Students from Limkokwing University’s Faculty of Fashion & Lifestyle Creativity (FFLC) attended an industry talk by Zaihani Zain on 5 Oct.
Zaihani Zain is a Malaysian fashion and lifestyle veteran who has over 30 years’ experience in the fashion industry and currently works as a freelance Fashion Consultant and Stylist. She was previously Head of Wardrobe with Astro as well as a Fashion Advisor.
The industry talk was held at the Limkokwing Branding Gallery and was attended by students studying BA (Hons) in Fashion & Retailing, BA (Hons) in Fashion Design, Diploma in Hair Design and Professional Diploma in Hair Design.
During the talk, Zaihani advised students to be more prepared as the fashion industry is increasingly competitive and therefore remaining relevant is a major challenge in the industry.
“Once you enter the industry, you will need to understand social, economic and political development of the country,” Zaihani said. At the same time, students would need to dedicate themselves to learn new design ideas and be certain of what they want before stepping into the industry.
She also explained that the industry is constantly changing and designers would have to maintain a discipline to stay ahead of their competitors.
Her advice, “You would need to break all the rules, understand your market first.”
Zaihani also advised students to keep an open mind when looking at other designs.
“There will be a lot of challenges but the biggest challenge is being able to stand apart from various other designs,” she said. “More importantly, you must remain passionate and be able to inspire yourself to create your own original designs.”
Industry talks are part of the University’s practical learning approach that ensures students would receive the fullest benefit of their education. “Industry talks help us to prepare ourselves for future career challenges,” remarked Nur Irsahina Sulzaily, a graduating student in Fashion & Retail Design.