Written by Josie Brandon - Fashion Editor at Kettey's International Fashion

So what is like in the day in the world of high fashion designers? We see the glamour on runways and in magazines and at first glance it can look like it's all fast and fabulous and for the most part the end result absolutely is glorious. That being said, digging deeper into the truth in the work to become a high fashion designer, it is intense and filled with a lot of high pressures. Fashion designers need to be both gifted in their art of design and have a business mind to come into the forefront and survive the competitive world.

After all, fashion and clothing is definitely one of the most heavily competitive environments. Literally everywhere there is clothing and fashion. In most businesses it's all about originality and protecting branding, but how do they do it? How do they survive with such competition and what keeps them going? That was my question as I independently explored into the back rooms of sewing rooms and elaborate fabrics and then boardrooms and decision making. It was absolutely fascinating and I was mesmerized by the passion and the true depth of vision that went into every piece and every collection. 

To be a high fashion designer, you have to be able to handle the vision you see inside yourself and the view points and definitely even the tough criticism of other designers and competitors. You have to be able to be innovative and come up with a design that lends itself to the perfect buyer. You need to decide the marketplace, the age demographics, the story behind the brand and the where you want to introduce the line. There is so much involved and the more I became aware of the deep levels of involvement, the more I became so respectful of every designer and the time that went into every piece they created. 

You have to know fabrics, how they work and lay on a body. You have to know colors and the dimensions of the body to come up with pieces that are designed for that specific demographic and I also learned you have to have a sophisticated team of people to showcase and market the original pieces. The business of high fashion does not stop, there are literally hundreds of steps that go into one blouse, dress, gown, pants and it's all because we as women and men want to experience wearing something that we can identify with as reflective to our fashion edge. 

And what about the competitiveness, how do these high fashion designers have to think? I mean let's face it. Every day you have to come up with something fresh. Something new. How do they do it? Well, one of the best statements I attained was by a fashion designer in France. She told me that when you are a fashion designer, your eyes do not see things like the average buyer, everything is in multi dimensions. So one color or one layer or one layout can immediately inspire a designer five different ways to wear a piece or bring it into a collection. She brought me into the world of how they see things through their eyes and as I listened all I could think about was how I could never walk into a store again and pass anything that a designer made and take it for granted. 

As I continued to get curious with the processes and procedures, I began to really celebrate the bold step that our CEO Kettey made in opening her boutique at Kettey's International Fashion. She really understood the need to capture a marketplace where people could really appreciate original designs. She was also able to build that bridge of connecting the clothing to the women seeking a real personalized experience with shopping. Something that every fashion designer celebrated. 

So the next time you go shopping at Kettey's boutique, just remember before it ever came up here on line or before it ever became showcased in the store, there were thousands of little pieces of love, time and energy that went into the process of you experiencing being an empowered women. You literally have a designers love wrapped in every stitch. 

All I know, is after this experience I have a true elevated appreciation of clothing and the designers. I celebrate their journey, their heart and their belief system. They believe in themselves enough to take a chance on the vision that was living inside them and that they were able to manifest into fruition. Among the millions of pieces out there, they chose to create and believe in something that had their name on it to share with the world. If that doesn't scream empowered, I don' t know what does. 

Thank you to everyone who participated and who gave me a private look into their lives. Soon we will have Bio's on each designer individually... That is going to be amazing as we go deeper into the each designer and celebrate their originality.