Transcript 0:00 [upbeat music] Hey, my name is Donald Desrosier. I am the host of ONE11 Podcast, where we sit down with entrepreneurs and hear their new beginning stories. 0:15 We are starting a new series and I'm looking for 11, that's right, 11 different unconventional entrepreneurs that are doing things in a very different way, and I want to really strip down a- and embrace that authenticity that is in you. 0:31 If you are, uh, doing entrepreneurship in an unconventional way, I want to hear from you, and I'm only looking for 11 of you. 0:38 So wanna start this brand new series looking for 11 different unconventional entrepreneurs, founders that are doing amazing work. Hit me up in the DMs if that's you, and I would absolutely love to get you on the pod. 0:53 Awesome. And happy, happy Wednesday, Prisca. Thank you so much for joining me on ONE11 Pod. Uh, how are you feeling today? I'm feeling great. 1:05 Um, I've just had a little bit of a headache for the past few days, but I think it's just from overworking, maybe the heat a little bit. Um, so yeah, I think, um, I'm doing good. Um- Good, good... 1:18 I'm feeling a lot better. Gotten a lot of rest. Getting a lot- Yeah... awesome, awesome. Um, I'm glad, and I'm absolutely thrilled that you're here today. 1:27 Would you mind just sharing a little bit about who you are, what you do, and, um, how you help people? Sure. Um, so my name is Prisca, and I am the founder of the Digital Fashion Institute. 1:40 And what we do is really just help people learn how to do digital fashion design, um, a little bit more efficiently. Uh, just because I think, uh, the education system hasn't really, 1:54 uh, locked in on how important it is to learn these digital tools for the future. Um, and I wanted to make sure that students understood that this is where things were ultimately heading for the fashion industry. 2:10 So, uh, yeah, that's why I do it. Awesome. So fashion design. Take me back, Prisca, to how you first got started in fashion design. What drew you? What attracted you to this occupation? 2:24 I'd love to learn a little more about, um, your interest. Okay. It's a bit of a story, but that's what we're here to do, right? Um- That's right. Gotta get to know you. [laughs] So [laughs] Wee. 2:36 So how it started really was just from being a, a little kid that was obsessed with fashion. Um- Mm... I, my family moved to, uh, Boston when I was about five years old. 2:49 And, um, we didn't have a lot going on in terms of, like, activities to do. So, um, I used to wake up really early in the morning to watch two things. Uh, one was... 3:02 Uh, I'm always spacing on his name, but the guy with the painting, with the hair, with the afro. Wait. Do you remember him? Bob Ross. Bob Ross. Yes. So I used to watch- I love him... Bob Ross. I love him. 3:13 [laughs] And then- Did you ever see the documentary on Netflix, by the way? I have not seen it yet. Shocking. Oh my God, it's so revealing. But I know the story. That's how- Oh, you do?... obsessed I was with him. Okay. 3:23 Oh my God. Yeah. That is- I don't know why I forgot the name... crazy... but yes. Yeah. Bob Ross was an obsession of mine when I was- Awesome... really little. Um- Good times. 3:30 [laughs] And then the other thing was Fashion File, which was- Ooh... a show that was about just fashion designers in Europe, and I used to just watch that for hours before anybody woke up in my house. 3:44 So I just became obsessed with fashion and what it could do and the stories you could tell. Um, but I grew up with really two different, uh, I guess you could say talents. Um, one was the fashion. 4:00 Like, I was just always drawing and sketching and just trying to get better. Uh, but my other natural talent was really writing. Like, it just came naturally to me. Like, I'd just write stories when I was bored. 4:12 So I, um, by the time I was, uh, heading to college, I didn't know which one to choose from, so I tried to kind of do both. 4:22 Um, but ultimately, uh, the college that I ended up going to didn't have any kind of an art program, definitely didn't have a fashion design program. So I ended up doing journalism. 4:35 Um, and I thought I was going to do that for the rest of my life. Uh, but yeah, as soon as I got out of college I was like, "This is not it." You know? Like, I just didn't wanna work in a newsroom. 4:50 Um, I tried to write for my college newspaper, but it was- Mm-hmm... 2004. Um, but that, that was a really tough year for the journalism industry in general. Yeah. 5:03 And I was just kinda like, "I don't know if this is what I wanna do." So I started trying to write a novel, and about three months in I was like, "I got nothing." [laughs] Nothing. 'Cause, you know, I was, I was what? 5:19 22? And I just, like, I had no life experience. I didn't understand people well enough for me to go on and write a novel, you know? Mm. And I also didn't have the focus, if I'm completely honest. Um, so- Okay... 5:35 yeah, a friend of mine came to town, a friend that I had met in college. She came to town and, uh, she asked me, um, if I... Or, well, let me just preface this by saying she came to town with Ringling Brothers Circus. 5:50 She was a teacher- Oh... for the circus. And, uh, I was just like, "That's interesting." And she invited me, you know, over to, um-... uh, hang out with her and her circus friends after the show. Okay. 6:04 And, uh, I started talking to the costume designer, and I was telling her about my interest in design, and that I was thinking of going to design school. 6:14 And, um, she was like, "Well, we need somebody, you know, uh, to, to fill a position. Um, would I like to join?" And at the time I was like, well, I can either... I was working at a library. 6:28 I was like, I can either keep working at this library job, which was fun, but I was like, I don't know if that's going anywhere. [laughs] Um, or I can travel with the circus. So [laughs] you know- Right... I get excited. 6:40 Sounds way more fun. [laughs] Yeah. So- Library, circus, come on... right. It wasn't a decision. No-brainer. [laughs] No-brainer there. So [laughs] I love that. So I, I just ran, went off. 6:54 And, um, I, I spent a year traveling with them, um- Wow... while I applied to design school. So that was, like, my first kind of, like, job doing design kind of full time. I wasn't really- Wow... designing anything. 7:08 I was more or less just repairing costumes and stuff like that- Sure... and helping on the sewing end. I'd been sewing for most of my life. My mother was a seamstress, my aunts were seamstresses. So- Oh, cool... 7:19 like I do know how to sew, uh- Yeah... sort of. But I knew how to sew well enough to do that job. Sure. To get- [laughs] Yeah, yeah, to be there, to be useful, essentially. Yeah. Right. [laughs] Exactly. 7:30 But I hadn't gone to design school yet, so I didn't really know- Okay... what the whole thing was about. Um- Mm... 7:34 and after about a year of traveling, I got off the train in Philadelphia, and I had gotten into Drexel University at that point, and, um, I spent three years just plowing through that, uh, design program. 7:50 Um, and it was hard, but that's really where I learned what the industry was about, and really started understanding what fashion really was. Because that... 8:03 Like, I think I had the same kind of like dreamy idea of like, you know, haute couture in Paris. You know, like, that whole Emily in Paris fantasy- Mm-hmm... was what I thought the industry was, and it's not that at all. 8:17 You know? Um- [laughs] But yeah, it's when I got into it at school, that's when I started understanding what was going on. So that's the journey for the most part. And how was the design school like? 8:31 Talk to me about fashion design when you were at university. Uh, design school was competitive. Mm. Um, I had a lot of really great people in my class. Um, they filtered a lot of people out very, very quickly. So- Mm... 8:47 I think I started... Uh, it was a grad program. Um, so I started with maybe 20 people, and I think only about half of us graduated from the program, to give you an idea of how- Wow... rigorous it was. 9:03 Um, but here's the thing. Mm. The school that I went to was very focused on technical. Mm-hmm. Um, so a lot of sewing, a lot of, you know, that sort of thing, pattern making. That was their thing. 9:18 That was their, like, what they were known for, and that's why I went there. Mm-hmm. Uh, but I wasn't very good at it. [laughs] So- Oh, no. [laughs] Yeah. Mm. So you asked, like, how was design school? 9:29 It was rough, because I w- Okay... I'm not, like, a crafts person. Gotcha. But then, here's the, here's the thing- Mm... uh, design school is where I discovered technology as part of fashion. Um- Mm... 9:43 and I started using, you know, Photoshop, Illustrator. Um, and then I found, uh, 3D. And they only kind of touched on it because at the time it wasn't really a thing yet. This was, like, back in 2010. Mm-hmm. 10:01 So people didn't really know what to do with 3D quite yet. Um- Yeah... and then finally, uh, it was l- like laser cutting and being able to use a lot of cool machines and 3D printing and all that stuff. 10:18 Uh, once I discovered how they were being used in the fashion industry, I was like, "Ooh, that's what I wanna do." You know? 10:24 Um, so that was kind of the lane and the territory I found myself wanting to go into at that point. But when I graduated, I realized, oh, wait, nobody wants this yet. You know? 10:37 Like, people were still leaning on the sort of traditional knowledge and the basics and things like that. Mm-hmm. And I was just kind of like, "Oh, that's so boring for me. It's not really what I'm into." 10:49 But in order for me to get a job, that's the- Mm... kind of stuff I had to lean into more. So that's- Got you. And w- and when did you graduate? I graduated from Drexel in 2011, so- Okay. Got you. 11:04 So technology hadn't quite caught up. We were starting- Yeah... but it wasn't quite there, especially in the fashion industry. So what did you end up doing? Like, what was your first job then right out of grad school? 11:16 Um, my first... I had a couple of internships. Okay. Uh, but my first internship was with Tracy Reese. Um- Okay... and she was just, like, this small designer in the, uh, garment district. 