Part 3
(Above: a rather grainy photo of a school article featuring alumni.)
As I had come to enjoy dressmaking so much, I made the brave (foolhardy?) decision to do a career transition at the ripe old age of 30. In April 2005, I started a full time fashion design course at the then Raffles Design Institute. Looking back, I can’t believe I made that jump – you could call it a blind leap of faith. But, I guess that’s the beauty of being young & reckless.
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I do remember thinking that the opportunity cost would only get bigger if I waited, so with a “If not now, then when?” mentality, I pushed ahead with my decision. Oh, what a different world it was. My class comprised mostly Indonesians – the youngest was 16! There were two Chinese girls – one of whom was taking a career break; we were the two oldest students in class. The only other Singaporean was a girl named Afton who joined after finishing her “A” levels. Some of you will recognize her as designer & co-founder of local label Reckless Ericka.
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For the first time in my life, I found myself not struggling to pay attention in class – I actually enjoyed it! I relished the time in my course, even though we were staying in school till 10pm practically every night. The only time we could use the workroom for our sewing assignments was when school ended at 6 till closing time. I liked sketching the least – sorry to say but I never did get any better at it! I probably enjoyed drafting & sewing the most.
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For someone who’s not well coordinated; I’m pretty proud that I can sew on an industrial machine. It took loads of practice, but was so satisfying when I finally mastered it. I also loved the workroom with the high tables for drafting, the giant rolls of drafting paper & the powerful industrial irons with their loud hisses of steam.
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The school was right by Raffles Hotel, so our rushed lunches were spent along Purvis/Seah street, and if time permitted, Bugis Junction.
If you missed the rest of this series, here's part 1 & part 2