BECOMING AN INTERNATIONAL FASHION DESIGNER

The Dream….

When I started researching about international design schools, my first thought was Central Saint Martins in London. It’s famous for creating designer geniuses  including Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Hussein Chalayan. But I wasn’t really looking to go down a two year path of 20 hour workdays, slaving away in a sewing room, living in a tiny apartment with no water pressure and paying double the dollar. I was already doing something similar in New York and had been fighting for a spot in the fashion workforce for several years. I didn’t need to go to another country to learn about the obstacles a new designer faces in the industry.

So, I opted for a more relaxed environment and one of my all time favorite countries in the world - Italy.

I had visited Italy every chance I could get for the past three years and fell in love with the architecture, history and overall attitude of enjoying life. In my current situation I didn’t feel like I was being creative by designing clothes to sell instead of designs that I was in love with. I was desperate to feel passion about my work again.

And, isn’t Italy the place to fall in love? How can you not with the romantic, tragic statues displaced throughout Rome, the green hills of Tuscany and the wedding cake layers of villas stacked upon the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast in Positano. Yes, this was what I needed to regain the love for fashion that I had been working so hard for these past few years.

The School….

I began researching design and art schools throughout the country. Of course, I didn’t  speak Italian and figured I should either “quickly learn“, or pick a place that teaches in English. I also didn’t want to spend years in another country without working because frankly, I need to work and pay my bills.

As though fate took over, I found a private institution on top of a hill on a street called Via Pisana in Florence. It was called 'Polimoda Institute of Design and Marketing' and it was affiliated with the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. All of the criteria seemed to come together. There was a seven month Masters program taught in English for designers who have worked in the industry, have an undergraduate degree and who want to build their own collections. Perfect! I couldn’t have asked for a better fit.

Plus, the school had just recruited a new dean, Linda Loppa, who is the renowned founder of the Antwerp Six, a collection of successful designers including Dries Van Noten and Maison Martin Margiela.