11:31 Um, and I interned for her for I wanna say about six months. Um, and that was rough, you know, because I was living at home and I, like... You know, internships in New York and fashion at that time didn't pay. 11:46 So- I was gonna ask. [laughs] I was like, is this a paid position? Like- No... okay. That's rough. And you're expected to intern for, like, two or three years, you know, before- Without pay... you can actually... Yeah. 11:56 [laughs] Oh my gosh. Yeah. That's tough. It is. That's tough. So you have to have, like, a part-time job and the internship and-... you know- At least... survive, [laughs] I think. Yeah, exactly. It's ridiculous. 12:08 And you, you have to live at home. Like, it's out of the question- You have to. You have to... unless you have somebody paying your rent, you know? Um, but that's the... 12:16 That was the standard back then for the fashion industry. Um- Gotcha... and you just kinda have to figure it out. So I was working in retail on the weekends. Sure. Uh, and, you know, doing that whole thing. Yeah. 12:27 But about six months in, I was just kinda like, "You know, let me give Paris a try." You know, 'cause that was the fantasy. So- Right... I flipped a coin [laughs] 12:39 and then I, I bought a ticket, and I went to Paris for three months, uh, because- Wow... I was just kind of like, "Let me see what I can do there," you know? 12:48 "Let me see if I can get an internship there because that's, that's where I wanna be. Those are the designers I wanna work for." So- Was this the first time you went out of the country? Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. 12:59 How was that experience? Tell me a little bit about being outside the US in Paris. This, this sounds really exciting. [laughs] Yeah. I mean, it was. It was, it was- Yeah... crazy. 13:09 Um, and, you know, when I landed there, I had no idea what I was gonna do really. Mm-hmm. Um, I had one contact that somebody I had reached out to on LinkedIn had given me. Cool. 13:23 Um, and, uh, they had given me an interview. I had my portfolio, um, uh, which I had spent an entire summer working on, you know? 13:32 So I was like, "Um, as long as I have that, like, at least I'll have some confidence going in." Yeah. Um, so, you know, I get there. I'm super excited, and, uh, I go to... 13:47 I don't even think Airbnb was around back then. I don't think so. Um, so I had- I think it may be just starting. I'm not sure if it was in Paris yet. [laughs] Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So I had to find a place to stay. 14:00 Uh-huh. Um... Oh, actually no, it was. Um, I just... But I had... I think I had just found out about it. Okay. Um, because I say it was because that's what ended up saving the day. I had booked a hostel- Mm... 14:15 uh, in the meantime, you know? Like, I, I was like- Gotcha... "I don't know where I'm gonna stay, but I need somewhere to sleep." So I booked a hostel. Gotcha. 14:21 Uh, and I get there, and it was just the dankest, grossest place I've ever been in- No... my entire life. No, no. It had, like, this little mattress in the corner, like some real Oliver Twist type stuff, you know? 14:34 [laughs] Like- Oh, dank... I was like, "I don't know. I don't think I can stay here." So, but the funny thing is the picture that I saw on the web was, like, this beautiful lobby, and I was like, "Oh, okay." 14:45 You know, I didn't account for the fact that the price was, like, super low. It was, like, 20 bucks a night, but I thought it was gonna be, like, really nice. Uh, and it wasn't. Um, [laughs] so I- Oh, man. That sucks. 15:00 [laughs] I s- yeah, I know. Um- Mm-hmm... so I get there, and I call my sister, and I was like, "I don't wanna stay here." Yeah. So she's the one that sent me, um, Airbnb. Like, she knew about Airbnb- Mm... 15:13 at that point. Okay. And she sent that to me, and then I was able to find somebody on there- Nice... uh, for a little bit more. Um- Sure... but- But a lot nicer... I had some money. Yeah. I mean, I had a roommate. 15:25 It was still a little bit, to be honest- Oh... be honest, a little bit sketch. Sure. But, you know, she was... 15:31 She had just gotten a divorce, so she needed some money, so she kind of rented out, like, a piece of her apartment, um, out in the suburbs. Oh, okay. Interesting. So that was how I ended up finding a place to stay. 15:45 Gotcha. It was... What ended up working out was that she was, uh, she was a, an architect. Mm. So she was off-site a lot, so she wasn't home that much. Okay. 15:57 Um, so that allowed me to basically have the place more or less to myself. That's nice. And it worked out pretty well. That's awesome. Um, yeah. [laughs] Wow. But yeah. 16:09 So in terms of professionally though, things didn't go very well or as expected. Uh-oh. We went to the interview that I had booked. Mm-hmm. Um, and [laughs] 16:20 I don't wanna say they took one look at me, but she was just kinda like... I mean, you know how it is with the French. She was just kinda like, "Mm." 16:28 [laughs] I, I, I've only seen in movies and shows, but I've never physically been to Paris or France. I have a lot of friends that have gone, and they've told me their experiences, so... 16:40 But from your experience, doesn't sound like it was very positive. Yeah. I mean- [laughs]... it's beautiful. I'll tell you that. You know? Yeah. Paris is beautiful. The food is great. The people are cool, but- Mm-hmm... 16:53 a little bit too cool, I guess, is, is the only thing that I could say. It... I mean, I- Gotcha... they're, they're nice. It's just that- Nice... I think my vibe just didn't meet their vibe, and I was just kinda like... 17:06 And I was pretty young, so I didn't know how to, uh, approach it as well as, as I could, you know? Um- I can see that. No comment. Yeah. So I was just kinda like, "Okay, I don't think this is gonna work out." Mm. Um, but 17:24 I just stayed anyway 'cause, you know, my ticket was for three months. Oh, wow. I had already paid for the apartment. Yeah. And I was just kinda like, "Let me see what happens," you know? Um- Mm-hmm. 17:33 And I spent three months there. I, uh, ended up using some of the time to volunteer, uh- Mm... at, you know, different organizations and stuff like that, just to kind of meet people and- Sure... 17:47 and see, you know, what can be done. Um, I tr- you know, like, I just tried to network as much as I could while I was there. But the crazy thing is that- Mm... 18:01 the person I really wanted to work for was this designer called Azzedine Alaïa. Mm-hmm. And, uh, I- 18:09 Went to his studio, I dropped off some of my work, um, and they didn't call me until the day that I was scheduled to leave. The day- No... I was scheduled to leave. I mean- And at that point, yeah, I know. At that point, 18:28 I was just kind of like, "I can't overstay my visa, and I also don't have any more money to pay-" Mm... "for another month of rent." Sure. 18:38 So what they wanted to interview me for, again, was an internship, and I was just kinda like- Right... "I can't work for no pay in Paris" [laughs] you know? Like- Yeah... 18:49 maybe if I had a, you know, somewhere to stay and all that stuff figured out, maybe. But, you know, I just can't do that. So- That's kinda wild... I had to turn it down. It was heartbreaking. It was probably one of the 19:04 hardest decisions I've ever made. Yeah. But I came back to the US, and yeah, I went back to retail for a little while until I could find something a little bit more permanent in New York. Um- Got you. 19:20 So yeah, that was my adventure in Paris. Three months of trying to figure it out. [laughs] So would you call your Paris trip outside of the US like a success? Um, like a failure? 19:34 Like, how do you view it looking back now? Looking back, I mean, it was an experience, you know? Mm-hmm. I'm realizing one thing about myself, especially recently, is that I, I'm not the kind of person that can leave 19:50 a stone unturned. Like, I have to find every single angle before I call something quits, you know? Mm. 19:58 Like, before I give up on a dream, before I give up on something, I need to make sure I did everything I could in order to make it happen, and if it fails, it fails, you know? 20:10 At least I know I didn't just walk away without really giving it a try. So I think to me, the regret I have, uh, with Paris is 20:26 possibly that I should've been a little bit more insistent, and maybe I should've, uh, sent work to different studios and not just put all my eggs in a basket. Sure. You know? Um, so that was really it. 20:44 Everything else I was just kind of like, "Well, I did it," you know? Um- You did it... spent some money. Uh- Yeah... but I paid it back, you know? Right. 20:53 I, I, I spent two years working in retail, paying all that debt back, 'cause like honestly, I went on my credit card, [laughs] you know? Oh, I see. The whole trip was like on my credit card. 21:04 That's why I was like, "I don't have any more money to-" Right... "to do this." Um- I feel you there. 21:10 Yeah So- But it was an experience, and I feel like just taking that risk and doing it for the sake of doing it, because now you have a story that you just shared with me. You see what I'm saying? Exactly. Exactly. 21:22 And, A- and it was a learning experience, and you didn't take it as a failure or success, but you just took it as what it was. You've always wanted to do this thing. You got to. 21:31 I'm sure you got to see some, uh, sights, um, as a, you know, someone who loves to travel, and you've always wanted to go there, and then also you just wanted to see how, um, a, a possible career could have t- taken you if you were to do it. 21:46 A- and you tried, which is the biggest part. I know a lot of people, they don't try, a- and- Exactly... you did that, trying, so I think that, that's a huge win for you. Because now you know- Yeah... 21:56 and you wouldn't have known otherwise, right? If you didn't take that chance or that risk. And I, I believe every attempt, or let's say if it looks like a failure, it's not a failure, it's a learning experience. 22:07 Because, you know, now if you were to go back, you'd probably do things a lot differently, right? [laughs] Exactly. Exactly. You know, and that's the lesson. Yeah. Yeah. It's understanding that, you know- Mm-hmm... 22:18 A, you tried, and B, if you were to do it over again, you'd know how, you know? Yes. Um, and I think that applies to business, that applies to relationships, that applies to life. 22:30 It's just you have to understand what the lesson is- Mm-hmm... in order for you to be able to move forward. Mm-hmm. But I don't know. I just, I don't, I don't count experiences as successes and, and failures, you know? 22:43 I feel like everything can be a success depending on what kind of lens you put it through. Mm. And anything can be a failure depending on what kind of lens you put it through. That's right. 