Designer Franky Baca says start dream career now, work in a pandemic! Along my journey of becoming a self-taught designer, I constantly am asked a few questions. How did you do it? We grew up on the same block, did you know a fashion designer? Someone who worked in the fashion industry?
The answer is no and no and well… I wanted to work in the fashion industry since I was young and I thought to myself, is there any way possible a person like me could do that? What hurdles would I face? I thought I would probably need to move and would need to learn another language or go to an expensive art school, I was wrong! The first step into getting into fashion is research different fields, even if your heart is set on one thing generally all jobs have to work together, learn what they do.
Research Tips
Nowadays there is so much free information on the internet and in the library, take advantage of the things the person next to you might overlook! You are going to have to do your own research, but make it fun! The beauty of today is there is almost more info than we even ask for on the internet, but with all this information you also get very few things you will have to pay to learn.
Sure, having a mentor will fast track your career, but the biggest advantage you will have is your work ethic and determination. I say make it fun, why? Fashion is a very popular career path, although there are many different jobs constantly hiring you are constantly going up against the best, if you don’t love what you are doing it will show compared to other people who do. This is too competitive of a career, loving the work is essential to being successful. This doesn’t mean you have to love all aspects of it or that you’re aren’t allowed to have a bad day, but it means If available do free work in your area. Any type of experience helps, this is a great place to start.
Now I know many people will read this and say well this is not a very clear answer. I honestly wish it was as simple as saying all stylists need to get their clothing from me, and I could give to you to pass on to big-time celebrity clients, building your resume with amazing opportunities. The truth is getting those connections may take time, finding the clients as photographers may take time, and the industry is constantly changing! You need to study how models got into the industry before you, what made so and so successful.
Google search your favorite artist. Moving to a big city definitely has its benefits, if possible, and you are really serious, I would always recommend you to make that leap. You may be scared, that’s okay, calculate your risk. Now if you can’t move, you can still research info online and books. Surround yourself with people who are interested in the same things as you, have the mindset, even if you’re embarrassed to speak about your dreams, chances are if you have them somebody else around you will as well.
Franky Baca
Who am I? I am Franky Baca, a self-taught fashion designer and brainchild inventor, known for creating and designing products as a child to researching top seamstresses when launching my fashion label in the San Francisco Bay Area where I grew up. “Franky’s designs allow consumers to think about art and fashion in a different light, with many different influences that will constantly keep you guessing!”- Do-Tell PR. The company Franky Baca’s reach is expanding, through the last couple of years, Franky Baca has benefitted from fashion shows, interviews, and their social media presence, growing from 2,000 fans to over 20,000 through their social media accounts! Many of Franky’s pieces are unisex, which gives flexibility to the design process.
Franky Baca is also opening up fashion to a wide variety of customers. Unique, bizarre artwork is not just something that Franky Baca has produced, but something they take pride in, without pre-conceived art they are able to produce works with endless possibilities. Using out-of-the-box materials, and inspired by futuristic and historic silhouettes, their apparel encompasses bold style, using innovative designs created for the artist, daredevil, and renegades. My goal in creation is for the customer to question why are they wearing the garments they have, what makes an individual in the fashion community? I want to challenge them to what they thought they knew.
I always wanted to design clothing and loved fashion but I was hesitant because I didn’t want to design for others. I thought it took away from my own individuality. I realized I could never be them and they could never be me, I was selfish, and I realized I must move forward. We need to inspire people and it’s the inspired people that we need so desperately in this world. I grew up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood with no fashion insider help.
Spending hours at a time reading books and searching the web, I never left my room, haha, but I learned how the fashion industry worked and sought out a local seamstress who could help show me the ropes. Even before I knew I wanted to get into fashion design I loved different clothing styles and even saved pictures of art and fashion from magazines, I always figured I could turn it into something.
My first products were produced in 2014. I used money that I had saved up from working at a local grocery store after school. I didn’t become a star right away and I would ask people what they thought and every single person I spoke to about the brand didn’t have faith it could be successful. This fueled me to work harder, that was all I needed, I was always determined but even more so wanted to prove I can be successful at this. When the products were made, people quickly began to see Franky Baca wasn’t going to be just another t-shirt brand. Franky Baca products were stocked in a couple of stores the next year. In the same year, I was invited to two fashion shows in California. I turned down the first in Los Angeles to stay closer to home and have my family in attendance for the San Francisco Fashion Charity Show.
Crowd Funding
The fashion show was a great success which raised over $20,000 for adults and children with learning disabilities. I recall this the moment as being one of the best moments in my life yet, and it meant even more so because I was able to have my mother in attendance who had a tragic and unfortunate death. I dedicated my next collection to my late mother Judy Baca and named season 3 “Mom’s Collection”, which was inspired by the clothing my mother would get me and wear herself.
Since the successful release of Franky Baca’s season 3 collection I have started working on my season 4 collection, well participating in Blushcon’s 2019 Fashion Show, styled for Soulaire an up and coming R&B artist, and capped off the year working for designer Jessica Rich. Finally, Franky Baca moved to Los Angeles from the San Francisco Bay Area, working from Los Angeles allowed me to further pursue my career. In an interview I did with Fite Brand, I said, “There are so many great opportunities in Los Angeles that you can’t quite get in the Bay Area or anywhere else!” please look for things to come from one of the most innovative brands of recent times.
Follow Franky Baca on Instagram/Twitter @thefrankbaca
Clothing line at frankybaca.com. or on Instagram @franky.Baca
