Alot has been written and said about him but whatever it is, Puey Quiñones has reached his dream, made a name for himself as a fashion designer in Los Angeles, California and is currently the creative director of Cocomelody, a bridal shop that sells beautiful gowns at reasonable prices.
I asked him for family photos and his reply was, “I don’t have photos when I was young because of the typhoons. When I was growing up, our house was a bahay kubo and every time there was a typhoon, it got blown away.”
A simple young boy from Bobon, Northern Samar, Puey chased his dream of becoming a designer. There were stumbling blocks along the way but he was determined to pick up the “broken pieces” of his life when he left Manila a few years ago.
He came back. And he was warmly welcomed when he opened his shop.
Puey with sister Manilyn, parents Rodolfo Sr. and Celerina and sisters Cassandra and Pamela.
Read on as Puey shares with us how to realize one’s dream.
1. Proper training. It can be through a fashion school or apprenticeship with a fashion house or a designer. Learn from their technical team (patternmaker, cutter and seamstress) because they know construction and then you’ll understand the anatomy of a garment. Proper training is very important because it will teach you discipline.
2. A designer must have an innate sense of design. Think global. You have to remember you are catering to a bigger market, so, your design has to be wearable and relatable, at the same time fresh and creative.
3. Passion is a key factor in making your dream come true. When your resources are not enough but you are passionate about your dream, something will always come along the way that will help you achieve it.
4. Work ethic is very important in the international arena or in any field because professionalism is one of the keys to success.
5. Fashion is business, you have to balance the business and the art side of it. Understand costing, marketing and branding.
With friends (from left) Jojie Dingcong, Tim Yap and Anton San Diego.
6. Have the wisdom to hire people who have the skill that you lack. You need to have a team that you can rely on.
7. Understanding your market is very crucial in the business of fashion. You have to study the behavior of the people in your target market, know what they want and give them what they like. At the same time, show them what they don’t know yet and make them love it. Data is very important in running a business. You have to listen to your market.
8. Think out of the box. Be brave and create something that people won’t understand for now because eventually, they will. After all, we are designers and we create the trend.
9. Be friendly. In business, everyone is our friend. Do not burn bridges. We have to be neutral.
10. Have courage and be kind like Cinderella. Kindness will take us a long way. That’s the easiest thing to do. Be kind and in the end, everyone will be kind to you as well.
With his partner Paul Martineau.
(We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at monsrt@gmail.com. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)