Brooklyn Fashion Academy

BKLYN Fashion Academy

May 12 2018.

When I first moved to New York, I didn’t know so much about Brooklyn but as soon as I relocated to the borough it won me over with its history, atmosphere, architecture and mainly the people.

As an immigrant one of the first things you get to do is visit the Brooklyn library to get a NY Id. A little step to feel more part of the wonderful New York and fall in love with Brooklyn. The library captivated me, the grandiose scale of the entrance, something comparable to the great monuments of ancient Europe. The golden art tells you are in for something great, and so it was. As I took the subway many times, I noticed the advertising for something called the BKLYN Fashion Academy, as it was set on the library, I applied in the hopes to get some more time in that magic place, I got selected and a great adventure started.

Everything about it got me right into it, the experience of an incubator that could help you with guidance on the ins and outs of the sustainable fashion production process was exactly what I needed, getting to know the places to source environmentally friendly fabrics, deadstock, and scraps; mentoring from people with knowledge of the industry locally was something priceless.

At the time I did not have a studio so the hours on end sewing on the antique rooms of the library where a really gratifying and convenient process. The people I got to know where mostly other immigrants and Brooklyn locals, all of us with the common goal of learning and creating under the sustainable ethos. The intense learning and sewing experience culminated with a full-blown runway "Les Sapeurs"-themed fashion show. "Les Sapeurs" refers to a Congolese subculture in which individuals dedicated to the cult of style in widespread poverty stroll through the streets like walking works of art, this show made me very proud not just for me, but also for the 14 other designers. Here are some pictures of my first runway show in New York City.