22:54 Is your c- uh, what, your cup half full or half empty? Exactly. Like, how you living your life. [laughs] Yeah. Exactly. How you living your life. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 23:04 So la- That could be the title of the thing, How You Living Your Life? How You Living Your Life? I love that. They didn't do 50 Million. [laughs] I love that. [laughs] So you went back to New York. 23:12 I, I just wanna kinda catch up to like where you're at now, if you don't mind. Take us, you know, uh, from New York. Yeah, eventually you made it down to Miami, right? So- I did... 23:21 talk to me about, you know, after your trip, like what, what transcended and transformed into your eventual, of like where you're currently at, I guess we'll kinda run it through a little bit. Sure. Um, so I spent... 23:36 Actually, when I came back, I went to Philly, and that's where I- Oh, okay... was working in, um, retail. Okay. Uh, 'cause, you know, I was at Drexel, so Philly was kind of natural. 23:46 I have a lot of friends there still, so it was easy for me to get back into it and find work. Uh, and in the meantime, I was working on my first collection, um, and trying to figure out if I could launch my own thing. 24:02 Mm. Um, at that time I honestly didn't have the money. Uh- Mm. But I was just kind of like, "Oh, I-" I think I skipped over something- Yeah... that's actually pretty meaningful. Uh, between- Don't wanna do that. 24:15 [laughs] Yeah, yeah. Between Paris and Philly- Mm-hmm... um, I came back, uh, to, um, uh, not the US, but I went to Haiti 'cause my parents live there. Oh. Um, and I was also- Good point... 24:33 uh, doing different fashion shows, like showing my graduate collection and stuff like that- Oh, cool... in a bunch of little... They have all these little fashion weeks, um, in- Yeah... the Caribbean. 24:43 So in the Dominican Republic they have a fashion week, and Jamaica has a fashion week. Cool. You know, all of those little islands have them. Um, so I did three different fashion weeks while I was there. 24:55 And, uh, on the third one, which was Haiti Fashion Week, um, I ended up getting robbed. [laughs] And they took my, um- That's not good... my passport and all that stuff, like all of my documents. 25:12 So I ended up getting stuck in Haiti for about seven months. Um, and- Yikes... while I was there, I didn't waste the time, let me tell you. Hmm. 25:21 Um, my dad's friend had a factory, a garment factory, and things were actually... Haiti was doing pretty well. It was po- or post-earthquake. Hmm. 25:31 Uh, there was a lot of investment going into Haiti, and I was like, "Maybe there's some opportunities for me here- Hmm... while I figure out this whole document situation for me to get back to the US." Hmm. 25:42 So, um, and you know, like, bureaucracy moves really slow in a country like that, so it took a while. Yeah. So, um, I ended up manufacturing a line of dresses with that, uh, my dad's friend. Mm-hmm. 25:56 And, uh, that was sort of my first real, like, fashion, uh, business experience. Oh, cool. Uh, 'cause I ended up selling all over the island to a bunch of different little stores. 26:09 Um, I was shipping it to a couple of stores in the Dominican Republic. So it was, it was really nice to be able to have that, uh, as my first experience with a brand. Mm-hmm. 26:20 Um, and then when I finally got my documents, that's when I went to Philly and, like, got a job and started, uh, figuring things out- Got a job... in the industry there. 26:30 Uh, but yeah, that was a really formative experience for me where I realized that, like... 'Cause it was a really basic dress that I, I manufactured- Mm-hmm... and it, it just sold like hot cakes, you know? 26:44 Like, it wasn't- Really? Wow... anything... Yeah. 'Cause, like, when you get- That's so cool... out of fashion school, you're like, "I need to do something extravagant. I need to have ball gowns. I need to..." Mm-hmm. 26:54 That stuff doesn't sell, you know? Like, all that editorial stuff- [laughs] Right... it might end up in Vogue, you know? Like, maybe. Sure. Maybe. But then what do you sell? 27:04 Like, nobody's gonna buy that from, you know, looking at it in Vogue. You know, even if you get it on Beyoncé, like, it doesn't mean that it's gonna sell. Like, Beyoncé- Right... sure, now people know who your brand is. 27:18 Now you can bring that to Macy's and say, "Beyoncé wore my dress." Mm. But if, if they can't sell it, they're not gonna buy it from you, you know? Right. 27:27 So that's sort of the, the lesson I learned from doing that for six months. That's what I'm saying, like, there's a lesson in everything that happens. I got robbed- Right... 27:39 but I also launched my first fashion brand as a result of being there for such a long period of time. So, um, but after that, um, 27:50 after I was in Philly for a few months, I was sending out applications trying to get, like, real paid work. All I could find were internships and things like that. So, um, I ended up, uh, doing something that is 28:09 slightly questionable, but I'll tell you what it is right now. Um, I ended up using, um, [laughs] a name that was not mine on my resume, and that actually ended up getting me a job in New York finally. 28:25 'Cause I spent two years trying to find work in New York. Couldn't find a thing. Wow. I sent the same resume with two different names, uh, to multiple employers, and got three interviews that same week. And, uh, yeah. 28:42 Right. And then- Wait, just off your name? Mm-hmm. I got three interviews that... That's, I mean, it's the fashion industry, um, and New York is very biased, let's just say, in a lot of ways. Oh. 28:55 And you know, I didn't have, like, any, um, like, social media pages. I didn't have an Instagram at the time. I didn't have any of that stuff. Right. So it's not because they were looking me up and seeing anything crazy. 29:08 It was just they saw my name, and maybe they couldn't pronounce it, and they were just like... And I mean, I used to actually see people doing that in the places that I worked, so I know that that's what they were doing. 29:19 Oh. And that's why I was just kind of like, "Okay. Let me just use a really basic name that sounds super generic, and, uh, let's see where that goes." So yeah. 29:33 Well- I got three interviews, and then I got a job, like, that same month. Um- Just because of a name change. Can I ask the name? [laughs] It's a real person, uh, but I'll tell you the first name is Sherry. Um- Sherry. 29:49 Yeah. Okay. That sounds so white. Okay. [laughs] It worked. Wow. Yeah. The, the first name was Sherry. Um- Okay... and, uh, it was somebody... I'll tell you all... You know what? I might as well. Sure. 30:03 Uh, it was my landlady. Okay. [laughs] And [laughs] I was selling, sending out applications, and she was asking- Yeah... for her rent, and I was, like, texting and typing at the same time. 30:14 And I was just kinda like, "You know what?" Let me use her name. [laughs] Mm-hmm. And then that's when I, uh, put it at the top of my application and it worked. Sure. 30:23 Um, so that was how I got my first job in, uh, in fashion in New York. Um- Okay... because I was like, I have a, this really great portfolio that nobody ever sees- Mm... just because of the fact that, you know- Mm-hmm... 30:38 my name is hard to pronounce. So, uh, I know it's two, it's two, uh, syllables, but I don't know. I, I- People struggle with it... I didn't find it difficult [laughs] to pronounce your name Prisca. I don't think it was. 30:53 Is that... That's how you say it, right? Yeah. Wanna make sure. Two syllables. That's how you pronounce it. Yeah. Okay. So it just, maybe because it's so unusual too. Yeah. I don't know many Prisca's. 31:03 I think you're literally the f- f- first [laughs] person that's named that name, so maybe that's why. Yeah. It's not common. It's very uncommon. So I, I can see that. Yeah. 31:12 But it's just so, so crazy how you had to change your name just to get an interview, just to land a job, and it just makes me wonder, you know, like with biases and stereotypes. 31:24 You, you know, just like with people, it shouldn't really be based off that. It should be just based off your experience, right? Like your portfolio essentially. 31:32 It's like who's the, the who's the best, who ranks the best based off their work. Yeah. Yeah. And- Absolutely... that's- And I mean, that-... ridiculous... 31:41 the, the crazy thing is that it didn't just work once, it worked twice. Multiple times, yeah. Yeah. So- Mm... like I, I did that job. It was for a job, uh, that manufactured clothing for Target. Mm. 31:54 Um, and you know, I did that job for about a year. Yeah. And then the second time, um, that I did it was my next job, which was also swimwear, but for a higher end manufacturer. Gotcha. Uh, or higher end designer. 32:12 Uh- Okay... and that was kind of like my dream job, you know? Mm. Like I love that designer. I was like, "This is where I wanna be." But when I got there, it was again like a very 32:26 difficult work situation for me, uh, where I just didn't fit in. That's really the only, uh, thing that I could say. But yeah, I, it was like it worked- Mm-hmm... there as well, and I was just kinda like- Hmm... 32:40 "I guess that's how I get a job in the fashion industry is by changing my name." Yeah. Um, so you know, word to the wise for a lot of, uh- Mm-hmm... 32:49 young, you know, ethnic designers out there, maybe it's your name, you know? Change it and see what happens. Yeah. It's unfortunate. It is. It is. Yeah. Uh, but anyway- Yeah, so continuing on... 33:04 I worked there [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] Keep going. I worked in New York for about three years- Okay. Mm... uh, between those two jobs. And, um- Okay. And then Philly after that, right? No, that's- Oh... 33:14 it's after that, that I moved to Miami. Okay. Oh. Uh, so I did Philly, New York, and then, uh- Okay. Philly, then back to New York, and then from New York to Miami. So why Miami? Did you have family or? 33:25 I did have family. Okay. Um, and, uh, the second place that I worked, uh, that place ended up letting me go after about a year and a half. Um, and 33:40 I didn't know exactly where to go 'cause I was like- Mm-hmm... "I don't wanna stay in New York." Mm. Um, this isn't working out. I don't even like New York, and- I've heard stories too... 33:53 you know, oh, guys I hope [laughs] You know, I've never been to New York. Yeah. I thought I would get- I've never been to New York, believe it or not. 33:58 I should go sometime just to visit as a tourist, but I just heard- Visit... it's not a great place to live, live. You know? Yeah. It's like you wanna visit, but don't ever live there. 