JOURNEY

Once Phalie Studio asked me to share my experience about my journey in this fashion industry, so I'm ready to share this, to the world.

I've experienced ups and downs in this industry, and by ups and downs, I mean it literally.

So long ago, I dreamt to be an artist, until I met my best friend, Cindy (I OWE HER BIG TIME!!), on my 5th grade, she loved to draw fashion, even though she was also influenced by anime. So, since then, I've fallen in love in fashion design.

I still hold on to fashion design until I was on the 6th grade, my mom teach me rough fashion illustration. Until I was on the 7th grade, my dad saw an article about fashion design course. So, my mom asked short fashion courses (because I was still attending my secondary school and going to a small course was just for fill in my yearly holiday), but there were no school which were suitable for my schedule except Phalie Studio. So, I attend my first course there and I enjoyed it very much, super duper!! Many cool projects there. My mom saw my illustration transition, and she supported me to go to Singapore.

In the end of 2008, I made my own website of my design portfolios which was www.lyddesigns.webs.com. The funniest thing about the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, someone wanted to hire me after she saw my portfolios. I texted her (she gave me her number) but I told her that I was still 14 and she didn't reply my text. hha.. noticed why. net notttt…

My goal was going to Singapore at that time, because I wanted to be with my sister. At first, I wanted to go to Raffles. But, during my school edufair in my 10th grade, I spotted NAFA and they said that NAFA accept 16 year olds, so I went to NAFA (it's cheaper). I took their prep-test, I study illustration from the beginning. Then, I took the test and I got TGD (similar to scholarship) and I went there.

I had great friends there, until I literally experienced state of shock of the works there. I cried literally 24/7, until my mom came once in 2 weeks. I was a stupid perfectionist, I scared of failing even though I got great marks, I scared of my lecturers, I got 5 from 6 symptoms of entering the mental hospital. I was friendless in the end. I quit in the end. But one of my lecturers, which was my illustration lecturer, really encouraged me to continue studying fashion design.

When I went back to Jakarta, I was really ashamed of myself, I let myself down, I let my family down, I let my parents down. Almost 2 weeks after my arrival in Jakarta, I didn't want to go out with this shame and news.

Few days before I went back to Jakarta, one of my frisbee friends asked me to design him a uniform for his new bar, and he accepted it (but his contract failed and he said that he would open the same bar in different place). At that time, I realized that networking is way more important than stupid grades. As my former lecturer said, As and Bs were just alphabets.

During my recovery, many people helped me, such as my parents, Cindy (in Seattle during my recovery), and A.

So, currently, I'm a student in Raffles Design Institute as a Fashion Design student.

As a daughter, I feel really really bad to my parents. So I joined competitions and tried to win one to make them proud of me. So far I've joined 4. I didn't made it to Miami Beach International Fashion Week, I didn't won Mazda Sketch contest, IDK the result of Fashion proMagazine illustrating competition, but I won Indomaret Uniform Design Contest.

Right now, the hell I don't care about my grades, I'm laughing 24/7, I made connections with so many people, made friend outside from fashion students, joining an organization in my church.

I'm also preparing myself for Nagoya Fashion Contest 2012, Wish me luck!! :D

What I want to say is that, never give up, even though you give up in other school, continue what is your passion in other place, don't be such a perfectionist. In the end, you got jobs from connection, from networking.

Thank you all for your support and prayer, God bless. Hopefully, my journey story inspires all of you. :D

INDOMARET UNIFORM DESIGN CONTEST 2012

yes people, I've joined 4 competition (so far) and this is my 4th with the 2nd biggest price (after Miami fashion week, which I didn't make it to the finals).

So, not so long ago, I spotted a a photo which contains informations about Indomaret Uniform Design Contest from my previous previous small fashion design course, Phalie Studio. The prices are awesomely nice. hha.. So I decided to join in. :D and also to practice my illustration (Laura Laine wannabe :DD) .

ps: Indomaret is one of the most franchised minimart in Indonesia, everywhere you go, u will find indomaret :D

At first I design something random, no concept, no something. Than, my dad give me an advice to see the corporation's profile. So, I found the vision of Indomaret itself, which is becoming a national asset in franchised something-something (idk how to translate to English, sorry people D: ). But, my time was up to think because my cousin was coming to Jakarta and I had to pick her up. So at the airport, I saw "visit Indonesia" commercial and has batik in it. Because of that, I decided to use the concept of "100% love Indonesia".

Since Indomaret wanted to become the national asset, I decided to use my own design of batik motif , which is motif batik kawung (batik from solo), due to its popularity in many societies, with the corporate color, which was blue, yellow, red, and white. Especially since many international franchised minimarts have arrived in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta.

I hope that the batik motif I design for Indomaret will be useful to them as the corporate identity as Singapore Airlines with their motif on their employees uniform. So, when people see my batik motif design, they see Indomaret.

As for the colour, I used their corporate color, which were red, blue, and yellow where blue became the major color due to the calming effect to people psychologically. 

So, I send them 2 designs alternatives, first one is the shirt, and second is the polo shirt.

I send it, and I wait for it. About more than 2 weeks ago, someone called me and he said that I made it to the TOP 5!! My goodness!! I made it, hha.. from more than 200 designs, my polo with batik motif shirt made it to top 5!! BUT, I have to make the toile (sample garment) of the uniforms for both boy and girl and I have to presented with Power Point slides on the 27th of March.

