Honestly, I didn’t really know that I was going to end up with a career in fashion when I first started out in my post secondary education. I was actually trying to earn a general science major at college, before taking an interest in the fashion industry. I heard about John Casablancas Institute through a friend and decided to find out more about the school. I had no experience whatsoever, I was starting from scratch, but I was still accepted into the Fashion Arts program.
The focus of the program is on the actual marketing and business side of things, dealing with vendors, designers, and such.
I felt that the program was short enough to get me into the industry quickly (12 months) and at the time, other fashion schools in the city were only offering strictly make-up, design, sewing courses, etc. but I wanted to learn other aspects of the fashion industry. I should mention that JCI isn’t an actual fashion program where you make garments. The focus of the program is on the actual marketing and business side of things, dealing with vendors, designers, and such. I didn’t really research any other schools, and instead went with my gut instincts and decided to attend. When I applied, I was given a package that included some basic information about the school and my application form. I had to write a brief essay, explaining the reasons why I wanted to be a part of the fashion industry and why I wanted to enroll into the school. I had no experience whatsoever, I was starting from scratch, but I was still accepted into the Fashion Arts program.
The Program
The John Casablanca Fashion program consisted of marketing, merchandising, buying, illustration, production and window display. Classes varied in size depending on when you started your program. While I was there, we started with 10 girls, and as the course went on, one by one the students dropped out. At the very end, we had dwindled down to 5.
JCI’s final grad show was made up of whatever students that were still left in your class. We were given a day-by-day, step-by-step schedule of things that we needed to accomplish before the gradshow. An instructor who had numerous experiences in styling, event planning, or fashion show production was in charge of directing the students.op
We were required to think of the theme for the show and when that was settled, job titles were assigned throughout the class. There would be stylists, poster designers, some would cast models, etc. and everyone participated in ticket sales with proceeds going to charity. The instructor helped students with communicating with vendors and designers to see if they’d like to participate in the final show. At the very end, students were awarded a final grade for how well they achieved their roles and how much they participated.
It was as if we were educated only on the basics, with none of the topics going into much depth.
As I stated before, I wanted to attend a relatively short fashion program. Compared to Kwantlen’s four years or UFV’s two, JCI’s program seemed like the right length for me. However, I now feel as if we rushed through most of the subjects. It was as if we were educated only on the basics, with none of the topics going into much depth. The program did make me frustrated at times. Some teachers were there to make friends instead of teach. Room sizes were small with not much space to move around. And there were times when other students would not pull their own weight when working in teams. I would have also liked it if JCI could better prepare students for their careers by offering them interning jobs in the industry. It would give students a much needed “first step” in their careers.
JCI does have guest speakers in regularly, which can lead to future employment. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet the right people in the industry, who have given me the opportunity to continue my passion.
Nonetheless, I am proud of what I’ve achieved so far, and John Casablancas Institute was a part of my success.
The Verdict
I think, just like any other school, you never know what you will get with your education. If I had to redo anything, I would have probably done more research into other fashion schools in Vancouver, and possibly outside of BC. Nonetheless, I am proud of what I’ve achieved so far, and John Casablancas Institute was a part of my success.
Having a fashion diploma really allowed me to explore all the different areas in fashion design. I’ve tried my hands at creating window displays, graphic design and fashion marketing. I knew that I wanted to be my own boss and set my own hours one day, so in the end, I chose to settle on fashion styling. Styling has also allowed me to be as creative as I want to be. Working as a window displayer or graphic designer, I always had to follow the company’s rules and image guidelines, but being a stylist has allowed me to express myself as a person and to display my talents freely.
Choosing to be a freelance fashion stylist was extremely hard at first as I still had to work a full-time job. I did a lot of networking by volunteering for other stylist and fashion shows before I was able to make fashion my actual career. Through volunteering, I’ve met so many talented photographers in Vancouver and I’ve been very lucky to work with them. Volunteering is something that the instructors will continually emphasize. Sometimes they will even offer student volunteering opportunities in upcoming fashion shows. With all the past experience I had, I was able to land a job as a buyer, which has allowed me to continue to style.
As for my future plans, I will continue to pursue fashion styling and eventually approach a talent agency. I may even go back to school to add marketing and business to my background. You can see some of my styling work at Coroflot.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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