Alumni
DEBUT Grad Shows Designs at Altaroma Fashion Week in Rome
Born and raised in Medellin, Colombia, Andrea Isaza earned a Professional Designation degree in Fashion Design from FIDM in 2016, before being selected to join the nine-month Advanced Fashion Design program. She was the DEBUT 2019 Koefia Scholarship recipient, which entitled her to a one-year academic scholarship at the Accademia Koefia, the Italian haute couture academy in Rome. Within months of moving to Italy, COVID-19 hit, but Andrea used the opportunity to focus on her new collection. She recently showed two looks as part of a group fashion show at Altaroma, the fashion week of Rome. We chatted with the designer to learn more about her path to FIDM, participating in DEBUT, studying abroad, and the inspiration behind her latest designs.
What was your path to FIDM? I always had in mind to go to a fashion school and when the time of enrolling to a university was closer, my best friend mentioned FIDM to me. I was living in Rhode Island at the time, and I was still pretty new in the States, so I was naive to many things, including universities. My friend requested a catalog from FIDM and had it shipped to my house. When it arrived, I started looking through it and I knew this was the place I was always dreaming about. I immediately started working on the admission process and finally got in. I didn't apply to any other universities because I knew FIDM was the one.
How would you describe your experience as a DEBUT student at FIDM? Personally, I loved DEBUT! It was an incredible experience and opportunity. I learned so much about myself as a creator. I felt free to finally be able to make my own collection and seeing my vision come alive was an amazing experience. It took self-discipline, it was definitely a lot of hard work, and very challenging of course, but I never lost sight of my intention and why I wanted to create. Now that I am able to see it all from a different perspective, something very valuable I learned throughout this experience was to be confident about my work and my creativity. I learned to always rely on myself and be efficient at problem solving, and most important, not to be scared of making mistakes. This allowed my creativity to flow because instead of looking at it as a mistake, I looked at it as a learning experience.
How did you feel when you learned you were the 2019 Koefia Scholarship recipient? Words could never explain, it felt unreal. I was so happy and grateful that all the hard work I put into my collection was all worth it. I will be forever grateful to Mr. Vazquez for supporting and believing in me and also to the school for giving me this amazing opportunity.
Had you been to Italy in the past? I had never been to Italy. I never thought about coming to Italy until my first year at FIDM. I kept learning about the Italian culture, their art, and their fashion — it made me so curious. I have always loved everything that has to do with art and fashion, and Italy had it all; that’s when I started telling myself I have to go there. A couple of years later, I learned about the partnership that the school had with Koefia. That was my perfect opportunity and I took it!
What was it like to move to Rome to study at Accademia Koefia? This experience has been super rich in knowledge. I've been learning incredibly, not only about fashion, but about the culture itself. I enjoyed my experience at Koefia. They focus on sewing techniques, pattern making, attention to detail, and the precision of these skills. They treat clothes like a piece of art, and I personally think that is a beautiful thing. They also have a keen eye for detail and these are traits I will always take with me.
What were the most valuable lessons or experiences while studying abroad? This experience has been very humbling. I think patience and letting go of ego have been the most valuable lessons. Finding yourself in a country where you don't know anyone and you don't speak the language can be very difficult when your ego gets in the way, at least in my experience. I learned to be very accepting of many situations and to surrender when things didn't go my way. On another note, studying abroad has opened my mind to many other different perspectives and possibilities. Those who have the opportunity to live or study abroad should definitely do it in my opinion. Being able to see other people's way of living, their mentality, and their differences in culture can be a life-changing experience.
Tell us about the collection you designed: This collection was inspired by Italian Futurism, which was an artistic and social movement that took place in the early 20th century. It spotlighted rebellion, speed, technology, and the courage of creation. I took the concept and converted it into our time, while staying true to the root of the movement by using bright colors, the art craft, and the optical illusions. The Futurism movement can be now translated to the incredible speed of time, technology, illusion, and delusion of our timeline. Every student got to create one look implementing the techniques learned at Koefia. The looks were presented at a fashion show at Altaroma fashion week. I was super lucky because I was able to make two looks for the fashion show.
Did you speak any Italian prior? I didn't speak any Italian when I moved to Rome, but Spanish it’s my first language so I think that made it a little easier for me. I have learned the language and I am able to communicate, but there is a lot more to learn for sure! I think that the fact that I love the Italian language gives me motivation to quickly learn.
Italy suffered greatly with the arrival of COVID-19. How did it feel to be so far away during a global pandemic? At the beginning, I was so confused about the whole situation. I didn't know what to do or what to expect, so I stood resilient and took it day by day. I stayed in Italy during the entire situation until this day. There were many hard moments, especially because I was alone and regardless of what was going on I had many things to figure out since I was still very new in the country. I always had the support of my family; we have a very close relationship and that gave me the strength to continue with my plans here in Italy.
How did the pandemic impact your work? The pandemic actually helped me with all my work. I felt free of time and I took advantage of it. It gave me the opportunity to focus on myself, the things I love to do, and create. I also had a lot of time to perfect my school work. On the other hand, it made me see life with a clearer perspective. In the end, situations like this highlight the true beauty and meaning of life.
What are the best parts of living in Rome? The art and beauty. I think Rome is a dream place to get inspired from and to create. Just going for a walk in the city or going to a bar and see people is super inspiring.
Is there anything else you'd like to share? Everything I shared has been my own personal experience. I always tell people that we could be living the same exact situation and still have a completely different experience. It is all about perspective and attitude towards life. I always choose to look and focus on the positive and constructive side of a situation. I think having this mindset has helped me to continually grow not only personally, but also in my career. Life will definitely throw difficult situations our way, but if we continue to keep pushing forward everything can be possible. I believe that if you follow your true passion, life will always support your dreams.
Keep up with Andrea on Instagram @andreisazak.
Categories: Advanced Fashion Design Fashion Design Alumni
