Tabata Aramayo
Class of 2023
Major
Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising
Current employer
What was your experience like as an international student at Marymount University?
Being an international student has always been a valuable, enriching and challenging experience. The advantage of being an international student is that learning never stops, and it helps you shape a strong learning mentality. You also have the opportunity to learn from classmates from different parts of the world, which taught me about culture without having to leave campus. Being an international student in the Fashion Design program at Marymount taught me to be efficient and independent at work, especially when planning a clothing line and collection from scratch, as well as working on specific projects and as a member of a team.
How did you start pursuing fashion as a career, and where has Marymount allowed you to go post-graduation?
I started pursuing a career in fashion when I was 15, as I grew up with exposure to the product development system of Liliana Castellanos, a highly recognized brand in my home country. After some productions, I would ask for scraps from the baby alpaca bags that were part of the company’s leftover materials — and from those, I created my own hair accessories such as flowers, headbands and others. Since I was exposed to the product development system, I had the opportunity to observe the steps within the process. I then decided to start taking multiple fashion courses while in high school, such as fashion illustration, dressmaking, corset making, embroidery courses, etc. Furthermore, since I had the opportunity to study at an IB school, Saint Andrew’s School, I was able to choose advanced courses in Business, English and Art, which allowed me to develop my skills as an artist and designer from a business perspective.
While in high school and college, I worked with multiple designers and brands, such as Alicia Porras, Kim Schalk, La Andaluza and Lucuma. Working with them and being part of Marymount’s Fashion Design program helped me achieve my goals and prepare myself for the fashion industry. Having the opportunity to work with head designers and technical designers allowed me to understand and apply skills such as the use of Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, and perfect my hands-on creative skills.
What advice do you have for future students following in your footsteps?
My advice for Fashion Design students is to never stop learning, stay humble and be receptive to experience. Like every field, the fashion world is constantly being renewed — which is why we always have to stay hungry and keep pushing to learn more about our field. A second piece of advice is to always go above and beyond for every project or assignment you are in charge of. Having the opportunity to play a role in fashion production means giving the best of yourself in order to achieve the best work possible. For example, if you are into patternmaking, make sure you have every notch settled. If you are into styling, make sure to be aware of the latest trends and read Vogue and WGSN every day. If you are into technical design, remember to update and renew your illustration skills — in a world of technology, we can never stop bettering ourselves.
Finally, as a designer and stylist, I think fashion is a vision of personal life turned into a career in beauty and style. One must have an open mind because everyone’s style is different according to their personality. It becomes part of an identity, a private element — and due to global characteristics, it can become a social, national identity. Fashion should not be seen as something superficial or just a business. I believe it must be seen as an extension of a person towards society, expressing their values, feelings and more.
