By the time you read this, Fashion Week will be over and I’ll hopefully be catching up on some sleep (if I’m particularly lucky). Like many things in this industry, the real work will start once the last sequins have been swept up and the last false eyelash re-boxed.
However, for many of our designers, the follow-up to the most frenetically glittering week of the year is not just hard, it’s impossible.
Having been involved in the local fashion scene for a few years, I have had the privilege of meeting many wonderful people, several of whom have become very close friends. But however glaringly talented they may be, almost all of them have second jobs, and whenever I broach the subject of them expanding their lines or creating on a full-time basis they all say the same thing – they simply can’t.
Unsurprisingly, there will always be those who blame our diminutive size, but the truth is far simpler: many people just aren’t willing to invest. We Maltese don’t only have a track record in preferring everything foreign over anything local which may or may not be of superior quality, but we would, sadly, rather spend €5 on a dress from China than €50 for a unique, one-off piece.
If you feel that someone is producing great work, don’t just take photos of it or congratulate them at the end of their show: buy a piece of their beautiful thoughts
It’s this attitude that has driven scores of creatives away from our shores and has made those brave enough to stay behind feel frustrated, helpless and in some extreme cases, depressed.
Indeed, while many people loudly proclaim their allegiance to their motherland, if social media is anything to go by, there are few who actually put their money where their mouth is and invest in some of our best and brightest.
Of course, many will plead that they can’t afford some of the price tags that these items must apparently boast, but the reality is that many of those who present this particular argument have not exactly visited the designer’s studio or even taken the time to enquire about his or her prices.
You can praise someone’s work all day and all night long from the highest building, but the proof of the pudding is actually handing over the cash and indirectly telling someone that you believe in his work enough to want him to be able to grow creatively (and not die of hunger or frustration in the process).
How can our designers and creatives be able to give us the best of themselves and their ideas if they barely have enough money to purchase the raw materials they need for their craft?
If you feel that someone is producing great work, don’t just take photos of it or congratulate them at the end of their show: buy a piece of their beautiful thoughts and know that with that simple act you are helping them get even better.
Ultimately, their ability to be able to dream unencumbered lies in your hands.