One local rolls up her sleeves to design jaw-dropping fashions
Cailin Brown steps away from her design book to tells us why she loves fashion design
Cailin Brown knew she wanted to go into fashion design from a young age.
She found it amazing to watch her mother and grandmother sew, creating designs that were of their own. Drawing inspiration from them, she soon decided this was something she wanted to do.
The first garment Brown made was in her first year of study at Vega School where she made a white shirt-dress. “It was hard because I’d never sewn anything on my own before and having to draft up patterns from scratch, as well as figure out my bearings with the sewing machine, was daunting,” she said.
Fashion design has impacted her life drastically. Through it she has gained insight into the fashion industry and how it affects the world; the need to be conscious about the fabrics used, as well as having to learn time-management skills – an attribute she says was never her strongest. However, design has also brought different experiences to her doorstep. “Small things, such as making costumes for concerts; making scrubs for doctors; being able to have this skill gives me the opportunity to create original designs, and I get to push myself to the limit and explore my talents.”
Through it all, fashion design has put her to the test, as she builds knowledge in this field of work. One of the best garments she has created was in her second year – a ball gown, something she was very excited about, “I created this pink dress covered in flowers! It was so beautiful; it is still my favourite garment.”
Brown appreciates the works of South African designer Rich Minisi and loves the designs of internationally renowned designers, such as Iris van Herpen, whose designs she finds to be out of this world, and Donatella Versace.
The young designer hopes to one day have her work featured at competitions hosted by SA Fashion Week, which are geared at highlighting the works of up- and-coming designers, much like her.
To fellow aspirant fashion designers – she urges you not to be scared to push your limits. “Should you have an idea, go for it and try it out; if it doesn’t work, you can always try again, but don’t give up. Ask for help when you need it,” adding those late nights are worth it and the end result is always a surreal experience, knowing they made that garment. “You have to follow your passion and love what you do; it’s scary but you will always come out on top as long as you continue to back yourself and never give up. But mostly, have fun and enjoy every minute. Be creative, try new things, come up with crazy designs and remember it’s okay to fail, you will only learn from your mistakes.”
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