Thursday, July 30, 2009

I Heart: My experience as a RHLS Apprentice


Whats up RHLS lovers!?!? My name is Zach, and I'm an apprentice at Ruffeo Hearts Lil Snotty under the Hearts Program.
My experience so far has been great! Its a lot of work, but its an real life introduction to the way small businesses work. There is always something to do, and it never gets boring. There are seemingly endless things you can learn by working with RHLS. I started the program with no knowledge of the way small fashion companies work, but I finished with enough almost enough knowledge to make my own clothing. I have been helping make patterns using these patterns to cut fabric, silk screening and seeing how sewing works. Through the hearts program over the last two weeks, I have learned the basics of working in an independent, handmade clothing fashion company. It has inspired me to such a level that I plan to start designing my own clothing, as well as silk screens. The hearts program is a great experience for any respectable, hard working individual who wants to learn more about the handmade fashion movement.
Maxwell read this post, and he said it sucked, so I'm just going to talk about a day in the life of a full time apprentice. I stayed with Max and Sarah in an extra room in their Brooklyn apartment. Every morning around eleven, I would wake up to dozens of fresh bug bites, or the loud bang of a trash can full of junk hitting my window, being lowered down on a rope from the apartment above. I then would walk through the apartment, past the many crocodile skins on the walls and the ere portraits of poddles to take a shower in a bathroom with no light. I would then either take the train then a bus, or ride my bike. If I took the train, the wait for the bus would usually take about 20 minutes, and then when it finally came, I had to hope that it wasn't so full that it didn't have enough room for the people waiting at the bus stop. Once I get to work, I normally would start work right away. Normally I would just cut out fabric for sweaters, pockets, or underwear for a few hours. Occasionally I would go to the market to get food for the RHLS crew. Once I was done cooking food, and eating it with the RHLS crew, I would start work once again. I would normally work to around midnight or one. I would then take my bike back to the apartment, stay up till around 4 or 5 with my cousin on his roof, then go to bed and repeat the cycle the next day. Attached is a picture of the 260 triangles I helped cut.

1 comment:

  1. Hey, Sounds like a typical day in the life of Macks. Good work.

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