NOW, the problem was, ALMOST NO ONE could print my batik motif. 10 days before the "war" date, I found someone who could print it, BUT HE NEEDED 12 DAYS TO FINISH IT!! In the end, I used transfer paper to print the batik motif. hha XDD

The next problem, my mom and I didn't really trust other people to sew it, so I made the pattern and do all printing stuff (and also some sewings) and my mom do the rest of the sewings. The problem was I don't have sewing machine specialized for jerseys (a.k.a t-shirts), so my mom and I made a toile with the LOWEST QUALITY EVER and the batik motifs cracks due to the not-so-permanent-sticky of the transfer paper. my goodness. So I explained what happened during the process and blah blah blah. At least they didn't really care about the quality, because visually the toile was same as the design I made and the fact that my mom and I sew it. But, my principle, Miss Tanya, told me that the judges care about what happened visually only. So, she comfort me the day before my "war"

And the "war" day arrived, I made a new friends and my senior was one of the top 5 also. I got the last to present my design. I present as lively as I could, at least they laugh and nods at some facts that I give them. The judges loved the idea of batik as the corporate identity, but the production is quite complicated. I didn't hope that much due to that fact.

During the announcement, the judges told us that our designs were judge by corporate identity, originality, production, and the whole package. And the winner with the highest score was MEE!!!!!!!!! yes!! so Indomaret will use my design, my batik motif!! TYL!!

The Marketing Director loved my idea of using batik motif that I design for the corporate identity :DDDD

Indomaret will do some changes to my design, like the fabric will be changed with cotton drill, and the white stripes will be disappeared, *so many changes!! hha.. at least they still keep the motif batik that I design and I get the price :D the rest, I don't care*

ps: This design is now and officially belongs to PT. INDOMARCO PRISMATAMA (INDOMARET)

Mr. Taufik (from Indomaret) allowed me to post this on my blog. COPY RIGHTED!! HHA.. my very first copy right design!! YAHOOO!!

Thank you so much to:

Phalie Studio for sharing this competition

Raffles Design Institute Jakarta:

Mr. Sanjay - lecturer

Miss Tanya - for the man's long torso block

Mom and Dad and My big sist

Cousins (for being awesome cheerleaders and ask me out and go yahoo yahoo)

Friends in Raffles, Regina Pacis Jakarta, and AK (for being a great cheerleader)

NAFA:

Susan See - for teaching me how to illustrate and present a portfolio to a client

Indomaret:

Judges

Models

from Indomaret itself

and GOD!!

Thank you so much for all of your support!! God bless!!

(translation: Indomaret Uniform Design Contest 2012, certificate to Maria Valentine Lydia (me!!) as a winner!!)

Final project: Draping - Tulip Asymmetrical Draped Skirt

Original

By: ME!!

The most disappointing thing during the presentation was that my seniors were also judged my skirt!! (but my friends didn't) oh well, unlucky me. At least I did quite a good job. One side of the hem was longer than the other side, zipper went to the side, the yoke at the back wasn't smooth. The fabric selection isn't that good that you almost couldn't see the drapes due to the "busy" of the fabric. (Hopefully I pass this one also :DD)

Model: Alexandra Roselyn

Photographer and Skirt: Me

Fabric: Yoke - Cotton

Leopard - Rayon

Place: Christine Natasha's house.

Final project: Drafting I - Dion Lee Intersection Skirt

Original: Dion Lee Intersection Skirt (Coutersy of: Shopbop.com)

By ME

My goodness, my second worst skirt and my most expensive fabric. So many mistakes here, for example: the underneath of the waistband at some part wasn't stitched, the waist facing seems wrong, and the "welt" pocket wasn't neat (this mistake happened due to the lights off at 6.30 pm unexpectedly =.=a --> refer to my final project sewing's post)

But THANK GOODNESS the main objection of this project was to see weather the skirt falls like in the picture or not. So, my lecturer literally ignore my bad sewings. Thank goodness he said that I did quite a good job. (hopefully I pass this module, can't wait to be taught by "the best" pattern making teacher)

Model: Alexandra Roselyn

Photographer and Skirt made by: me!!! :DD

Fabric: Semi wool. (now you know why the fabrics are expensive =.=a)

Final project: Sewing - Man's Bermuda Shorts

Back

Front

Hha.. I did this pants in 5 hours with rushing out like crazy (don't want to stuck inside a dark room; yes people, my campus isn't a 24 hour campus, lights are off at 6.30pm) the worst part is, i just did it the day before the due date.. XD at least my big bro at campus helped me out by cutting double sided tape to finish the waist band part XD. Thank you so much bro!! :DDD

Thank goodness that the program director (the same lecturer as color theory) said that it was a good work. hha.. (so happy leee). And my sewing lecturer told me that I PASS!!!

ps: sorry for the blurred image, I used my phone camera (what do you expect, I was in the hurry, don't wanna stuck inside a dark room)

Final project: Color Theory - Product Design

It has been such a long time since I had uploaded the last one :D

So, in Color Theory, my partner (Sonu from FM 1.1) and I had to make a brand. In the end, we decided to make a brand for toddlers. and our brand name is Los Delicados (Delicate one in Italian).

In the end, for the logo, Sonu and I got B. as for the print design, we both got C (me C, Sonu C). well, mine was because the lecturer couldn't see the difference in the color ways easily (aka, they were almost the same)

ps: I don't wanna upload Sonu's print design, I haven't gotten his permission yet to post his things, I'm on holiday --> can't ask =.=a