34:07 But yeah, I know, I know a lot of people from New York that do not live there anymore. They like live- Yeah... in Florida or they live in Colorado. You know, they live in various other states. Yeah. 34:16 And they just like, it cer- it's interesting because I feel like they have a certain, oh, what's that? Energy about them. Mm-hmm. [laughs] It's hustle town. Yes. Yes. Like you hustle, hustle, hustle in New York. 34:29 You have to or you don't survive, you know? Exactly. [laughs] And it's just a lot of people like that and a lot of people don't, but there's that energy alignment too at the same time, you know? 34:39 It's like you can only push people so hard, you know? Yeah. And I just, I feel like that's not what life's meant to live at the same time, you know? Like you gotta enjoy your life. Yeah. Can't always be hustling. 34:48 Sure, there's a time and place for that. But, but yeah, when I was in Miami, I, I just met so many people from New York. Yeah. Absolutely. So they go there. It's, it's crazy. But anyway, so, uh, to Miami. So why Miami? 35:00 You said family, but then, uh, I, I assume job opportunities because the fashion, uh, over there is pretty cool from what I've seen. [laughs] It is. It is. There is a really big fashion community. 35:10 It was growing at that time. Yeah. 'Cause I was looking at either Miami or California, um- Mm... as options. Okay. Um, and I also just wanted to start my own thing. Um- Mm... 35:21 and I, and I was looking for opportunities to do that. And one of the things I realized in New York is when you work for another designer, you just don't have time to do your own thing. 35:30 Um, I was working like 12-hour days regularly. You know? Wow. Like 7:00 AM fittings, and then I'm there sometimes till 7:00, 8:00, 8- 8:00 PM, you know? 35:42 And then I have to take a hour long train to New Jersey 'cause we can afford to live in New York. Mm. So I was just like, okay. 35:49 Um, once, you know, that didn't work out, I was like, what's a job that will, you know, pay me well 35:59 but also allow me to have some time off, you know, and be able to have some balance in order for me to do my own thing? 36:09 And, um, I ended up finding a teaching job because they were just opening a bunch of different schools, uh, for fashion in Miami. Mm. And I had a master's degree so I was like, okay. Yeah, I mean, I'm qualified. 36:24 Let's see how it goes. Um, went to the interview and got offered the job the same day. Mm. And I was just kind of like, "I guess I'm a teacher now." [laughs] So... Awesome. Yeah. [laughs] So how did that go? 36:38 How did that go teaching? Like, what did you- I- [laughs] What'd you have to learn? I'd never put a lesson plan together. Okay. I had no idea... 36:45 Honestly, my first day of class, I had no idea how to do it, what I was doing. Like, there was no observation, you know, period for me to learn what I was doing. Okay. Um, but eventually it started to gel, you know? 36:58 Like, they had professional development courses that I had to take at the college in order for me to, uh, get better at it, so I did those. And after the first year I kinda got into a groove. Mm. 37:12 And my groove was really to teach the digital classes. Mm. Because a lot of the other professors were, you know, like, really focused on craft, sewing, pattern making, the traditional stuff. Sure. 37:25 But the program wanted to be a little bit more progressive- Mm... and really what, what the, um, industry, not just in Miami but everywhere, was demanding was that sort of technology training. 37:44 Sure. So I just started to teach the basics, uh, for Photoshop and Illustrator, doing flat sketches, doing all that kind of stuff. Mm-hmm. 37:53 Um, and I did that for a good three years while I started working on my actual brand. So- Ooh. That's- Um, I relaunched that, um- Okay... my second year as a professor. 38:08 Um, I just started working on, you know, developing that. I started taking classes to understand business and marketing and sales a little bit better. 38:18 Um, and yeah, I was, I was trying to make it happen, and I did my own fashion show during Miami Fashion Week. It was a lot of fun. Mm. 38:27 Uh, but, you know, and then I also got my product manufactured in Mexico, actually, um- Mm... which is my connection to, to it as well. Like, I just... I don't know, I just started making it happen, you know? 38:42 Um, and then came 2020. [laughs] Oh, right. And- Yeah... yeah. Uh, so- Oof... so by then, like, I moved to Miami in 2016. Okay. 38:53 Um, I launched my brand 2017, 2018, and then I was slowly scaling it, you know? Was, it, like, I'd got the manufacturing done. Mm. I started selling at, you know, a couple of stores. 39:08 And then when I, when I w- went to go launch the second, uh, season, that was 2020, and everything just kind of died. Um- Yep... and I tried to hang on, um, you know- Sure... and I put more money into it, but- Mm... 39:25 after a certain amount of time I was just kinda like, "I don't think there's, uh, anywhere left to go." Mm. And I shut it down in 2021. Um- Okay... 39:38 and kind of fell into this really deep depression at that time, uh- Wow... where I was just kinda like, "I don't know where to go with my life from here," you know? 39:47 'Cause, like, I'd had one dream and one thing that I was like, "I need to, to do this- Mm... in order to feel like, you know, myself." Yeah. Right. Um, so yeah. 40:01 After, after that, um, I started learning the digital fashion, which is really what, uh, brought me back a little bit. Mm. 40:11 Uh, because in 2021 is when the whole industry was taking off with digital fashion, and everybody was talking about it, and, um- Mm... my students wanted to learn it. Mm. 40:23 So I had already been making plans, um, before the pandemic to go up to New York. Mm. 40:30 Um, and that was what made me realize, okay, maybe there aren't a lot of places to learn this, because I was making plans in, like, 2019, '20 to go to New York for the summer of 2020- Mm... 40:42 uh, to take a course at FIT- Right... 'cause they were the only ones that had a program. And FIT is the Fashion Institute of Technology. Um, so they had a program. Um, and I was like, "I think I wanna try it." 40:57 But when the pandemic hit, I had to cancel all of that, you know? Um- Right... and so I just went online and started looking for courses and stuff like that, and I found a couple. 41:10 Started going through YouTube tutorials until I felt like I could teach it. Um, and I just kind of started building it into my courses, the stuff that I was already teaching. Mm-hmm. Uh, and, you know, 41:26 shortly thereafter when I realized how much my students wanted to learn and how important it was becoming during the pandemic... 41:34 Um, I don't know how much you know, but, like, everything from in the fashion realm kinda moved towards that during the pandemic because all the factories were closed and everything like that. Mm. 41:46 So all the runway shows were in the metaverse and, you know- Mm... there was this, like, critical shortage of 3D fashion designers. Mm. 41:56 And so, like, you know, anybody that knew how to do it even a little bit was really, like, in demand. So I was like, "This is what we need to be teaching." Mm. 42:07 Um, and I went to my department and I was just like, you know, "Is there a possibility to create a path, uh, like a curriculum around just digital, you know? 42:21 Where they don't have to learn the traditional crafts and all the stuff that I honestly hated teaching." [laughs] And I was just like, "Let me see if I can-... uh, build that, that whole section out. 42:34 And they were like, "No, this isn't what our students are looking for." Mm-hmm. And I was like, "Well, I don't wanna keep teaching things that I feel are irrelevant," you know? Mm-hmm. 42:43 And I was just so excited about the idea of having a school that focused really just on the digital. Uh- Mm-hmm... so I was just like, "I'm gonna start it myself." 'Cause like I knew that people were looking for it. 42:57 Mm-hmm. I had been looking for it. Um, and the schools weren't really leaning into it the way that I want it to be, you know? Mm-hmm. Um, so that's why I started Digital Fashion Institute. 43:11 Um, about a year later I left my position, um, at the college. Mm-hmm. And I just, uh, I started doing it, you know? And, um, I started going to conferences, I started speaking, I started- Mm-hmm... 43:26 trying to figure out how I was gonna go about it. Um- Mm. And then I realized I was broke. [laughs] No. Like always. [laughs] What, why does it always come back to money, you know? 43:39 [laughs] Where it's like, there's gotta be a way you can be sustainable, keep doing what you love- Yeah... and just focus, right? Like c- 43:47 it sounds like you relaunched your business and in a way that you saw a need, and then from that need you were like, "Let's do it. Let's go for it." So 43:57 walk me through, you know, like what you found that, you know, with especially financial, because this is something a lot of solopreneurs, right, are struggle with when they wanna launch their dreams and passions and aspirations, right? 44:11 Mm-hmm. So walk with me a little bit about how you were able to overcome that and kinda like where you're at now. Okay. Or maybe you're still trying to overcome it. 44:20 So I think this is a really important discussion that a lot of people don't really talk about when they're really struggling for their dreams. So share with me- Right... a little bit about this. 44:29 So that part of it was really a kind of a remnant of, uh, having had that fashion business. Mm-hmm. It was just that I was in a lot of debt as a result of that business. Gotcha. 