I've been busy getting back into the swing of things as college has begun again! This year promises to be a busy one for sure.

With so much to think about in terms of building a graduation collection, I've been scouring the internet (amongst other sources) for ideas and inspiration.

But this doesn't have to do with that. I came across an article by Vanessa Friedman titled, A fashion revolution? She talks about how a recently launched website, www.honestby.com, by Belgian designer Bruno Pieters, could be the new direction for fashion etail initiatives.

A great website and beautiful clothes, the idea is based on providing shoppers with the facts about what they are buying. So, under price info, you'll be able to see the cost of the fabric, how much was bought and used, and what the mark-up on the item was, amongst other specs.

A simple idea, yet it seems like it could be very effective in building customer loyalty... Check out the site for yourself.

Students studying in a creative field quickly learn that inspiration can come from practically anywhere... 

One idea I'm churning over in my mind at the moment involves layering and playing with pieces fitting together in a puzzle type way. 

Something I'm looking at for some concept inspiration is a Russian nesting doll or babushka dolls.

Now I don't want to give away too much yet, but here's a little tid-bit.

As a young designer about to emerge from the depths of being a student, I have, as well as my peers, the opportunity to do things differently.

We all prescribe to the norms set by the industry, but perhaps we have a rare gift... to do things differently.

I think it's something for me, and other students who are about to embark into the business, to really give some attention to.

I read an interesting article about the possible future of fashion shows and how they are set to become digital online performances... take a look, perhaps you have the next big idea!

Read Now, Online-Only Fashion Shows for Busy Editors by Eric Wilson.

Image from GingerDollDreams.

The other day, a friend told me about Pinterest.com. If you know what it's about then you'll know how cool it is!

It's a great way to share with your friends and followers clever ideas, receipes, beautiful imagery... you name it! I've already been engrossed for hours looking through all the posts.

Only thing is you have to request to be invited to join. I've sent mine in already, and when I [hopefully] get an invitation to join, I'll start building up my own inspiration pinboard and show off some of my interests.

This is the prefect way to perhaps understand a bit better what my collection will be all about!

Check it out for yourself at Pinterest.com.

I'm sure this year will be a challenging one to say the least, for me and my class mates. Creating one's own collection is a huge project, and for most of us it will be the first time we're doing it. 

So this post is a little side note to, well, myself and others in the same position who might be reading this.

The checklist

One Follow your instinct.

Two Review, edit, and be adaptable to new thoughts.

Three Believe in your ideas enough to stand up for them.

Four Accept contructive criticism graciously, and honestly review yourself... perhaps there is truth to what is being said.

Five Implement the necessary changes, positively.

Six Don't struggle on your own. Seek advice from others.

Seven Work "clever".

Eight Manage your time properly.

Nine Take time out to relax, reflect and refresh - looking at things from a new perspective can do wonders!

Ten Most importantly, have fun. There is joy in the journey.

These days, being a student is expensive. Especially for those studying in a creative field. Fashion design is an on-going expense... fabrics, pattern paper, sewing machine services, and the list goes on.

For this reason, I have a part-time job, like a lot of my fellow students. I've always known it was important to gain experience in the industry you intend on going into and although this kind of experience is great, I now believe that experience gained not neccessarily in your exact field, can also be so invaluable.

I do contract work for a specialist online marketing company, and I've come to realise that the skills I've developed from this can be used in collaboration with my Fashion Design degree to achieve career goals.

The importance of being open and aware to work experience opportunities [not necessarily within your own field] is really beneficial in the long run, and I appreciate the beauty in diversifying my skill set.

A book I'm currently reading by Seth Godin, Small is the New Big,  touches on this idea somewhat and has made me think more about and embrace the concept of diversifying one's skill set... and it's something I'd encourage others to start investigating!

The more I get into the industry, the more I appreciate the value of making and maintaining connections. I'm sure it's the same in any field, but probably more so in fashion.

Last year, I had the great opportunity of interning at Avant Apparel. The two genius ladies, Lauren du Plessis and Bailey Allison, who are building an amazing label had so much to teach me. And from this connection we built, I will be able to turn to them for advice and feedback when I'm creating my own collection.

Making these connections early on, from your student days even, open up possibilities and access to the kind of stuff that can ultimately set you ahead and apart in the long run...

I hope to be featuring more of the Avant ladies and their insights over the course of this year, but for now have a look at some of these most magnificent images from their summer 2011/2012 campaign photoshoot [that I assisted on!].

Connect with the beautiful gals of Avant Apparel on Facebook and Twitter.

Being new to the whole blogging thing, I'm beginning to realise it will be a challenge updating often enough. I've heard from people that maintaining a blog is hard. It's not for the faint-hearted. Well, being a fashion design student is tough too, and if it's possible to do that, then I am up for the challenge of growing my blog!

As college hasn't started yet, I'm working on building up my "stuff" (something we learnt about in Trend Forecasting). For a successful collection, and to execute it well, I subscribe to the belief that one needs to emerse themself in an orgy of images, textures, colours, and anything else that is going to give you inspiration. 

Stepping back, seeing the whole picture and where the "stories" are forming is the next step in the process. I will chat about that when I get there.

So for the time being, I'll leave you with an image I came across that I felt inspired by. I loved it so much, I wanted to find out more about who the photographer was and so Tim Walker is now another of my favourite fashion photograhers!

"Fashion is not fluff, or fun, or fancy dress. Fashion is tough, fashion is harsh lights and short glances. It’s snapped thread, sore thumbs and ageing eyes, it's broken hearts. It’s bitchy glares and blank stares. It’s crumpled papers and overworked erasers. Fashion is all-nighters and start-overs. Fashion isn’t pretty, isn’t perfection, isn’t pleasure, and it isn’t for everyone."

To kick-off my blog I've borrowed this quote from of a project my friends and I worked on last year last year for our Fashion Media 01 course.