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I ud o do a lo of frlanc workand hav ownd wo buin, Bll

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and lcing h appropria wardrob.

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GLAM Meets

Sandra Wilkins has always been fascinated with fashion. At

the tender age of ve she enthusiastically crafted her own

clothes and made her rst dress for her mother when she

was just nine-years-old.

Now she can be found busily passing on the tricks of the

trade to young talented designers in VCU in Doha. When

GLAM meets the Tennessee native for an interview she is

sophisticatedly dressed in a classic Chanelesque suit jacket

teamed with white skinny jeans; possibly one of the most

style savvy 60-year-olds around town.

Did you grow up loving fashion?

I did. I think my parents would have preferred me to follow a different

career as when I said I wanted to go to school of the Arts, they freaked. But,

as time went on they started to understand that this was really a passion of

mine and they lived long enough to see me do well in this industry.

Youve been working in Doha for 12 years, what were you

doing before and why Qatar?

I used to do a lot of freelance work and have owned two businesses, Belle

Originals and Wardrobe Components, which primarily focused on helping

women make an image for themselves and selecting the appropriate

wardrobe.

I have actually been working in VCU for 32 years. I was asked to set up the

fashion course in the university in Doha and my contract was meant to be

for 9 months. Fortunately I fell in love with the country and the students

and have been here since.

How long do you plan on lecturing in the University?

Well, probably until they nd me stretched out on the oor somewhere.

I think its interaction with young people that actually keeps me young.

Ill do it as long as Im making a contribution. I love it because it gives me

an opportunity to practise my craft on a daily basis. When I get up in the

morning I go to do something I absolutely love and not many people can

say that.

How do you differentiate between trends and classic style?

We are in the midst of probably one of the worst recessions that even I

have experienced. And when you look at what people are wearing, theres a

combination of the two. I think when the dollar is depressed, people want

to be free and frivolous and have a little fun with fashion so they dont have

to think about the bad times in their lives.

Which fashion designers do you think are making a

difference?

That is hard to say, however, let me discuss the designers that I think are

really innovative. John Galliano is a genius. Unfortunately Alexander

McQueen is no longer with us because he was a genius too. I also love

Viviane Westwood. All these designers create such outrageous, absolutely

fabulous things that inspire us in so many ways.

m e e t s

W c a u g h u p w i h h H a d o f h F a h i o n D p a r n

a V i r g i n i a C o o n w a l h U n i v r i y o d i c u l i f ,

f a h i o n a n d a v a i l a b l o p i o n f o r y o u n g r i n Q a a r .

Byorna

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What should every girl have in their wardrobe?

The one must is a beautiful, simple black dress. Thats all every girl needs.

The jacket youre wearing is beautiful, very Chanelesque,

where is it from?

Thank you. Its from Shanghai in Hong Kong. I was recently on a tripthere with the students and we went to this mall that was lled with textile

suppliers and tailors. I saw this jacket and thought, wow, I really like it and

the price was so good that I could not leave it behind.

Shanghai sounds like an amazing country; do you travel a lot

with the students?

Yes, every year we travel to a different fashion capital. We chose Shanghai,

because, like Doha its an emerging fashion culture. While we were there,

we met several young designers who talked about how different the country

was 10 years ago. I found a young designer, Helen Lee, in an article in the

NY Times and she invited us to visit her. She has designed several lines but

talked about moving to Japan once she graduated because there were no

jobs in her country.

Is there not a big fashion scene in Hong Kong?

They are huge into manufacturing but there is very little area for creative

input. Helen Lee has spent the past six years back in Shanghai and is now

being really appreciated in her own country. This is an excellent model for

our students.

Sounds exciting, where do you plan on travelling with the

students next?

We might go to Japan or South Africa; there is an emerging fashion scene

in the latter. We will also be travelling to Indonesia at some point in the

future. The students in this country are very fortunate and its important

for us to illustrate to them how lucky they are by engaging them with

students who dont have all of the resources available to them.

Apart from trips to fashion capitals, what does the course

focus on?

Primarily fashion design; we offer the same curriculum as in the US

because we are an extension of VCU which is the number one Arts school

in America. We also do marketing & merchandising and our students do

fashion promotion & fashion forecasting. An entrepreneurship programme

is available the university in graphics, interior and fashion because we want

to encourage our students to branch out on their own and start their own

businesses. With that said, we dont expect them to do that fresh out of

school but at least theyll have the foundation. And I do think in emerging

fashion culture like Doha where there are certainly not a lot of designers to

go work for that its good to create businesses themselves.

What other things can students look forward to on the

course?

We host a fashion show every year to showcase the students designs. Its

been running for the past 12 years and is considered the social event of the

Qatar season; last year we had around 1200 guests over two nights. The

work we show is juried by fashion professionals in the region as well as

designers and artists. We also offer internships in Beirut, Turkey and Italy

with the likes of Calvin Klein and the Toledos.

What jobs do graduates work in on completion of the

course?

A couple of our students have launched their own line, while others have

gone on to complete further studies. However, there are a variety of job

opportunities available not exclusively focused on fashion. An important

part of the curriculum is fashion show production where the students

create their own show. This arms them with many skills and graduates nd

themselves being very successful in event co-ordination and production.

Whats your view on the fashion scene in Doha; does it need

to be built up?

It does and its our responsibility to encourage these people to build an

industry. Ive lived/travelled a lot of places and I think no other place is

as fashion savvy as the middle-easterners, particularly these women in

Qatar.

What are your tips for young girls interested in fashion

design?

Be prepared to work really hard. This is a difcult but very rewarding

career. Everything you design is not going to be successful; if you think

that, throw it out of your mind. It can be competitive at times because of

course everyone wants to be the king of the hill. However, not everybody is

not going to be John Galliano or Calvin Klein but you can still be extremely

successful.

W igh go o Japan orsouh Africa; hr i an

rging fahion cn in h lar.

GLAM Meets