Romea Kumar – Class of 2018
During their secondary school years, BSSC Alumnus, Romea Kumar, explored the whole gamut of creative subjects available—Painting and Drawing, Photography, Sculpture and Vis Comm.
It was in Years 11 and 12 that all these accumulated skills and experimentation came together in Romea’s love of fashion.
“Knowing I had studied all these techniques when I began fashion, I felt a sense of endless possibilities and love for the art form like I hadn’t before,” Romea remembers. “From drawing designs, to sewing the garments, I instantly gravitated towards a future in fashion.”
Knowing that they wanted to explore the subject in a more structured way, and meet like-minded creatives, Romea decided on a Bachelor of fashion Design at RMIT.
“I wanted to move to Melbourne,” Romea says. It was a goal of mine to live independently and understand my abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t change a thing. It was definitely the right decision for me.”
Romea loves the flexibility of studying at RMIT and the opportunity to include subjects from other areas into their fashion degree.
“Last semester I did a class in business and sustainable innovation and learned a lot,” Romea says. “During the pandemic, RMIT has moved classes online and I’ve loved working from home, even though I miss chatting to my friends and meeting new people at uni.”
Studying remotely has been made easier for Romea thanks to the support of the Mason Trust Bursary. The Trust provides BSSC Alumni with support in the form of bursaries to pursue a career and further study in the Arts, including Visual Arts, Dance and Drama, Music, Fashion, Photography, Media and Stained Glass or Art Glass.
“I was able to purchase all the equipment I needed for a small home studio,” Romea says. “Last year I purchased an industrial machine and this year I was able to get an overlocker and an industrial mannequin along with fabrics for my course.
“It means that while I can’t access the uni equipment, I can still create from home at a professional level.”
While Romea hopes to have their own business in the future, right now they’re just accepting every opportunity on offer and seeing where it leads.
They urge current BSSC students to be open to opportunities and the inevitability of change.
“I know just how confusing this time can be,” Romea says, “but don’t think of further studies as a final destination—think of it as an opportunity that gives you the resources to branch out.
“Studying fashion helped me move to the city, live on my own, meet amazing people, and grow as a person. Understand that it’s not just about getting a degree, it’s about having access to opportunities, resources and amazing people who can help guide you to wherever you have the passion to go.”