44:42 Um, and once I shut it down and then I walked away from my full-time job, it was just kind of like, okay, if I'm gonna have a business, I need... You know, you still need to, 44:54 uh, you know, legalize it, get trademarks, you know- Mm-hmm... get- Right... you know, whatever it is, all, all of that, those things, the accounting. Like that's not free, you know? Like- Right... 45:06 you have to pay for the website, you have to pay for this, you have to pay for that, for the marketing- Mm-hmm... for ads. Mm-hmm. Uh, so yeah, I, I just realized that I just did not have the resources to build- Mm... 45:21 the business that I wanted to build at that particular time. Gotcha. Um, even though the demand was there. Mm-hmm. 45:30 And I started off by working with one cohort of my previous students who were the ones that were kinda like, "We need to learn this." 45:39 And lo and behold, I'll tell you this, all of them got jobs shortly after they took that course, you know? That's awesome. That's great. Yeah. 45:48 That's why I was like, this is what we need to be teaching because this is what the industry wants right now, you know? Mm-hmm. They have enough people that know all the traditional stuff. Mm-hmm. 45:58 The new people coming in need to know the digital. Mm. So that's when... That was kind of my proof of concept is w- it was working with them. Mm-hmm. 46:09 And then, you know, realizing that, you know, students that had been looking for work for years finally got work just by learning these skills, you know? 46:22 Um, so after that happened, I just started trying to find some funding in order for me to be able to put into it because I was like, "I can't do all of this myself. It's a lot of work." Right. You know? Right. Yeah. 46:35 And there's so much that I don't know. Mm. Um- It could be overwhelming. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, this is, you know, before AI really took off. Sure. Because I'll tell you right now, that's been a boom for me. 46:49 It's been helping me quite a bit- Okay... because I don't have six people working for me. Mm-hmm. And I think that's actually what I need is the, is just like a, you know... 47:00 'Cause I have to do the videos, I have to do the editing, I have to do the marketing, I have to do the sales, I have to do the strategizing. Yeah. It's, it's so much. [laughs] It's a lot. It's a lot for Scat, yes. 47:10 [laughs] So, um- Yeah. And I was looking at your videos on Instagram. They're great. You have great lighting, you know? 47:17 You know what you're talking about, and I love the little B-roll of little AI videos you, you put in, insert into it. So it's, it's good. It's good. Yeah. It's gotta continue to be consistent, though. 47:27 I was actually gonna give you a few ideas to improve it marketing-wise. [laughs] Awesome. But we can talk about that later. But yeah, I just- Please. Yeah. [laughs] I would love- Yeah... 47:35 'cause I'm not, I'm not a marketer, you know? I'm like- I know. I know. I can tell... like that's... Ugh. I'm not gonna cry. [laughs] No, you're good. You're good. 47:43 No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you that way, but I'm just saying it's like you can tell, you know, if businesses- Yeah... know their marketing or they hired an agency to- Yeah... 47:52 or if they're just doing it all on their own. It, it's very apparent. [laughs] Yeah. Just based off how- Yeah... consistent they post, you know, and just a few other things. That's true. 48:00 But, you know, it's, it's hard though. It's really hard to do all the things. Yeah. So with AI, let's say, it has been helping you, right? Yeah. 48:09 So it's been alleviating, let's say, some of that stress as a solopreneur, as someone who's trying to, you know, do their own thing. And so how has AI helped you in, in, in those ways? 48:21 Yeah, it's exactly what you're saying. It's just been a, a stress reliever for me because- Mm... you know, when you look at the list of all the things that you need to do- 48:33 As a solopreneur, uh, from- Stand by me [laughs]... the marketing and, and, you know, working on the algorithm, like- I know... trying to figure out what's gonna break through. Mm-hmm. Um, uh, it's, it's rough. Mm-hmm. 48:48 Um, even like with the strategizing, you know, like trying to figure out, like how to sell a product like the one that I have, um- Yeah. 'Cause you're essentially trying to sell a course, right? From my understanding. 49:02 Or some type of... Yeah, they, they sign up, and then that's how you build your classroom, and because you're a teacher. That- Yeah... that's what, you're an instructor, right? Yeah. 49:10 'Cause that's what I was looking for, uh, in fashion, but fashion tech educator, that's what you go by on LinkedIn, so. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So yeah, I mean, I was trying to, to... It's not, it's, it's more of a curriculum. 49:24 Mm-hmm. You know? Like, I wanna sell like the whole kind of like trajectory of learning how to use all of these different softwares- Mm... um, instead of just one. 49:34 Because it's not even just, uh, the 3D that I think- Mm-hmm... a lot of the schools miss. It's- Okay... even the, uh, basic Adobe, Photoshop and Illustrator. They're just not really doing the best. 49:48 But what I, my original intent was to create a platform that would actually help the teachers teach. You know? Oh. Give them the videos. It would be like a, almost a textbook- Okay... 50:00 uh, that allowed them to, even if they didn't know the subject that well, the students could all learn it to a certain degree just because of the coursework that's, that's there for them to do, you know? Mm. 50:14 Um, so that was my original intention. Okay. Uh, but trying to, uh, get into the schools is a challenge that I didn't anticipate having. Because I was like, "Well, I already teach." Yeah. 50:32 "So maybe I could talk to, you know, some of the people I know- Yeah... and see if they're willing to change." 50:42 But really, what I'm realizing with education is that it's as slow as government, you know? Oof. Yeah. It's like the DMV, you know? They're like- No. [laughs] To me, an MS-DOS. 50:57 Like, they're using like the oldest technology, and- They haven't caught up. They haven't caught up... yeah. And it takes them- Oh... forever to turn that ship around. 51:05 It's a big ship, and they have to go through- Yeah... a lot of people, uh, in order to- Right. A lot of regulation maybe too, and red tape, and yeah, it's not a fast pro- it's a slow process essentially, right? Mm-hmm. 51:19 So, okay. I see. I see. It's so- So that's been one of your struggles. Yeah. So what's another struggle? Tell me. Just tell me all your struggles. I wanna know. All my struggles. [laughs] Let it, let it out. Let it out. 51:29 [laughs] Um, so most recently, like I've been pivoting like you wouldn't believe- Yeah... trying to figure out where- Yeah... the need is, you know? Mm-hmm. 51:41 Um, because to me, selling something that people need- Mm-hmm... isn't difficult. Mm-hmm. Trying to sell people something that they don't think they need- Mm-hmm... is usually the, the, the challenge. And- Right... 51:56 what I've found out, uh, from just reaching out to people on LinkedIn and having conversations and, you know, really understanding what it is that's going on in the fashion industry, it's that 52:09 a lot of, uh, brands are kind of exporting that labor of knowing 3D, uh- Mm... to the factories, and the factories are all offshore. Yeah. 52:22 So a lot of the, uh, education for fashion technology is happening in India. Mm-hmm. It's happening in China. It's happening in Korea. Hmm. It's not happening in New York. And I w- And the problem with that is that 52:39 in order for, uh, in order for that process to be effective, for that workflow to, to change, um, both sides need to learn it, you know? Mm. 52:53 That's the discussion I've been having with a lot of 3D designers online, where they'll be working in the factory in India, and they'll send it to, uh, you know, the brand technical designer. 53:07 And because the brand technical designer doesn't know how to use the software, it's like what's the point? You know? Like, why? Like, they don't know- Why-... how to fix the issue. 53:19 Why can't they refer you, and then they take your class, and then you educate them on how to d- to learn the software? Could be- That would be-... it's that easy... yeah, I mean, theoretically. 53:30 S- [laughs] But it's that, it's that question of learning. Like, do people actually- Do people not wanna learn these days? 53:36 [laughs] That is- But you have to learn in order to actually get better and, and, and know, a- and the knowing, right? Knowledge is power. 53:45 And so if you don't know how to do something, like you have to take a cla- you know. So I don't get this. 53:51 It's- I feel like there, there, there's a problem that could be solved really easily if they just went to you and then you filled in that gap, right? That was, yeah, that was the initial intention. Okay. 54:02 But- So how'd that go?... the, what I'm, what I'm, yeah, what I'm really finding is just that, uh, 54:12 I think there's been sort of a frictionless kind of model when it comes to, uh, tech, uh, when it comes to anything related to knowledge, you know? Mm-hmm. 54:29 There's a lot of friction in learning digital. Mm-hmm. There's a lot of friction in learning 3D. Mm-hmm. It's hard. You know? Yeah. And I don't think people wanna learn things that are hard for them. Uh- [laughs] No. 54:43 Really? Yeah. They wanna outsource it to AI, right? Yeah. Oh, AI's gonna do it for me, right? Yeah, have you heard that? Or India. [laughs] Like- Or India's gonna do it. Well, because India likes to do hard things? 54:53 I guess. I'm sure there's tons of people in India that don't wanna do it either. [laughs] Yeah. I guess. So is that the ongoing conversation you have with people these days in the fashion industry? Mm-hmm. 55:03 It's the, it's just it's too hard, we're just gonna outsource it. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So, like, they can't... And also investing in, uh, the training of their people. That's the other thing, you know? 55:17 Like, I was, I, at first I was trying to sell it, uh, business to the consumer, B2C. Mm-hmm. And then, you know, like, I started working with, uh, an agency that was like, you know, kinda coaching me. Mm-hmm. 55:31 And they were like, "We think you, the strategy should be B2B." Like, sell it to the business- Mm... and they bring you in for you to do workshops and training and stuff like that. That sounds good. So I made that shift. 