Renata Dabdoub: Fashion showcase
Renata Dabdoub, fourth year, fashion design major and from Monterrey, Mexico. Photo by Crosby Ignasher.
Can you please explain your process from inception to completion?
It all started in L.A. I had an internship there … I saw a lot of graffiti, and there were a lot of gang members where I was. There were a lot of Hispanics, and being Mexican really attracted me to that. I started looking at a specific culture and how they use the basketball shorts and the T-shirts, so that really took me in my direction for fabrication. Graffiti just really impressed me [with] how graphic it is. And how colorful it is because, as a designer, I think my strong point is color and really fun shapes. I want a really young look and that’s how I ended up with the collection I got.
What was the experience like?
Rough, really rough. I feel like last year I saw a lot of the seniors and they were like, “Oh my god, this is so hard!” But I didn’t realize how much of an emotional toll it takes on you. I was really lucky to have really supportive professors and even my peers—we just really bonded, so that just made it bearable. But it takes your whole life up and you just immerse yourself in this project and it’s incredible. Yet it just—I don’t want to say destroys you, but it kind of does. It takes your life over.
What inspires you?
I am very inspired by the girl I design for. She is a young girl. She likes to have fun. I basically design clothes for girls like you and I who are fun, [who like] to explore fashion and to have fun with it and who don’t take themselves too seriously. So that is always what sticks in the back of my mind: Who is wearing this? And what are they doing? That is a lot of what is in this collection.
Can you describe your aesthetic and what you are trying to accomplish?
My aesthetic is definitely very colorful. I would describe it as slightly girly but also with a harder attitude. People describe it as ‘slutwear,’ but I don’t like that term. It’s fun and colorful. I would say it’s loud and feminine with an edge.
Are you nervous about the show? How are you feeling? What are you thinking?
It comes in waves for me. I forget I’m in the show and then it hits me. I didn’t expect to get in because there are so many talented people. Being picked is very exciting ,but also nerve wracking because I don’t really like the spotlight. We are going to have to walk the runway and that’s making me really nervous.
What was the application process like?
Every student in the senior class—both from Savannah and Atlanta—have a chance to be in the show. There are rules, like you have to have a 3.0, have five looks ready and then you move onto jury. Before jury, there are checkpoints. Starting in Senior I we had one with Michael Fink, our dean, and he would look at our stuff and tell us what he thought. For me, it went well.
Then we got to Senior II and everything fell [through] because I didn’t know how I was going to construct the thing I was doing. And from there we get checkpoints and mine went terribly. They hated my colors and thought it was not young or fun enough. “Where are the colors, where’s the graffiti?” they said, so that took me back. For the last checkpoint all of the professors sit down and you go up one by one to the third floor with your five models and they have the models there. They turn, walk and then [the professors] tell you nothing. You don’t know anything. They put up a list in a couple of hours.
What was the jury process like?
The whole jury process is intimidating because the first part is interviews. You go there with your stuff on hangers and it’s basically a show room where people from the industry look at your clothes and ask you questions about your inspiration. They tell you what they do and don’t like. After, they have a show where you see everyone’s work, Atlanta’s and your own. That happened Friday and Saturday, and on Monday the list was posted. It went from about 80 people to 30. Some of my favorite collections got cut and then I questioned [why] they are out and I am still here. But I am just happy I got it!
What did you take from the jury experience?
The most intimidating jury [member] was Juan Carlos, who I think is a Columbian designer. “What is your price point and where would you sell this?” was the first [he] question asked. I responded saying I didn’t know because my collection is really me, but ten notches up. It’s really conceptual but also not, and I said I don’t see this selling anywhere. He was just naming stores of where he could see it being sold and we started with prices, then he told me I needed to stop limiting myself and my designs based on my consumer and the price point. I need to allow myself to be the designer I can be. I really took something from that because he also told me I needed to stop underselling myself and that really stuck with me through the rest of the process.
How has this prepared you for the future?
Anyone can say anything to me now and I’ll be able to take it and I’ll be able to know exactly what I can and cannot do. My Senior I professor was amazing and I love him, but he would come in and say, “I think you need to change this,” and you’d be like, “But I have no time!” And you did these crazy things that you never thought you could do and made me realize that I can take anything and do anything I can and nobody can hurt me enough to derail me from my dream. No longer underselling myself.
Have you had any professional experience?
I have had two internships. One was in Mexico in the city that I’m from at a company called Mariscal. It’s a menswear company, and that was two or three Decembers ago. And then this summer I interned with BCBG Generation in L.A., which was a great experience. I really enjoyed that.
When did you decide to pursue a career in fashion?
I never made a decision to do fashion; it just happened. In first grade I would be doodling fashion designs. I realized that this is what I enjoyed and this is what I need to do with my life.
What are some of most pressing issues facing today’s fashion designers, models and accessory designers?
The market is not over saturated, but anyone can get anything at any price point, so how do you differentiate yourself from the rest? Who is going to buy it? Of course, fast fashion is making things harder because they do everything faster and cheaper.
Do you have any advice for future designers?
Explore who you are as a designer and don’t limit yourself to what you think others are doing. Try and find your voice and just enjoy the process.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
I would like to thank everyone who has been my support system throughout the process: my professors, the sewing techs, my friends and family who have supported me through this crazy experience.
