Canada’s Second Annual University Fashion Week At UBC Ends With Over 10K Deficit
Before we get into this season, it’s important we go through the history for those just getting involved with the development of UFW within this Canadian campaign 2020 Season. One thing to note that while the total billable expense by production to UFW as a production is shared between SFU and for the first time in which UBC would break out of the shared budgeting into presenting it’s own show. While this was done within production of which did result in larger liabilities which had some students, production executives and presenters needing medical support, management and technical support while barely being able to finish strong coming out of what has been a hugely politically unstable Season at Simon Fraser University. While a great deal of the UBC projected deficit is shared with SFU, the net deficit that’s assumed as UBCXFW is being tabulated as being significantly lower. While a new team is still being onboarded within the larger expense still necessary to be fundraised for the upcoming Season and growing running deficit of the marketplace as a whole, the shut down of the SFU Market, coupled with UBC results would show how a shut down experienced in one market of which would start to see professionals getting involved to grow it’s microeconomy would now become part of the characteristics being seen in another market of which now needed to start paying into the licensing of the platforms commercial benefits.
With UFW running for a number of Seasons now, starting around 2013 by Kayode Fatoba as popularly known, many understand the story of Canada’s University Fashion Week from its nascent inception at Simon Fraser University. A student-driven initiative produced with a focus on opening up the fashion industry to young professionals. From presenting it’s carefully curated founding student and local presenters of whom were the inspiration for the platform, to working to raise capital outside of the out of pocket student funds of which the creator would use to produce the event while the students were simultaneously paying into a Student Union. Challenges arose within the board of directors, the volunteer driven union and student organizers attempting to self organize to advance themselves professionally. While many assumed the liability fell on the students who were paying levies to the Union to support their initiatives, it didn’t. The marginalization associated with the stigma associated with the fashion industry would initially force the Union to look at students looking to get into this industry as an event as being “pretentious” among a range of labels. Student organizers would need to defend the need for the event and Fatoba articulating his vision for the production within the various partners and production plans he had created to give the platform a unique edge. Composed of social advocacy, employment and networking product launch pad as well as presentation shows that pooled the industry together for the grassroots centric fashion show that incorporated each campus’s letters and colors as well. Students wore a lot of campus insignia as these were communities they felt connected to and we wanted to showcase this on the runway as well. The universities brands were directly being marketed and were happy to support the growing movement of this platform within the Canadian fashion landscape. From communicating the model of the production was created to critique, educate, and invite young people into academic communities and while connecting them to Canadian designers, models, and industry professionals of whom were attending these universities much like the Founder. The growing support of students to really advance this programming within their institution would eventually start to see the independent platform start to produce a turn around of which would see community funding be able to support the social enterprise marketplace event bringing together both non for profits, for profits, sole proprietors, creatives and much more in this university based trade show. While the true cost of the platform would have been grotesquely more than students could afford, UFW was able to get the partnership of Skynation of whom were able to support the various development costs associated with bringing the platform to life. While UFW still needed to secure funding to pay for this initial and growing investment ranging from developers, producers and production licensing, production deeds and documents for copywriting and technology permitting outside of the various support teams that were part of making sure the production was able to leverage the brand awareness of the event and the incoming traffic to help make sure casting was being done at a level that supported some of the productions designers with models who were interested in volunteering for the Seasons featured designers. Not only was the event volunteer-driven, there was a requirement associated with anyone looking to take on this initiative to be capable of raising the capital to pay for the high production expenses of which was being expensed to produce and keep the platform sustainable. Having some students steal from a platform that was started through scholarship funds only stole from the community of whom were investing their resources for the designers who were hugely part of the employers and economic drivers that stood to gain hugely from the marketplace.
Getting local buying and funding meant the tickets of which could not account for the total production expenses ranging from rent to house the organizers, groceries and catering, among a range of other event rental spaces. The overall success of the first show would not only lead to a sold-out show requiring multiple rooms and community support given the economic impact it attracted and created for professionalizing students and not for profits. There was also an opportunity to donate proceeds to Relay For Life, a local charity doing amazing work in Cancer Research. Starting a project with $0 where you as the creator would not only have to pay into your initiative to support other students while paying into a student union that was supposed to be doing just that of whom not only shut the doors on organizers as the event began of which would require the SFSS President Humza Khan to personally put his position on the line and as a student, open the door for the student-organized, student-driven, initiative as not only was it started by students wanting to support their peers. Overcharging a group of students who were already paying levy’s into the union became very fraudulent in nature.
