I can't help you win FF@CG – the final decision will be John's alone – but I can help you not to lose before you even start. I hope that we have made it clear that we are not looking for fantasy but for flair; not craziness but originality; not costume but entirely new forms of cutting and shaping that can be used as the basis for looks that can eventually be worn at high-street level. We don't want to see hundreds of outfits only suitable for Lady Gaga. As John, Hussein Chalayan and Vivienne Westwood have shown – not forgetting Rick Owen, Helmut Lang, Azzadine Alaia, Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe – great clothes with real ideas come from a philosophy … and young designers can't start figuring what theirs is soon enough. Otherwise they become, not leaders, but followers; part of the flock that spews out of colleges around the world every year and has no affect on fashion at all.
So, to potential applicants I would give this advice: Remember what the job of a leading designer actually is and study the approaches that put the ones listed above where they are today.
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Good luck to the would be designers, let them heed Colin's wise words before submitting anything! and even more good luck to the John Galliano and judges; I hope for their sakes that some really good couturiers emerge.
ReplyDeleteEveryone these days is in such a rush to grab some or the other opportunity to catapult themselves to fame, that they think pondering over details is actually a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteAll of us need to keep reminding ourselves that in today's world full of opportunities, if we really take the time to think and apply ourselves sincerely to perfecting our craft,there is a fair chance that the fame and money will come to us.
Oh it's all so exciting Colin - and they're off!!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope we can get a return to the glory days when Erdem won. With John on board, he should help to sort the wheat from the chaff!
Here's hoping for a biggie this year!