T.Williams-A, Author at Martwayne

The NYSC SAED (Skills Acquisition & Entrepreneurship Development) Competition

by T.Williams-A | Feb 19, 2014 | Martwayne Training Center

Hello Everyone!!! Welcome to undoubtedly the BEST month in the year… for obvious reasons! 😀

And thank you to all the feedback I received from potential students. Based on your feedback, I have included tabs on the right side of the page (just below the Martwayne logo) with more detailed information on the Training Center and the Courses we run. Actually I just pretty much copied and pasted from previous posts but nonetheless, it should be easier to retrieve the information you require now.

Great! Since it has been a while since I have updated the blog on work-related activities, I thought it would be great to share details of the NYSC-SAED Competition I was invited to as a judge about 2 weeks ago! 😀

So as I mentioned in previous posts, I am a SAED trainer and I focus on the Entrepreneurship part of fashion. So I got a call and a letter inviting me to be a judge on a competition between 4 zones in the Lagos SAED Chapter.

Spearheaded by SAED and sponsored by Unilever, Corps Members in each of the zones had to come up with a look put together using 4 different skills – An Outfit, Matching Jewellery, A Bag & A Pair of Shoes – which had to be presented on a model.

They had 4 hours to complete the project and they started right there and then.

It was pretty interesting watching them work… I was particularly captivated by a lady who was on her knees spreading glue on cardboard. I had no clue what she was doing until I saw the finished work – the bag! And her counterpart, the cobbler, made the matching shoes. I thought it was pretty cool!

So anywayz, here are the pictures… Not sure I can post too many before I start having problems with Blogger again…

Hard at work:

The prizes for the winners and their teachers… (including a cash prize of N25,000)

The finished work. Sadly, only 3 of the 4 zones completed the tasks:

Zone A:

Zone B:

Here’s a close-up of the necklace…

Zone D:

They were scored based on their originality, neatness and cohesiveness of the pieces…

and the Chief Judge, our very own Prince Oyefusi of Nobel Afrique, had the honour of announcing the winner (which by the way was a unanimous decision…) – ZONE D from Ikeja.

The audience was not pleased at all… They all expected Zone C (Surulere) to win but we looked out for more things other than the visual appeal of the finished look.

So to calm tempers, he gave the designer from Zone C a one-month scholarship in his Fashion School worth N150,000 and the guy who made the bag a retail space in his store.

I must say the day went pretty well (well clearly since we were fed with some DE-LISH catfish pepper soup from the NYSC fish pond and small chops [which I really should not have eaten but which I pounced on anyway :-D].

But most of all, I was really tripped that the Corps Members could complete their work in such a short time. It was a great day. 🙂

Here is more work from other Corps Members:

…and the Assistant Director of SAED, Mrs Rachael Idaewor, the Coordinator of the Competition:

I must confess that the NYSC & SAED are doing a whole lot to encourage entrepreneurship amongst the graduates in this economy where unemployment is through the roof. Nothing better than working with your hands and making money from it. So people, do encourage a SAED Corper by purchasing their items when you come across them. I know I bought a few cakes at the event from a young lady who approached me.

Great! So that’s just one of the many things I did this month…. well at least one of the activities I took pictures of. Will remember to take pictures of other events and the Courses like I used to.

Enjoy the rest of your evening!

Is the Customer Always King Even at the Expense of Your Reputation?!

by T.Williams-A | Jan 10, 2014 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

http://www.mbaskool.com/images/stories/articles_2012/customer_king.jpg

So we had this conversation last year – is fashion design about creativity or decency? Here’s the link just in case you haven’t read it:

Creativity vs Decency: What is Fashion Design Really About?!

I decided to revisit the “Creativity vs Decency” debate when my students pointed out that the controversial dress appeared to have been custom-made for the lady. And they are probably right… judging from how the strips were strategically placed.

Although I still maintain that the dress was a clever piece of work and pretty much everyone who responded to me via Blackberry agreed with me that fashion was more about creativity, my question now became “why create an outfit for a plus-size lady that would have been more suitable for a smaller size”?!

