ARMAND DICKER: Career Life Post Fashion School, The Graduate Dishes
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Armand Dicker attended the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and graduated in 2015 with a National Diploma in Fashion Design specializing in menswear. He is currently working as full-time styling assistant based in Johannesburg, dabbles as a model whilst still running his menswear fashion line called DICKER. Which he explained in an interview with Herald Live that DICKER “it is an ode to my surname, I was teased about my name quite a lot growing up, so it was my way of reclaiming it…” I had a chat with Armand about the South African fashion industry and fashion institutions state of affairs based on his life experiences.
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How vital is fashion school for someone who wants to work in the fashion industry?
I think it teaches you a lot of technical elements. It depends on what you want to do in fashion though.
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What is that one thing (some things) fashion school will teach you?
How to push through, how to present, it teaches you a lot about layout, and as I’ve said before technical knowledge.
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What’s one thing you would tell fashion students to expect in the real world?
Not everyone understands what goes into a garment, and don’t be too sensitive. The fashion industry is blunt.
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Which subject(s) you wish your institution offered whilst you were a student there?
I feel like our institution pretty much offered us a very well rounded program. I do however wish we touched more on marketing.
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Which subject(s) would you add to all fashion school qualifications and why?
I think we need more subjects exploring pattern production and experimentation.
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As someone who studied a fashion qualification and works within the field. What do you think needs to be done for the South African fashion industry to commercially grow exponentially?
I think as people who are learning, we should all focus more on experience. Internships and working with designers or stylists. I think we have a lot to learn about growing businesses, we should take tips from the creatives who have already been around.[/vc_column_text][vc_facebook][vc_tweetmeme][vc_googleplus][/vc_column][/vc_row]