International Fashion Fusion Competition

 

Having lived in Haringey most of my life, it was a fact that opportunities like this one were equivalent to winning the lottery for someone pursuing fashion. They just didn’t come up. I remember thinking ‘it’s a long shot but I have to start somewhere if I plan to make a career out of this’, having no previous experience of competition on this scale and offering the rewards that it did.

Soon enough I found myself sketching whenever I could, trying to figure out just how to approach the specification points while keeping in mind that whatever I come up with would have to be marketable for ASOS.com. So after a number of discarded sheets of paper, I stopped at my jumpsuit option which I felt was finally good enough to be submitted. To my delight, so did the judges of the competition and so it was round two after a meeting with Fashion Enter along with some valuable advice. Anyone pursuing a career in fashion knows how tough it is to find a work placement at any kind of company let alone someone as successful as ASOS.com. And where better to start!

The wait for the outcome seemed like forever, with nothing much to do but wait and hope for the best. The result was definitely worth the wait- in general as well as in the last few weeks of the competition. From feeling like I was entering solely for the experience to actually winning was an amazing feeling especially as it would help me further myself, with the fashion industry being as competitive as it is today. The meeting at ASOS with Jessica Ogden was yet another fantastic reward, (and a new experience for me), where we discussed what best to do next and how to develop my initial idea further.

Being given this unique opportunity firstly gave me so much inspiration which is a reward in itself, but also opened doors to being able to work with a successful designer like Jessica Ogden, and learn about the industry. I feel very lucky being selected and am extremely grateful for the opportunity; it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Fashion Enter, Haringey Council, ASOS and Jessica Ogden. I’m very excited and look forward to starting my work placement at ASOS and hope to learn and progress in my career in the next year.

 

Tanya Baciu