I guess the real question is:

“What happens when your customer requests for an outfit you know fully well would be unflattering for her size and body shape?! Would you still go ahead and create the outfit even when you have your own reservations about it and you know it will give your reputation as a creative expert a bashing?”

I know this is a major challenge of many designers and seamstresses. I have heard so many horror stories and the first thing that always pops to mind is: “Why didn’t you just walk away from the order?”

Picture this all-too-common scenario…

http://michelleharbour.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/customer-is-king.jpg%3Fw%3D300%26h%3D214

A customer comes in with a picture in a magazine asking you to create the exact same outfit. Or in the case of the lady, asking you to create something scandalous that will turn heads!

You know deep down that the dress you are looking at is on a Size 10 model while the person asking for a replica is a Size 20. Or the dress in the picture is made of pure silk and she has come with the thickest ankara or taffeta fabric.

You know when you are done, she will probably look a mess simply because she is a bigger size or the the fabric is different. You advise her against it but she insists on the dress OR worse you say nothing and go ahead with the order because:

1. you do not want to offend her;

2. you do not want to lose her patronage; and

3. the customer is King and you are there to do her bidding even against your better judgement.

When you are done you are embarrassed by the finished product but you console yourself by saying “well I warned her but she insisted so I did what she asked me to do”. She goes for the event and she gets the following feedback loud and clear:

“My goodness, who created this nasty outfit”; or

“Did a designer create this or a carpenter?” or

“Naija and the nonsense people create sha” or…

like the comments on the picture in the previous article:

“What is creative about this?!”;

“This is madness”;

“This is only suitable for a Porn Convention”; &

“Designer Error or Wardrobe Malfunction”.

In fact you get only negative publicity from the outfit you spent hours slaving over.

She comes back to you yelling and screaming conveniently forgetting that she had initially insisted on the design. When you remind her, she says “Well you should have advised me! You are the expert! You should have known I would not have looked good in it but because you wanted my money you just went ahead”. She rains insults on you, calls you every name in the book, promises never to patronise you in her life again and slams the door so hard the hinges fell off. You are left feeling completely miserable with your dignity in tatters!

Is she justified?! Well… perhaps not for the insults or for breaking your door but she has a very valid point which I completely agree with. You are the expert and should have advised her appropriately, even if she had insisted.

If you had politely refused and walked away from the project even at her insistence or offered her a more suitable alternative, you would have done both of you a huge favour and kept both your dignities intact!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3j1mn_r3Eno/TQixKPsQNwI/AAAAAAAABS8/6bmWtu7qDLE/S1600-R/rman455l.jpg

Yes the customer is king but truth be told, would you want to risk your reputation and all you have worked so hard for over a project you know you have no business being a part of?

I recall attending a wedding recently and the decor was so tacky, the first thing that came to my mind was “my goodness, who did this awful job”?! I made it a point to find out who the decorator was just so I would not make the mistake of patronising her. During my investigation, I was informed that all the tacky props at the venue were specifically requested for by the bride and the place was set up exactly how the bride wanted it.

The only problem is, noone knew that and noone cared to know. All we saw was what we some utterly nasty work which gave the decorator really bad publicity!

So what am I saying?! Yes we may need the money but as designers and seamstresses, we are first and foremost our clients’ consultants and should advise them appropriately. We also need to make informed decisions on which projects to undertake by weighing the pros and the cons. Don’t forget that if you do go ahead and create a garment that doesn’t sit on your customer the way it looks on the model in the magazine, she would have conveniently forgotten all the warnings you gave her and just label you as incompetent.

And yes the picture below might be really harsh, but sometimes, it just might be the better option in such cases.

You will be surprised that the client will respect you more for it and patronise you even more because s/he knows you have his/her best interests at heart!

That’s all folks! 😀 Here’s me wishing you a great weekend ahead!

Cheers!

And Still on the Subject of Decent / Indecent Dressing…

by T.Williams-A | Dec 5, 2013 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

… I was just going through someone’s blog articles when I stumbled yet again on this picture…

Now for anonymity sake, I’ll leave out the credit because it includes the person’s name.

