Last week I was one of the lucky designers to be mentored by Tarek Al-Azbat. He is the creative director and head designer of Nella Bella, a handbag brand. His mentorship comes as part of the Passion for Fashion workshop series, in partnership with the Toronto Fashion Incubator, and Youth Employment Services in Toronto.
As one of the top hand bag designers in Canada, Tarek happily shared with us the ins and outs of how he started his career as a handbag designer, what made him successful, mistakes that he made, how he overcame obstacles, and offered sound advice to young entrepreneurs starting out in the fashion industry.
Some of the advice he shared with us is as follows:
· Focus on what energizes you because it’s what you will be successful at.
· Challenge yourself.
· Do not give up. Learn to take the positive and skip the negative. People will shut you down but someone will say yes. Where there is a will, there is a way.
· Do not mix pride with ego. Remember to always respect others and that way, you can be respected too.
· Silence is gold. If you are not sure of your feelings, don’t say anything at all. Trust your gut.
· Keep your creativity alive by thinking outside the box and getting inspired by different things.
The Passion for Fashion workshops comprise of a series of 6 workshops that are offered 5 times over a four month period. Only upon completion of the 6 series of workshops can one be eligible to meet with mentors, to attend seminars with Industry professionals, and to enter the Fashionista’s Den Competition. The Fashionista’s Den is an opportunity to pitch a fashion business idea to a panel of judges. The winner will receive $1000, a one-year free TFI Outreach membership, and 50 hours of business advisory and fashion mentorship (prize package valued at $45,000)
The 6 Passion for Fashion workshop series are as follows:
· Operations and Set-up (Instructed by Richard Healy)
· Pricing (Instructed by Richard Healy)
· Marketing and Financial Management (Instructed by Richard Healy)
· Introduction to the Business of Fashion (Instructed by Kendra Francis)
· Sales and Marketing (Instructed by Melanie Bozzo)
· Publicity and Presentation (Instructed by Gail McInnes)
I cannot begin to describe how valuable the Passion for Fashion workshop series and mentorship program is to young designers and entrepreneurs like me who am constantly searching for knowledge and the right advice to guide us in achieving our dreams. While the fashion industry in Toronto is quite small, aspiring fashion entrepreneurs in Toronto are very lucky to have mentors such as Tarek, and fashion business workshops funded by our government.
I thank all the Instructors, Mentors, Industry professionals, Youth Employment Services, Toronto Fashion Incubator and Passion for Fashion Coordinator Gail McInnes for their time and effort in helping us become better at what we love to do.
Follow: @ShellinaE
@nellabellabrand
@TarekNB
@YESToronto
@Iamfranke
@GailMcInnes
#PFFToronto
No comments:
Post a Comment