The RAVYN Blog

The background of any fashion show can get erratic.

On July 16, 2016, I had the experience of a lifetime—I debuted my first fashion collection at the BVI’s most prestigious fashion show, Summer Sizzle.

At just nineteen, I sent a six-piece collection down the runway as part of the BVI Emerging Designers Showcase. This mini segment of the larger Summer Sizzle Global Glamour Runway featured five emerging designers debuting alongside international designers respected in their field.

From Fitting to Finalizing

We started fitting our models just two days before the event, making sure they were comfortable in our garments. Each piece needed to be perfect, so last-minute retouching was a must.

Like any event, we faced setbacks, especially in production. We didn’t have enough hangers for our clothes, our pieces were all over the floor, and the zipper of my finale garment broke on the day of the fashion show.

I had ample time to fix it since the zipper broke in the morning, but the hassle of finding a tailor to replace it left me drained.

Unfortunately for most of us, we didn’t have any additional help. We did have our mentor, who did the best she could (which I’m grateful for), but we weren’t assigned any assistants like the more esteemed designers.

However, the five of us were close, and we became each other’s personal assistants, helping with fittings and line-ups.

I didn’t eat anything on that day; at least not until everything was sorted and I felt safe enough to breathe. I’d spent most of the day fitting the models, but I did get a chance to take some pictures of the line-up. The models, just like the designers, were stressed out, but they were just as excited as we were.

The beautiful part was how satisfied each of us felt when we walked out there on the runway.

Model Mania

The most challenging thing about the runway is finding the right model for your outfit. I think as long as the clothes are sewn well, it’s up to you to find the right model to represent the story you’re trying to tell.

For us, models were organized into two groups, mostly so changing into garments would go smoothly and so they wouldn’t clash with other designers. However, that meant that we didn’t always get the model we wanted.

Once we found our models and determined the order we wanted them to come out in, all that’s left was to make sure the final production goes as planned. Get each model into their outfits, work against the clock, and watch them walk the runway.

A fashion show will always be a hassle, but in the end, it’s all worth it when you’re in love with fashion. Seeing your pieces down the runway is something to cherish.

It’s something I know I will always cherish for years to come.

NOTE: All photography was taken by me. All images, illustrations, adverts, and photos were designed, created, and edited by me unless stated otherwise in the captions. If you like any of the creations you see here, feel free to reach out to me via my social media links below, and let’s work together.