Now… the article about this picture went along the lines of “how can a married woman be dressed like this to a function?!” And here I am thinking “HUH”?! Like seriously? I honestly did not get her point.

What exactly is the bone of contention? The outfit itself or the fact that the person wearing it is married?

And the second question that pops to mind is “would the outfit be okay if it was a single lady wearing it?!”

It instantly reminded me of a conversation I had with someone a while back on this same subject. Apparently the person was at church and a lady was wearing something that did not go well with him. Fine… he didn’t like the outfit, fair enough. But then he concluded by saying “and the worst thing is that the lady is married”.

With this “punchline”, he obviously expected some form of huge shock or disbelief on my face but was met with a completely blank, bordering on disinterested look. What went through my head at that point was “So?! What’s your point?!” And I asked, if the outfit would have been less offensive if she was single?!

Without going too much into the subject of being single, married and all what not, (that really is a matter for another day), what I will say is: people need to focus on the real issues… which in this case is the outfit. The subject of her being single or married is totally irrelevant. In this environment, this outfit would be seen as inappropriate for both single and married ladies. Period!

Creativity vs Decency… What is Fashion Design Really About?!

by T.Williams-A | Dec 5, 2013 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

So sometime last week, I was catching up on old posts and pictures in a Blackberry Group when I stumbled on this picture with its title: “Wardrobe Malfunction or Designer Error”.

Ok I must warn you, the picture is quite…. errr…. (a-hem!) not quite sure which word to use but anyway you see for yourself…

Picture taken from a Blackberry Group

Ok initially I was wary about putting up this picture but then again the lady wore it to a red carpet event where she expected to be photographed so she was showing off the outfit…. which I must confess is quite eye-catching…

NOW I wasn’t really phased by the picture. I have seen similar outfits on the catwalk so it wasn’t that much of a big deal to me. What really caught my eye were the comments. In expressing my opinion about whether fashion was more about creativity or decency, I got the following response from one of the contributors:

“Fashion is about creativity but creativity (in fashion) should be decent”.

Question is… who really is to blame? The designer for creating the outfit or the lady for wearing it?! Clearly from this statement, the designer… for creating the outfit. And this is where I beg to differ!

Make no mistakes, I was also stunned when I saw the outfit… but more because of the size of the person wearing it. Putting morals aside, I thought it was a pretty interesting and strategic use of fabrics and strips. Believe it or not, you can try to see through those strips but you cannot actually see anything. Which I think is pretty creative. If a much thinner person had worn it, it may not have evoked as much negative emotions.

For me, I believe designers are entitled to use their creative abilities the way they deem fit. Granted it may not be your style or your design philosophy but that does not make it wrong. As I said, putting morals and religion aside.

It’s the same way I am amazed when watching a runway show and I get comments from designers on how “unwearable” a garment is. And I’m thinking to myself, then clearly you have no clue what runway shows are about.

The runway is a concept which showcases ideas and creativity. Whilst some designers choose to put wearable clothes on to make direct sales, others are more about showing what they can do if given a piece of material, be it fabric, chains, metal or even recharge cards. Because you choose to use it a certain way does not mean everyone else should.

And on the subject of decency, many are quick to pull the “it’s not in our culture card”. Well for those who know a lot about culture (and I am not pretending I do), let’s not forget many women (and men for that matter) tie only wrappers whilst others go topless in cultural dances. Case in point:

http://sirismm.si.edu/eepa/eep/eepa_02757.jpg

http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/2733396/2/stock-photo-2733396-african-fashion-girls.jpg

So anywayz, before I digress, yes we live in a very conservative environment, but we really should keep an open mind…especially with respect to people’s work. I have no issues with critique… or better put… constructive criticism. Yes I may not design it or wear it, but I think the person did a good job. If I had to bring in morals and decency, I would say s/he could have used a fabric with more weight or lined it. But that’s not my call. It’s theirs. Besides… the work may not look as nice if it was lined.

As for the lady… well… as someone else said… she wanted to get the attention and she succeeded… “because we’re talking about her”. Mission accomplished! 😀

Have a great day people!