Try it for 5 - Personal Experience Profile
Fashion Designer

For Fashion Designer Misty, the first sign of things to come was when she started designing and sewing Barbie outfits at the tender age of six. Nearly two decades on, Misty spends her days fashioning fabric into hip ready-to-wear garments and the occasional avant-garde work of art.

Fashion has always been a part of my life. My label ‘Elsie-Jean’ is a combination of the names of my two Nannas. One was a seamstress and the other has been doing made-to-measure all her life. One of my Nannas had a mannequin and I used to get all the remnants and dress it up all day.

When I was young, Barbie and her wardrobe were it! It was never like, 'now Barbie is going to marry Ken', it was like, 'now Barbie is getting changed again'. A year ago I found an old Barbie doll and it had the jacket on that I’d made. It had perfect set-in sleeves and was this great design in gingham and I was going, 'oh my goodness I can’t believe I made that'. 

I make a list of what I need to do each day. I go to at least two different places, pick up materials and zips and buttons and then I’ll drop off cut garments to the manufacturer. I may also do some private sales. I don’t really sit down and say, 'now I’m going to design', because it doesn’t really happen that way. The designing happens around all the other things I have to do. I do a lot of driving around and twenty four hours is really not enough time in the day.

When we initially opened at The Colonnade we only had our final year range, which was made in a standard size ten. People were coming into the store saying, 'what’s going on here', because everything was a size ten. My collection equalled ten garments so I guess if it wasn’t for my range selling in the first two weeks it would have been difficult to continue. I just put that money straight back into the business and the new designs I put in sold really quickly as well. I do feel I need to go out and make things happen and for me this is an opportunity to make some money before I go out and do my wholesale range.

I do my own patterns. You can pay people to do it but it’s better to know how to do it yourself. While I’ve got the time I may as well do it myself and save money so I don’t have to have another job. That is definitely one of the great things about my life. Think about it, just out of TAFE and being able to quit my part-time job because of our deal with The Colonnade! Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

I’m marrying an artistic occupation with a business approach. I always keep an eye on the business side. I add up my monthly sales and make sure the money that’s owed gets transferred to my account.

It’s very important to have your bread and butter lines. You can’t always be making your thousand dollar couture dresses, you need the work that’s just going to walk out the door. You need to know that even though you absolutely love a design it’s just not financially viable and you’re going to lose money if you produce it.

My number one rule is to wear my stuff. It’s an advertisement for me and my work. There’s a particular outfit I wear out on the town and every single time I wear it out, somebody takes my business card about it and they follow up. It’s all about who you meet and it’s all about networking.

There’s a three-year diploma course at TAFE and it has an excellent reputation in the industry. We do two hundred and sixty hours of work experience and a lot of people won’t employ anyone but Bentley students because we’ve got such a good reputation.

From the beginning the TAFE lecturers always said, 'this isn’t about sitting down in a studio drawing pretty pictures all day'. The fact is you may never illustrate any of your designs after school. Drawing pretty pictures isn't my strong suit so that was fine by me. If ever we need any advice, the school is always there. I popped in the other day and spent three hours talking to lecturers.

Fashion is always going to be a part of my life. The individuality and the creative outlet are really important to me. I love to get stuff done to a deadline. I remember two hours before ‘StyleAid’ I was frantic and I love that sort of stress. Twenty minutes before we had to leave I was designing this shirt in my head and ten minutes later it was here. That kind of pressure really triggers my creativity.

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