It’s never too early to inform and inspire. On Tuesday, Dao-Yi Chow of Public School arrived at the inaugural Fashion Future Graduate Showcase at Center 415 before 8 am to speak to the participating students at a press preview of the curated Made in NY exhibition, a partnership between the CFDA and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
“The fashion industry is probably one of the toughest industries to be in,” Chow, who founded Public School with Maxwell Osborne in 2008, said. “The reality of business weighs heavily on you as a designer. As you are entering into the industry, you will find that out really quickly.”
He stressed the importance of balancing art with commerce. “We are in the business of selling clothes,” he told the audience. “You have the responsibility to create something beautiful and inspire and make people feel better, but you also have the responsibility to sell clothes to support yourselves as designers.”
The students – all top graduates from Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design and Academy of Art University – listened attentively.
Before, Kate Daly, Senior Vice President Center for Urban Innovation at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), had highlighted the City’s investment into and commitment to fashion.
“It’s something the Mayor and administration take very seriously, and it’s an important part of New York City’s economy,” Daly said. “There are nearly 185,000 New Yorkers working within the fashion industry—nearly 5 percent of the total New York City workforce. We are delighted to be working with the CFDA to make sure that the talent pipeline within New York is strong, and that we can make those connections between academia and industry, and beyond.”
As CFDA President and CEO Steven Kolb put it, “We hope that there will be opportunities for you to really develop your careers and to further your dreams as designers and one day become actual members of the CFDA.”
Chow noted that the most important thing in that journey is “to maintain yourselves, to do you. Make sure you are always very clear on your point of view.
“You are the lifeline of this industry,” he added. “Without you, there is no industry.”
