Young Patterns, a community carried by  group of ambassadors in Belgium  connects young jobseekers, students and employees with the national fashion and apparel industry.

“We work together to make the sector more youthful and to show Belgian companies that the new generation is ready to work passionately in the TCLF sectors.” Rob Senden

Sarah, Marie, Paulien, Sophie, Jitske, Eline, Hester, Luna, Laurie, Merel, Fleur, Amber, Chanel & Zoë. 14 enthusiastic students, employees, or job seekers. All are younger than 26 and passionate about the Belgian fashion sector. They are the ambassadors of Young Patterns.

They are an inspiration. Gifted and smart, they share their own experience, and facilitate the work on different activities together. And today, they are also willing to share their experiences with you.

 

They are the voice of generation Y & Z, and they:

  • make their own job/study visible;
  • motivate other young people to start their careers in the fashion industry;
  • advise companies on the needs of young employees;
  • promote the Young Patterns community in Belgium and in Europe.

Our current ambassadors are the following:

  • Sarah works at Bioracer – production and quality
  • Marie works at Advert Hype – graphic quality manager
  • Paulien is a jobseeker
  • Jitske works at Flanders Fashion Makers – pattern drawing
  • Sophie works at Bioracer – production and development
  • Laurie works for the brands Dream Catcher, Djules and Hale Bob – sales agent
  • Eline works at Chase Creative – social media manager and content creator
  • Hester studies in Paris – Master in Fashion and Luxury Management
  • Fleur studies in Gent – Bachelor Fashion Technology
  • Luna studies in Kontich – Mode & Cretie
  • Merel studies in Kontich – Mode & Creatie
  • Zoë studies in Izegem – Mode & Creatie
  • Chanel studies in Izegem – Mode & Creatie

Together with listed above ambassadors, IVOC, Skills4Smart TCLF project partner, organises several actions and events made by and for young people. For example, Twice a year, a networking event called Fashion Flows takes place, with around 100 youngsters participating in it. During the event, various discussions are taking place around themes that concern young people such as sustainability, where to find a job, working in family businesses and what it is like to have just started a job in a company.

How do the ambassadors works?

The ambassadors propose potential topics and help to look for a suitable location to organise the event. Afterwards, they contact the companies to contribute as speakers, prepare the debates, help prepare the event venue and finally, welcome the audience and moderate the discussions. Literally an event for and by young people.

In times of COVID-19, where physical events are not possible, IVOC found an alternative. Belgian or organise brainstorming sessions in which participants reflect on current needs of young people and try to respond to them. In the past year, for example, organisers have focused mainly on increasing the community and advising young people in need for a personal coaching. Moreover, IVOC together with the ambassadors launched online information sessions on Facebook where numerous relevant topics were discussed. For instance, it was about ‘the most common jobs’ in the industry, ‘tips for what to do after secondary school‘ and, ‘what to do after graduation’? Topics that are very relevant no matter the time we leave in.

Next steps

The next Fashion Flows event will be organised in the spring of 2022. The theme will be ‘A woman knows‘. At the request of the ambassadors, this edition will be entirely dedicated to women working in the fashion and apparel sector. The ambassadors are looking forward to meeting the new generation.

Feel free to contact them and to get inspired

 

Author: Rob Senden – IVOC