As the creator of the platform may not have been versed in entrepreneurship then as a student who was a member of the union, Kayode Fatoba’s UFW would start to secure a growing partnership with the Union supporting the various days with grants of which would allow the initial investment of the creator to see community buyin in the form of grants to cover a range of the hard cost. Something that seemed to be non existent at this year’s UBCXFW. From students from other Universities visiting his community, to being able to secure partnerships from his club communities within externals also supporting with a range of sponsorship and general volunteering, the production was delivered with a range of improvements associated with delivering the production. As the first Creative Director within what was a volunteer-driven event, while attempting to keep various services free for other communities unable to afford the high cost of city productions. Other students who were starting product brands and lacked the investment to reach consumers were not charged for participation or entry, even though these communities were making huge profit off the backs of students, even the creator of whom was a student at the time as well. While this was the purpose of creating this platform, it becomes contradictory when a director licenses a commercial platform of which it has outstanding expenses to while being unable to secure local support from it’s community and that was exactly the fate of this Seasons UBCXFW. Although many blame it on the time it took for the production to get out of the blocks due to SFUXFW issues, but the lack of community support was a major factor to also look at in gauging the success of UBC to UofT.
To invest your funds in a platform that was creating jobs for some, while you yourself was doing these initiatives for Med School until there was a growing demand to continue. We would see reports of political tension existing just within starting conversations on fashion which while many did wear clothes, the various labels and brands operating within the fashion industry would open up discourse within academia. From fast fashion, religious symbols, height based descrimination, refugee issues, multiculturalism, and appreciation over appropriation with a focus on curating indigenous Canadian designers, the production would bend from presenting one form of fashion. conversations splitting the business and commercial opportunities from the social advocacy platform within creating presentation and trade show event for the designers, models, and range of investors that would get involved in the platform resulted in a need to start to look at the platform at a level where the volunteers, and workers could not only be protected, but could also see a return coming back to the platform from some of these designers. While many paid to access larger shows and even understood the costs associated with producing your own shows, designer brands did not contribute. An increase in theft of designer merchandise of which was their responsibility among other liabilities would slowly start to see the same students of whom were using their funds to stage this trade show, now have to raise capital to pay these designers of whom we were unable to ascertain if in fact their merchandize was stolen or they merely levied liabilities on the event to make a quick buck.
With volunteers requesting the project continue, and a growing liability, a strategic partnership with production companies with experience in management and a range of legal and administrative support would slowly start to give the production long term stability while requiring the platform to pay into the advanced services. While the initiative may have brought in local businesses of whom may not have been awarded an acceptance into University which cost somewhere between $30,000 to $50,000 minimum. Having the opportunity to gain scholarships into this communities through sponsored booths, community speaking engagements and acceptance into the fashion presentation opened up the platform to marginalized communities, and while students were showcasing their abilities to raise the capital from their communities to support the ongoing deficit on the platform, no student ever say the platform supporting commercial brands as a “commercial platform”. The social enterprise as a marker place, would start to see students capable of leveraging 0 budget, resourced franchize into something that was seeing return designer brands following the progress of growing this startup grassroots initiative. While the non for profit initiative would slowly start to see advancement into other University, the first experience in the organizer seeing himself as an external was during the first invitation to expand the initiative to UBC.
Although still a student of Simon Fraser University, the concept of franchising something that did not generate profit, was student driven and as the Founder needed to maintain the same student driven nature meant working to make sure there was both a strong grip in regulating the marketplace to create opportunities for student leadership, but also commuting the liabilities associated with community participation and buy in. As the producer would start to grow into the Student Union Vice President and having his own production company managing a range of initiatives, starting to look at the commission and expense model of platforms that were started as a student also meant he had to start compensating both himself, shifting the rent and various expenses he was making as well as starting to look at a model that can keep the initiatives systems, while starting to increase revenue so as to be able to truly shift full liability of the platform into UFW. Paying Creative Directors out of pocket meant there was a need to start staffing talents for the event day of which was often 2 hours long over 3 days within the various sub contractors of whom were responsible for a range of the audio visuals outside the year long rent associated with the larger management and knowledge translation associated with the platform as most of the student volunteers much like the Creative Directors were out of commission after the initiative.