55:43 Yeah. That sounds great. Hoping... Yeah. Hoping that it would work. Okay. You know, I send emails to every brand in Miami saying, "Let me just come in for an hour." Mm-hmm. 55:56 "We'll do a lunch and learn so that you can figure out or learn what I do," you know? Sure. So that you understand, you know, this is, like, your company needs to invest in this. And got no response. 56:09 [laughs] Like, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out- Really? Yeah. And that's what I learned. Nobody got back with you? Wow. That's crazy. Yeah. That's when I learned that they were outsourcing it by that- Oh... 56:23 to their manufacturers. So they didn't need me to come in to train their staff. Gotcha. But here's the thing, they're still complaining that even though they're getting these 3D models and stuff like that- Mm-hmm... 56:41 that things don't fit. That, you know- Mm-hmm... uh, they're not getting the final product that they wanted. They still have to do 10 samples, and that's really what this 3D thing was supposed to do. 56:54 It was supposed to cut down. When you're, when you're developing a fashion line- Mm-hmm... you can do, like, anywhere between 5 to 10 samples of one garment. Okay. 57:03 Now, imagine a company that's, like, cranking out styles, like Zara or whatever those companies are. Uh, they didn't wanna have to pay for every single one of those samples until you get to the final product. Mm. 57:18 So they were like, "Let's do 3D until the final one." And if the person that works for the brand doesn't know how to fix things and fit on a 3D model, there's no point, [laughs] you know? Right. 57:35 You're still gonna have to go through all those processes. So there's something in the workflow that's broken, and they don't realize that it's them. Mm. Like, they need to have somebody on staff that knows the, the, 57:49 the software in order for it to work. So 57:54 what I'm hearing is they're trying to outsource things to make it easier, but it's actually harder for them in the long run because it's making them have to do more work, and that doesn't make sense. Right? Exactly. 58:11 Make it, make it make sense. So it's like there, there's an issue, and you see the issue clearly. Mm-hmm. And you communicate that issue to them, and then what's their response? That they... And it's valid. Uh- Mm-hmm... 58:27 that they don't get the... They're afraid that they won't get the ROI, you know? 58:33 Like, they'll inve- they've already invested in the software and because they don't know how to use it, you know, it kind of hasn't yielded good results. Ooh. [laughs] Right? It doesn't make sense. Yeah. 58:47 It still doesn't make sense to me, how they would spend so much money and it still doesn't even work when they could have just hired you to teach them how to actually use it properly to save them money. 58:58 I don't know, I feel like it's an administrative problem or something at this point. [laughs] Yeah. No. 59:02 Well, they're trying to use the same s- [laughs] They all think the one solution that they could do is hire somebody that knows how to do it- Right... into their company. Right. 59:12 But I'm like, if nobody's teaching anybody how to do it, the schools aren't teaching it. Yeah. You know? Uh, or very well. The schools aren't teaching it very well. They don't wanna pay for me to give them the textbook. 59:26 They don't wanna pay for that resource. But then the companies, the brands, they want people who know how to do it, but they also don't wanna pay to learn it. 59:37 I'm like, "So the problem is nobody wants to learn anything, but you want the final results." 59:43 And what their determination was, "Okay, we don't have to learn it, but we'll make our manufacturers learn it, and we'll get the results that way." Right. 59:55 But the fact is that they're still not getting the results because- Manufacturers are not learning it. Yeah. No, the manufacturers learn it. Mm-hmm. But what's the point? Because you don't know it- Right... 1:00:07 and you can't communicate with them about what they're doing. Oh, I see. There's the real problem. So they, they both have to learn it, essentially. Exactly. Gotcha. Gotcha. That's the only way it'll work. Right. 1:00:17 Uh, otherwise you're s- you're doing the same thing that you were doing 10 years ago, you know? Uh, but- Why don't you just start, just learn it first so you don't need to outsource it? 1:00:28 Just imagine how much money you'd save, right? Tons. Millions. Doesn't that make sense? Doesn't that make sense? Millions. Absolutely. I'm like, the amount of money that you are spending on samples- Yeah... 1:00:40 is what you could have paid me to teach your team. In order for them to know. But also, the industry just works at a break- breakneck speed, you know? Like, they just- They- They can't slow down... 1:00:52 don't wanna stop- And it's that-... to learn it to... Because if you think about it, if they actually did it the way you wanted to do it or the way, you know, you thought was best- Mm-hmm... 1:01:01 they would actually be saving money. Yeah. Yeah. They'd probably save a lot more money having you. Yeah. But- Millions... yeah, it's- And, and, I mean, and this is, this is why I'm telling you, like, um- Mm... 1:01:12 so after [laughs] to go back to the original story. Sure, sure. Not- [laughs]... sorry to get off track a little. 1:01:17 I just found this problem really fascinating, so I just wanted to kinda problem solve [laughs] with you- Sure, no... for like 10 minutes. But I don't know, it's just interesting. The solutions are clear. Yeah. 1:01:26 It's just people aren't really going after them. Yeah. But no, after I, um, uh, left the school- Yeah... and I was working on, uh, developing this product- Mm-hmm... um, I took a... 1:01:39 It took about a year, uh, for me to, um, kinda get back on track because I ended up taking a job as a technical designer. Mm. I went in 1:01:52 with the intention of training the team, you know, like, because I started it- Mm-hmm... 1:01:57 and it started to take off right away, and I ended up getting a, you know, an in on a company that had just moved to Miami, and they were looking for somebody to train their team. Nice. 1:02:07 Um, and when I went to the interview, she offered me a job. Awesome. And I was just like, "Oh, crap, I'm broke, so yeah." Yeah. I mean, like- That makes sense... if you have the right number- Mm... I'm in. 1:02:19 And she told me- [laughs]... the right number. Love it. And I was just like, "All right, I guess I'm working here now." Mm-hmm. Um, but the intention was always for me to train their staff. Mm. Now, here's what happened. 1:02:30 [laughs] Oh. Once they had me, uh, they tried not to train the staff, and I ended up doing more or less all of the work, you know? Oh. Um- Okay. 1:02:45 But I kind of tried to force the issue and set aside, like... I was like, "You guys have to learn this 'cause I can't keep working myself to death like this." Mm-hmm. And, uh, you know, I tried to do... 1:02:58 Like, I set up a whole training system for them, you know? Mm-hmm. Uh, and just trying to get them all in a room on a Thursday afternoon was like herding cats. [laughs] Oh, my gosh. It was the worst. Really? 1:03:14 Yeah, like, getting the product development team to kind of- Oh my God... just come together and sit down and learn- Yeah... like one day a week. Um, you know, I didn't have assignments or anything like that. 1:03:26 I was just showing them the basic functions of the software. Right. 1:03:29 And it was just kind of like, you know, this person had to go to this place, this person had to do this, this and this, this person had this meeting they needed to be in. And I was just kinda like- What's the point?... 1:03:40 This is the problem. [laughs] Yeah. Like, you guys can't set aside this time every week for us to be able to do this. Mm-hmm. This is the problem. 1:03:50 And I'm like, that's probably what it would be at just about any fashion company if I tried to do the same thing there. So yeah, it's- That's crazy... it's tough. 1:04:01 Um, and I'm trying to figure it out, but I don't know what the key is yet. So are you still working with that company or no? Oh, no, no, no. Okay. I left after a year. 1:04:10 [laughs] So where are you at now with your business, and where are you focusing on, you know, who your target audience is? Who do you wanna help? 1:04:19 Like, is it mostly just trying to teach others what you know when it comes to a fashion tech educator or, like, just fashion tech specifically? Like, where, where are you in, in your current status? Like, where... 1:04:33 how are things working? Well, currently I'm trying to still pivot in order for me to reach the audience that I think I need to reach. Mm-hmm. 1:04:46 Um- 'Cause you said initially it was teachers, but now it sounds like it's not teachers anymore. [laughs] No. Okay. [laughs] Um, now it's individual learners. Now... Okay, so we're back to B2C. Yes. [laughs] I have to. 1:04:59 I know, I know. It's crazy. Okay. But, uh, the thing for me, the... Let me tell you, the thing I learned- Mm... the most in terms- Yeah... of, uh, what you have to do in order to keep a business alive is that 1:05:17 I think I waited too long with my first... my second business- Mm... uh, to pivot, you know? Like, I waited about six months, um, into the pandemic before I tried to turn the ship around. And by then it was too late. 1:05:32 It was too late, yeah. You know? You didn't see the warning signs. Um- Okay. Yeah. Mm. So I think now I'm just kinda like, "Okay, is this working? Oh, it's not working. 