like."
She has designed many beautiful dresses - and has had lots of happy customers! Photo Credit: Tashanna Sangster
Tashanna's Work Schedule
As a fashion designer and seamstress, Tashanna has a busy schedule. "Typically, the majority of it is the sewing, so it is just me creating one-off, bespoke pieces."
When a client reaches out, she will first set up a Zoom or phone call, where they will decide on how they want their outfit to look. "If someone gets in touch and says 'I would like you to create this for me,' then we would have a Zoom consultation, or speak over the phone, and I would design something for them, and then finalise the sketch."
The next step would be picking out fabrics, which, without lockdown restrictions, would be done with the client. "Outside of lockdown, it would have been a face-to-face consultation, where we would go to the fabric shop and pick out different things that we think would suit the design, or what the person would like." Tashanna said this would then be followed by taking the clients measurements.. and then on to the fun part!
"Then, it is all on me now, so I would create the patten, cut the fabric and sew, for however long it takes." Tashanna said this would depend on how complex the design is.
Once the outfit is complete, she says they would finish off with a fitting. "Then we would have a fitting to make sure the customer was happy, or any adjustments or changes are needed before the final product is finished."
Another happy customer! Photo Credit: Tashanna Sangster
Advice for Aspiring Designers
On a final note, Tashanna advised that aspiring fashion designers should have a clear vision. "I would say, definitely get your vision clear, and get your why clear, why do you want to do this?" She added: "I think that once you have that down, then you can branch stuff off into where you want to go, what you want to do, and what you say yes and no to."
She also said you can change your focus along the way. "When you have that main focus on what you want to achieve, then you can always come back to it and develop it, and sometimes it may change." However, Tashanna said that no matter what, you should not be put off if you don't have many connections or funding to start off. "Just start with what you have, that worked great for me, and many other people that I have sought inspiration from."
Resources
Tashanna also recommended some resources:
Books
Heart and Hustle by Patricia Bright - story of how she started out.
How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label by Toby Meadows - covers PR, manufacturing, finance etc. - all aspects of running a business!
Websites
https://startupfashion.com/ - provides advice and guidance for those wanting to work in the fashion industry.
We hope you have all found this post useful - see you in the next one!
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