Thank you, and good afternoon to all of you…
First, I would like to thank the University of the Arts, its Vice Chancellor, and Chairman and the London College of Fashion.
My thanks especially to Frances Corner, for her willingness to share her immense knowledge, strong leadership, integrity and her friendship.
It’s a tremendous honour to stand here in this prestigious gown / dress (code).
And I am truly honoured to address all of you who are graduating today.
Dear graduates,
I feel fragile today; it’s quite daunting to look back at all the projects I have been part of or created in my life; it is daunting because I rarely look back.
Its tomorrow that makes a life worthwhile, that makes a career interesting, stimulating; it’s the challenge of adding another layer to what you know or what you have contributed so far in your career, in life − to your personal awareness, your understanding of what fashion is or should be. All those emotions are interwoven because life is fashion and work is life. We need to be curious, we need to be fast, we need to be intrigued, we need to have a vision.
In this new constellation that we have been inhabiting for a few decades now, thanks to the internet, we are constantly up-dated; this new status can be positive, if we can add a new vision, a new opinion, a new design, a new strategy based on knowledge and experience.
As individuals, we must have an opinion, as a group we can achieve dreams; fashion is team work and we need each other. This is the most beautiful dimension that fashion can give you; it’s not the dress, it’s not the success −it’s the community you are going to create, in all its diversity! It’s the friendship you will build with people from all over the world, working in many different creative industries.
Dream and work, enjoy and suffer, act and react; every day will be a challenge, every hour a decision to take, every minute an encounter or an idea to develop; give them all a chance. Enjoy life, enjoy fashion!
Congratulations and good luck to all of you!
Linda Loppa
London, July 18, 2018
