Many people ask the question ‘what now?’ when they’re quite at a loss about the next step. How did this influence the way you shaped the event?
Creating the event was a way for us to bring in people who have trodden that path before; explaining it’s okay to feel a little bit lost – because I think people do feel lost when they come out of college. Their safety net of university and everybody around them is gone. Many also wonder: “How can I stay in London now? What do I do? If I get a job in a shop, does it mean I’m a failure?” I’d rather hire somebody who has had the experience of working in a shop! It’s really about explaining the pathways into careers and what is valued, what is expected, what those jobs look like, and how people got there. And also to explain that college is just a step.
A lot of people don’t go to college, and that’s also okay. We [as a society] put a lot of emphasis on this label of having a university degree when honestly nobody cares much. People don’t ask! If you’re prepared to do anything and work hard, and you’re interested, that’s the person they’d want to hire. It’s not because they’ve got a certificate from a certain university. It’s because they’re actively engaged in the business, the career, the people around them, the jobs they’re doing; they are helpful, useful. There’s a million jobs out there that don’t need you to have that certificate.
“A lot of people don’t go to college, and that’s also okay. We [as a society] put a lot of emphasis on this label of having a university degree when honestly nobody cares much.” – Trino Verkade
We do the event with all those different businesses and brands to show all the different roles in our fast-changing world, because the roles themselves are changing very quickly. It’s also to limit expectations. Because people do graduate and think, “I was the first one to walk down the runway and I have x, y and z, and this means that everybody is going to want to hire me.” But actually brands really want, for example, somebody in the knitwear team with technical skills. It’s just about closing that gap between expectations and reality, showing how people have made it, and giving you the tools to know that your career is in your control. College is behind you, and everything that happens today and tomorrow is still to be discovered.
“What we try to do is open up by bringing jobs to the table that you didn’t know existed; what these people do and how much of an impact that has; what their day-to-day might look like.” – Trino Verkade
What have you changed in the program since you started it in 2021?
We wanted to ensure it’s not limited to just fashion and art. In New York we’ve got Art + Commerce to join us – so many people are interested in styling and photography. A lot of the LVMH brands are bringing retail experience. If you want a great career and you really understand clothes, it’s a great start. People can start in retail and work their way up into buying, and from there into merchandising. There are so many pathways you can develop into when you’re part of a great company. A lot of the LVMH brands are bringing along people from different departments that you wouldn’t normally think of; showing how those pathways can work, and how a company can maybe move you along if you’re tenacious and really want it.
We have great fashion brands; we’ve asked them to bring in people from different roles, like digital innovation or content; showing what’s happening there and how that can be really creative. What we try to do is open up by bringing jobs to the table that you didn’t know existed; what these people do and how much of an impact that has; what their day-to-day might look like. And then making sure we’ve got brands of all sizes. We have a huge brand like Coach, an incredibly creative brand like Thom Browne, and well-established, smaller-scale brands like Maria Cornejo. It’s really about the breadth and not thinking that there’s one style for everybody. You need to look at yourself and think about what suits you. What we’ve been really thinking about is what it’s like to graduate today. It might be different next year, that’s the truth of it!
“It doesn’t matter whether you go to college or not. You can still build a career in any industry if you apply yourself and if you know what you’re doing; if you learn and pay attention to the people around you.” – Trino Verkade
Why did you decide to go to New York?
When we were contemplating where the Foundation could naturally expand, New York felt like the natural choice. It has a lot of leading arts universities, it’s got the fashion, art, film and music industries. People flock there from all over the world, it feels very similar to London in that way. What Now? isn’t just because you’ve been to college. It doesn’t matter whether you go to college or not. You can still build a career in any industry if you apply yourself and if you know what you’re doing; if you learn and pay attention to the people around you. The people who go to New York have that kind of desire and drive. There are artists from all over the world at Sarabande, in London and in New York. So it’s really just to connect the dots and say: this is one big community, in the simplest way we can. We’re all here together.
For more information about the Sarabande Foundation including studio applications and their programme of events, visit https://sarabandefoundation.org/
