Wednesday, October 01, 2008

From Ashy To Classy

A rags to riches tale of a county kid, determined to succeed in a new industry.


Some people are destined to follow a certain path, others find theirs through circumstance, and a lucky few (like me) find their calling by accident. Those who are lucky enough to know from the beginning what it is they were born to do, will separate themselves in life because invariably they have been studying they’re entire lives for a test they won’t take until they reach college. The men and women who discover their calling later on life have the same chance of succeeding as the other half, but lose that quiet composure and replace it with stress and anxiety once exams rear their ugly heads.


I grew up in the county, hailing from a small town in the middle of nowhere that required a dedicated “trip” in order to find the nearest mall. When I did go to purchase clothes I dove towards the nearest skate shop, avoiding and ridiculing anything in between. My understanding of fashion left something to be desired, which explains why I’m so surprised that today I’d rather wear a collared shirt with tie when my younger days dictated that a skateboard tee would suffice.


I moved from my tiny town and home into a much larger house and city after graduating OAC. It wasn’t until I began to work in the service industry at a night club that I started to appreciate what being a well dressed young professional could do for a person’s confidence. Every evening I would watch men dressed in nice shirts with nice pants and matching shoes flirt with beautiful women who wore fancy flowing summer dresses that shone in the spotlights. The liquor flowed freely, but it was this new scene of style that I found so intoxicating.


After admiring the drunken crowds, I found myself buying nicer shirts. One day I looked in my closet only to find that half of it was filled with shoes and belts that matched! Without realizing it, I had begun to enjoy participating in fashion. The new fall seasons meant new sweaters; the next spring season meant more tee-shirts, with a healthy does of footwear in between. I didn’t mean for it happen, but my newfound appreciation for fashion was too strong to ignore. I continued to work until I reached a tipping point, and after two years I made a decision, it was time to go back to school.


It was time to move to Toronto! So now I’m a kid from a county, transplanted into a little city, that’s now living in the biggest city Canada has to offer. Lot’s of stores, plenty of boutiques, and (depending on the area) more well dressed individuals in one location then the entire population of Saskatchewan. This was a daunting task for me; even before school started I had to learn to become one of you. Which latté do I order, what style works on what street, what am I doing here? It wasn’t until I got a job in the industry that things began to reveal themselves to me.


I took a lot of hard work but things are finally settling down, which brings me to my motivation for writing this article. If you’re like I was fear not, just because everyone around you knows what’s up doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed in a new industry. Be prepared to dive head first into this brave new world and do it with a nice outfit on, eventually the puzzle puts itself together and you’ll have it figured out in no time. My future in fashion is bright, and I wish anyone reading and relating to this article the same success. If a hick from the county can do it, so can you!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice story :)