STARTING young
FOR the young aspiring professional designer Juna Paulene Buenaflor Buencamino, or Danja, one just needs to find an inspiration in all the things around us in order to create unique and quality fashion accessories.
According to this 18-year-old promising designer, anyone who aspires to be a professional designer must continuously unleash his or her creative potentials in creating pieces out of anything, especially if he or she is tasked to make use of recyclable materials in coming up with fashion accessories.
As the winner of the Upcycle Category in the Fashion Design Contest during the Mindanao Trade Expo (MTE) this year, Danja surely knows the importance of creativity and ingenuity for fashion designers.
Danja, a fashion design student at the Philippine Women’s College (PWC) of Davao, proudly shares that her passion towards art and design are her tickets to achieve her dream.
Read on to learn more of Danja’s thoughts on fashion design.
FN: When you say upcycle fashion accessories, what is basically the meaning of it?
Danja: When you say upcycle fashion accessories, it means using recyclable materials which you incorporated some innovation for them to be marketable.
FN: Tell me something about your winning design.
Danja: Well my design looks like it was made of transparent glass but actually I just used recyclable softdrink pet bottles.
FN: Where did you get the inspiration to create such design?
Danja: I got my inspiration from the silhouette of dried leaves, that’s why I called my piece “arid” which means dry.
FN: What could be the reason/s why you bested the other contestants, considering that there were 10 of you then?
Danja: I think the reason why I won was because I incorporated some innovations to the raw material. I used a different technique in order to produce an unusual shape. I didn’t change the color/look of the bottle. Our teacher told us before that “if the material looks good, don’t put a lot of things because it could look cheap”. And he was right!
FN: As a fashion design student, how do you see yourself 5 years from now? How about 10 years from now?
Five years from now, I see myself in the fashion industry working with the big names in the industry, learning new things and of course traveling, exploring the other cultures from different places. Some people might say that it’s just a waste of money but actually it’s an investment for you to have new ideas. And maybe in 10 years, I could build a name in the industry already, I can have my own design house or even a brand that can really compete locally and globally (I wish...)
FN: Any message for the aspiring fashion designers?
Danja: For the aspiring fashion designers, they just have to be inspired constantly, because in every creation there’s always an inspiration behind it, whether it’s small or big. Another thing, they must never get lazy or get tired in making their ideas come to life. Creativity can definitely take them everywhere!
Amidst her parents’ initial disapproval, Danja is determined to become a renowned fashion designer someday.
“My parents, before they were doubtful if I could find a job or even take the pressure. They even wanted me to take up Tourism Management, but I refused. I’m really passionate in art, design and creating things. I want to prove them that I can be in the industry,” she said.
Danja is grateful that the PWC’s curriculum is truly supportive of her dream.
“I’m thankful for the curriculum of PWC because it provides us with the needed exposure especially in our program. Our faculty and administration give us educational tours, both domestic and international,” Danja said.
Through these trips, they are able to learn that their industry is really very competitive.
“That’s why, our teachers tell us to be ready. The great lessons that I’ve learned: if there’s an opportunity for you to be exposed, grab it; and read books, use the internet or other resources to forecast the trends, know about the history to find inspiration and knowledge,” she said.
By talking all about fashion and executing various fashion inspirations, Danja’s ultimate aim now is to graduate and become a professional fashion designer - the greatest achievement of her life. ### If you have some other fashion tips to share or just want to discuss about any fashion-related concerns with me, you are always free to reach me at mendoza.jennygrace@gmail.com.