A guest appearance…

Yesterday we had the great honour of meeting Roland Klein. He guest lectured for one of my modules and talked us through his career and the apparent ‘death of couture’.

It was so inspirational to hear from someone who had worked his way through the industry from sewing cuffs at Dior for a year, to opening his own label. He was full of advice and stories and I felt privileged to hear what he had to say.

Even though the work at Dior was tedious and gave him little responsibility he assured us that any opportunity is a good opportunity. Working as Karl Lagerfelds assistant opened huge doors for him and helped to lead him to future jobs.

What was most interesting were his thoughts on couture. From being readily worn, custom made garments that cost many thousands of pounds, they became ‘windows’ into the brand that resulted in the sale of the handbag and the lipstick and the shoe as customers struggled to be a part of the name and the image. When you cant afford the dress, you buy something else so that you still feel connected. These days, couture seems to be more an advertising campaign rather than the backbone that kept the couture houses alive. 

One line really stuck with me, and it is unlikely that I will ever forget it as I feel that it is such an invaluable piece of advice -“Success is a combination of three things- Talent, hard work and luck- and you need all three…”