1:05:44 Okay, let me, let me do this thing and see if that works." [laughs] Wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. So, um, how do you know when it's not working? When nobody responds. Um- But, you know, marketing takes time. 1:05:59 I do know that. I know. Okay. I've heard. Okay. [laughs] I've heard. Okay. But at the same time- Mm-hmm... um, I understand that when you have a product that people want- Mm... sure, the marketing takes time- Mm-hmm... 1:06:14 but there's usually a, a response, you know? Sure. People see it, they want it, they'll get it. Sure. Um, if it's at a price point that they can afford it- Mm-hmm... uh, they get it, you know? Okay. 1:06:30 There's, there's no, you know, let me wait and see and, you know? Like, all of that shakiness kind of disappears when- Mm... you have a product that people want. Right. Um, it... I'm not... Like, I think- 1:06:48 Really, it's developing the need and understanding who the customer really is right now. Mm-hmm. And at first, I really did think it was individual students. Okay. And then I was like, okay... 1:07:03 And I did have some success with that, you know? Mm-hmm. But my early success was individual students. Yeah. Um, but it was finding more of them and trying- Mm... 1:07:14 to convince them that this will help you get to where you need to go. Um, that's been the challenge for me at this point. So 1:07:26 that seems to be where I want to stay, is by working with individuals, but not in the way that I was before. I do plan on doing webinars and seminars, and those are seem to be the kind of things, uh, workshops- Mm-hmm... 1:07:41 that seem to really kind of get people interested in what I'm doing. Mm-hmm. What's, who's not interested are the brands. Mm. I think they want somebody that's more established. 1:07:55 Uh, they wanna work with individual software companies, which to me, I'm just kind of like, okay, you're gonna pay $10,000 here, $10,000 here, $10,000 for each software that you wanna use in your company. 1:08:09 I'm telling you that I can teach all of them for 15. Mm. But that's not something that, because it's not straight from the company- Mm-hmm... I think, 1:08:26 I think I'm not, uh, as credible to them as somebody that works directly for the company. And I'm just kind of like, okay, um, that person might know the software, but do they know how to teach it? Mm. 1:08:42 Do they know how to put together a curriculum? Do they know how to really get your people to understand? Mm-hmm. And that's, in my experience with fashion companies, that's been the issue. Like, 1:08:54 the people that work for these companies don't know the software because they're learning it from somebody that knows the software but doesn't know how to teach it. Gotcha. You know? Gotcha. So- It takes time... 1:09:07 I'm a teacher. Yeah. Yeah. It takes time- That's been-... for sure. Yeah. So yeah, so that's kind of where you're at right now. Yeah. 1:09:15 And so when you're trying to reach out, or not reaching out, I should say, attracting the right type of customers through your door, um, have you found out, you know, since you've pivoted again, [laughs] 1:09:31 have you found out your target audience now? And are you creating content? Are you getting them to come to you? Yes. So, um, that's a strategy that I've been working on. Okay. 1:09:48 I haven't really deployed it quite yet. Okay. 1:09:51 Uh, but you know, one of the things that I think a lot of people don't realize with, uh, courses and, and selling that product is that there's an expiration date, especially with software, you know? Mm. 1:10:04 Once there's an update, you kind of have to turn things around and, and, you know, inte- integrate those things, those new issues and stuff like that into the course, or those- Mm... new features into the course somehow. 1:10:19 Yeah. Um, Photoshop, when I learned it, is completely different from the Photoshop that exists today. Oh, yeah. You know? 1:10:26 [laughs] So, and this was one of the issues that I had with, uh, teaching in the traditional sense, you know, teaching at a college. Mm. 1:10:34 It's like, you know, there were teachers there that had been teaching the exact same thing for the past 30 years- Wow... and had not updated their curriculum. That's crazy. I kid you not. Yeah. That's crazy. Oh my gosh. 1:10:50 Right. Like- Talk about our education system being broken, right? Like, wow. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. Like, it was so challenging for me- That's crazy... because I remember I went to a talk that this- Mm-hmm... 1:11:05 architecture professor was giving. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And this guy rolled in, I'm sure you haven't seen them, but these projectors from like 1975 where- No... you put like- No... the gel sheets and like write on it. 1:11:20 Oh my gosh, no way. Yes. [laughs] That's insane. I was like, this was in- I've seen them... 2019. Seen 'em in movies, but no, I've never seen in real life. [laughs] Exactly. Wow. How old was this guy? 1:11:32 This guy must have been in his like 60s then, right? 60, 70, somewhere in there. Probably. He probably should have been retired, like, [laughs] you know? Probably. Exactly. 1:11:41 This is how archaic our education sys- Okay, so this is why everything moves so slowly. Okay, th- th- this checks out then with what you were saying earlier. All right. Yeah. Yeah. So we're just not there. 1:11:53 Technology is moving so fast that it's so hard for us to keep up with it, and we can really see it, especially when it comes to our education system. So that's, and even our government for sure too. So it's crazy, huh? 1:12:07 But if you think about the whole tenure system in education, and that was one of the things that I was just kind of like- Mm... I know I should have wanted a job for life, you know? 1:12:16 Who doesn't want that, stability for life? But the reality is that what you're incentivizing is not innovation. Like- Yes... why would I need to change anything- Mm... if I know I'm gonna have my job by doing- Yes... 1:12:32 the same exact thing that I did 10 years ago, you know? Oh, that's a horrible philosophy. I would never adhere to that. Yeah, that doesn't make sense. How, how do we grow? 1:12:44 The entire education system to me needs to just shift, you know? Yeah. Um, I don't- I don't agree with tenure. Mm-hmm. I mean, I don't know if you- I don't, I don't either... have professors [laughs] watching this. 1:12:56 I don't either. I, I... Maybe. [laughs] Uh, but I don't feel like that's the right way to approach life either. Yeah. Right? 1:13:05 That doesn't, that doesn't make me feel any more excited about living the same life every single day like The Truman Show. Like, come on, like, that's no way to live either. So- Yeah... 1:13:18 I don't know how some people kind of, they settle for that almost, and it's that settling part that I don't like, you know? S- yeah, it's just, it, it doesn't spur innovation, doesn't spur excitement, enthusiasm. 1:13:31 It doesn't, it spur experiences, right? We go back to Paris, right? Yeah. [laughs] Like- You know? So- I mean, the teachers stop wanting to teach and the students stop wanting to learn... to learn. 1:13:42 That's sad And I think that's the cycle the- That's sad... the entire education system has been in- Yeah... for the past 30 or 40 years, you know? Like, as school- Wow... 1:13:51 gets more expensive, you know, the teachers are just kinda like, "You know what? I'm set for life." Yeah. The students are kinda like, "Okay, I'm paying so much for this education- Mm... 1:14:02 so you better give me an A," you know? So it's just kind of like, yeah. And somebody posted yesterday something about, like, you know, when the student becomes the customer. 1:14:13 That was another thing that my department told me that I was just kinda like, "What?" Yeah. 1:14:17 But they told me that I needed to treat my students like they were customers, and I was just kinda like, "That doesn't make sense," because retention becomes the goal, not learning, you know? Right. 1:14:28 Like, they just wanna make sure that we are covered, uh, there are enough people paying tuition, and that is all that matters, you know? 1:14:38 Um, to pay for the lights, to pay for the, all the overhead that goes into running a college. 1:14:43 Uh, which I understand when you're running a college like a business, but at the end of the day, it's an institution for learning, you know? Yeah, yeah. And when a student knows that they're the customer, 1:14:54 then what, where do you go from there, you know? Like, how do you teach them? How do you make sure that they know what the industry that you're teaching them for needs? Um, you, you softball everything, you know? 1:15:10 You inflate grades. Mm. And, you know, you make sure you satisfy whoever that check is coming from, the parents, you know? Un- Uncle Sam, whoever it is. You make sure you graduate enough students. 1:15:23 It's a numbers game, you know? Yeah. The education system is torn up, uh, higher education. 1:15:29 Um, and I wish I could do something about it, but to me, this is the only thing that can be done, is it's building platforms like this- Mm-hmm... 1:15:39 so that the industry have som- has something else to pull from that isn't the traditional education system. Because the people that the industry are getting right now are just there to meet numbers, you know? 1:15:55 Um- Right... they don't really have the knowledge that companies need in order for them to innovate and change and evolve and do interesting things. Yeah. That's really sad. 1:16:08 So, um, I wanna, I wanna pivot a little bit and- Sure... and talk a bit your new beginnings. And so the Digital Fashion Institute, this is your baby, right? Mm-hmm. This is essentially your school- Mm-hmm... 1:16:18 and this is how you wanna develop, uh, moving forward. Mm-hmm. 1:16:22 And so you're literally, you're looking for students now to join into this institute and to give them a learning experience that they can take on and innovate and, and get a job in this part of the sector, in, in fashion. 1:16:38 Mm-hmm. So tell me more about your, your aspirations with this new institute that you've set up, and tell me, like, um, where do you see it going in the future? So 1:16:51 what I'm setting up right now is a system that allows for people to not just learn, um, the software that they need to know, um, but also get recruited by companies. Mm. 1:17:06 Um, I'm building a site that is, uh, you know, not just my courses, 'cause I don't think honestly I can crank out enough courses to build the curriculum I need to build. Mm. 1:17:19 Um, so I- I'm working on curating, um, sort of a, 1:17:26 an entire level of, of courses that they can, or multiple levels of courses that they can take, that I've looked at and I under- I know that they're probably going to need it. 1:17:38 Um, put those on my website for them to access, but also, uh, bringing, um, employers in to see what kind of work they do in order for them to apply to jobs directly through my website. 1:17:58 Mm. So really, like, what I'm trying to fill right now is that gap between employability and skill-building- Mm-hmm... um, so that the industry gets what they need- Mm... 1:18:11 and the students that are looking for work have the training to do what they need to do to get work. Um, so I think that's really, like, the big gap that people are kind of missing, is that 1:18:29 the students don't have the skills that the brands need in order for them to move the fashion industry forward. So that's what I'm trying to do, and that's what I'm hoping in the future people come to my website for. Um, 1:18:47 right now it's just a matter of building the infrastructure out in order- Mm-hmm... for, to be able to do all those things. 1:18:55 Uh, so yes, I would love to have more professional help, uh, you know, with the marketing, with- You know, the web building with all of these things. 1:19:05 But really right now where I'm at is just the infancy stage of really figuring out, uh, who really needs this product, you know? Mm. It's really 1:19:21 micro-targeting and finding that customer and understanding what to give them in order for them to stay, you know? Mm-hmm. 1:19:31 In order for them to get what they need, um, and connect with the community that they need to connect to in order for them to move forward in their careers. 1:19:41 'Cause the thing that, I mean, I told you what my journey was in terms of- Yes... finding work in the fashion industry- Yeah... and what that took, you know? That's a, mm-hmm, it's a struggle. Um, yeah. Yeah. It's hard. 1:19:52 It was quite the story too. I, I really appreciate you sharing that because that just, it makes, I don't know, it just makes it more real. Mm-hmm. 1:20:02 And, um, a lot of people can probably connect with you a lot more when you, when you show this vulnerability out to the world in such a very intentional way because I kn- like, I, I've had friends, you know, um, still have friends in the fashion design world, and they... 1:20:19 it... ev- every story I've heard it's like almost a horror story. Like, it's been really an, a bad experience. But you took these experiences and you, you, you can turn them into good. 1:20:29 You can turn them into, uh, positive ones that will help you build something really incredible like what you're building today, right? So- Yeah... 1:20:40 I- And honestly, I mean, I, I always tell my students, "If you wanna stay in the fashion industry- Mm-hmm... you have to love it." You know? Yeah. Like, this has to be the thing that you 1:20:50 want to do when you wake up in the morning because it's hard, [laughs] you know? It's- Everything's hard. And let's go back to learning. Learning's hard. [laughs] It is. It sure is. It's, it's- Yeah... the hardest part. 1:21:03 Um, it's that learning process, that curve, but once you get it- Mm... and once you can do the things that are here, you know- Mm-hmm... um- Becomes easier. [laughs] Recently, just to kind of relax... What was that? 1:21:16 I said it becomes easier once you- It does... you know it. You see what I'm saying? Yes. So I'm just like, you know, what, what's that quote? It's like, "I would have, uh... 1:21:24 It's better to try and fail than to never have tried at all." I, I don't know who said that, but you know, it, it's so true though, you know? Yeah. 1:21:30 I, I, I want to try more than just not even starting, 'cause that's even worse. You think about it, you know? Yeah. Because that's what life is made of, is trying and failing, trying and failing. 1:21:39 Just keep it going- Yeah... because if you love it that much, like you Prisca, like I see it in your eyes, you really love this industry. You want others to succeed. 1:21:49 You want others to learn from your past experiences, but actually to be better. And I think that's the point of doing what we love, you know? I'm doing this because I want to be better. I wanna connect with people. 1:22:00 I wanna be intentional, but I really want others when they're on this podcast to really see, um, themselves for who they are and see how positive a mi- impact that they can be with others that listen to this as well or watch it, you know? 1:22:15 So this is, this is really cool, and this is, this is great that you're sharing, so thank you. Oh, of course. Yeah. And I mean, everything that you just said was absolutely correct, you know? Like- Mm... 1:22:27 I am passionate about the fashion industry. But even more so, I'm passionate and, about the people coming up in the industry- Mm, mm... and giving them an opportunity to do the thing that they love to do, you know? 1:22:39 Mm-hmm. Um, without, you know, going through what I had to deal with. Mm. Um, and really it being about their talent and their skills and what they're capable of more so than their name, you know? Mm. 1:22:54 Um, and I think having that visibility online, it kind of negates all these other things that, you know, some people, uh, have to deal with in order to get to where they wanna go in life. 1:23:08 Uh, but yeah, to me it's when, when you have the skills, nobody's looking at these other little things that, that really don't matter. Um- Mm-hmm... 1:23:17 I think one of the beautiful things about social media and the internet is that, you know, if you have the skills, you can make it happen. Um- Mm. 1:23:25 Whereas 20 years ago, you know, like I have these little projects that I do on the side, you know? When I get sick of working on my business, [laughs] I'm like, "You know what? I need to do something creative." Um- Yeah. 1:23:38 And, uh, one of the things that I've been working on is a graphic novel. Oh, cool. And yeah, I mean, like 20 years ago, you know, without AI, I, I have had this idea for a while. Uh- Mm. 1:23:54 But you know, I don't know how to create a graphic novel, and I don't know anybody that can. So it gives you, technology gives you an opportunity to really explore the possibilities of what you can do with art. Um- Mm. 1:24:11 You know, I've been having discussions with a lot of artists recently that are very anti- uh, AI and anti-technology and what's going on, and I'm just kind of like- Mm... 1:24:23 "I understand your grievances, but it's also creating opportunities for people that had ideas- Mm-hmm... that they couldn't execute because they didn't have the resources to do them." Mm. You know? Yeah. 1:24:38 I've seen artwork from, you know, kids in far off places in Haiti and, you know, Cameroon and all these, like, random little countries. All they have is an internet connection. Mm. They can make it happen, you know? Mm. 1:24:53 So to me, I don't know, tech is exciting. I love it. I love it. I love it. And I love that you're doing this, you know? Yeah. Of course. This is one of my loves. 1:25:04 This is one of my passions, and so- Um, before this it was photography, but we pivot, right? So, [laughs] we pivot. And I do do photography still, not in the same way I used to. Um, but it's so interesting how... 1:25:20 I don't, uh, uh, I always think about... And we're winding down, just letting you know. [laughs] Mm-hmm. Turning it down here. But, uh, you ever think about when you're a little kid what you always used to do? Mm-hmm. 1:25:29 You know? Like, even, um, teenager, uh, pre-adolescent, and I was always going to the library, getting cassette tapes, putting them in, you know, listening, listening. I love the radio so much. 1:25:41 There were, like, these shows I always used to tune in. And I'm like podcasting's kind of the same thing- Mm-hmm... if you think about it. 1:25:46 So it's like taking these loves that you always had when you were a kid and translating them and trying to, I don't know, monetize them I guess as an adult. [laughs] Like, can I keep doing this? 1:25:56 Like, I just wanna keep listening, and I wanna keep learning too. 1:25:59 And I feel like especially with podcasts on, on this specific, uh, episode, we've learned so much about you, Prisca, and I just, I'm really grateful for you and, and I want you to succeed. 1:26:10 I'm just letting you know I'm rooting for you because I think what you have is really, really incredible, and a lot more people need to know about it. 1:26:18 And that was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to bring you on and share just a little bit about your story, and this is just a little bit. 1:26:24 So, um, but yeah, in the future we'll have to definitely have you on again because I feel like we just hit the tip of the iceberg with you. 1:26:31 So, uh, but definitely, um, where can people find you, or is there anything else that you wanted to share before we end today? 1:26:38 I know we kinda went a little bit longer than usual, but I was just, I was really fascinated with your story and it was so nice that we were able to take it a little bit longer. 1:26:46 But yeah, uh, anything else you wanted to cover, and then, uh, where can people find you if they wanna learn more about you? Sure. 1:26:54 Um, well, I will be launching a series of webinars and workshops and things like that in September, so definitely look out for that. 1:27:03 Um, also, uh, I'm focusing on portfolio reviews right now for any of the recent grads that want to know what they can do to improve, uh, their portfolios. 1:27:15 But you can definitely find me, uh, on Instagram, um, @thedigitalfashioninstitute. Uh, it's the same on Facebook as well as LinkedIn. Um, uh, definitely find me on LinkedIn. I'm, I'm pretty active there. Um, but 1:27:33 yeah. And that's, and that's your name, right? You, you, we'd find you under your name for LinkedIn? Yeah, The Digital Fashion Institute. Oh. Or my name, Prisca Collins- Or your name... as well. Okay. 1:27:43 Uh, but I do have a page for the- Oh, okay... the business specifically. Awesome. Um, yeah. Uh, but other than that, yeah, I, I'm just, I'm happy that you, uh, gave me an opportunity to talk about my story. 1:27:57 I, I think it's something that not a lot of people know about, what I've been through. Um, and I'm just happy to be able to, to share that. 1:28:06 I think it might explain a lot of things to a lot of people [laughs] that I haven't had a chance to up until now. Yeah, definitely. Well, thank you again, Prisca. This has been a pleasure. 1:28:16 And, um, yeah, have an amazing, amazing Wednesday and we'll see you next time. Thank you. [laughs] Bye. See you.