The event drew a growing media attention and Simon Fraser University would slowly start to gain media notoriety from employment initiatives it’s students were creating. Fashion Designers of whom were curated by the platform would see and increased support in model buyin and marketing, partnerships from investor communities, exposure to fashion enthusiast wanting to support local businesses, but while all these glamour did see the businesses on the stage gaining the intended traffic and growth. UFW as a production struggled to stay operational. The UBC advance would see friction as the community already had other fashion shows. Given the platform was not created to be a fashion show as much as an industry trade show inviting a range of industry commentary into academic communities, students from SFU would be called upon to engage the UBC expansion while not only defending the right of the creator to be a man, but also the need for their community to support the need for their local economy to provide the various resources outside of what was already being invested by the creator of the event who not only also had to worry about academics, but the learning curve associated with a scaling business meant a growing commute to UBC. Due to market instability, friction would exist between the creator who at the time did not have representation, invested his funds out of pocket while attempting to gain buyin from the local community; the increased pressures from another market would not only result in the production being cancelled after an attempt to move forward without it’s first Creative Director of whom had transferred from SFU to UBC while also being the model who not only supported expansion to the UBC market, challenges between her academic, international and social interest would impact the representation associated with giving the creator the peace of mind to license the production while having a community capable of following it’s production and event parameters.
While the Creative Director had been selected based on previous affiliations to the platform at SFU, the political tension at UBC would not only lead to her not being able to make meetings, but as the team attempted to continue planning given the fast paced nature of the production, student organizers would be faced with a range of sociopsycological decisions as the Creative Director would return to a production that’s now advanced well ahead of her participation. The level of guilt associated with the divide between organizers who wanted to continue, of whom had secured support from their union, had casted by securing locations that was aligned to their university of whom was preparing to welcome externals from there university some of whom were from other campus communities would result in the event producer not only cancelling the event, but with the need for the volunteers to also be able to focus on their academics, the event would be postponed.
While this wasn’t the only event being produced by the creator of whom had now started his own development label called Skynation which would support the production with a range of development services. From taking care of the productions year long rent for planning and development, to the hiring of management executives ranging from Executive Directors able to support the need for the business reform of the platform, representation of the Creator’s stocked writing and intellectual property, health needs given the day to day requirements of planning, groceries for the management and organizing team, and a wide range of growing accounting expenses, legal writing for the growing demands and liabilities and much more. While Fatoba was a PreMed student at Simon Fraser University, the demands of growing this initiative meant not only working night shifts to pay for the accounting costs, to afford the various rental costs, but licensing a presentation did mean that the production could not be free anymore for designer brands unable to pay a cent into the production and this was communicated to creative directors looking to bring the production to their institution. Producing other events at UBC also meant having access to talents who were interested in starting to jump from one production to the other as part of Skynation UBC. These were agents that understood the importance of having platforms and industry networking events of which could support students of whom required an active portfolio to compete once in the real world of which many did have Degrees as part of it’s educated class. Participating in UFW also had perks, volunteers were able to leverage their volunteer certificates and experiences for other opportunities. This ranged from Medical School applications, Employment Applications, and a range of other leadership initiatives as some would get involved in the student Union after learning a lot from engaging the various institutions and communities in their academic community. From the designers starting their own businesses and getting media coverage of which not only cost the organizer out of pocket given the level Fatoba wanted the platform to be within a range of his other growing productions, seeing some of the models move into becoming journalists, lawyers, even starting their own clothing line and moving from UFW’s grassroots focused platform to other city and international runways showed the platform was providing the value it set out to. The problem was as UFW expenses continued to rise given Fatoba would start to compensate the Creative Directors as part of the need to really start to shift all expenses from his own personal account towards UFW really starting to see him as the investor and Skynation as the development company of whom all expenses is owed.
Skynation would sign various directors for a range of initiatives but for those of which the production was complex, it required Kayode and a range of software engineers, business managers, while also needing to raise capital to deal with all it’s growing expenses and rent. There was commercial rent for the production and residential rent to house the event producer of whom would not only require access to internet and a range of other items of which could have been accessed as a student paying into his University but as an independent initiative that was more of a marketplace for models and brands to professionalize, it would seem Kayode and University Fashion Week were alone. Without the assumption of liability and sharing of liabilities and risk through shifting various expenses on the chapters of whom were required to engage their local community to not only build and manage their own markets with new market regulations as communicated by the production, there was a need to enable brands and consumers to connect while leveling the playing field to give small designers the opportunity to gain the right type of consulting in reaching live audiences who weren’t just interested in their entrepreneurship story.
They wanted to understand the ethics in which guide the brands products, there was a need for the platform and all it’s volunteer driven agents to raise capital and sell. Which the sites clearly stated explicitly in the about section that “ The initiative is funded out of pocket, with sponsorships from local businesses, grants from community groups and tickets all helping to keep the project sustainable and reach it’s growing potential”, while Creative Directors would make their names by finding innovative solutions to solve issues of access to space, others would project large targets while seeing academic calendars impacting production turnout causing thousands in lost expenses, while it was students taking the brute of these expenses while designer brands came into the school, or student designers of whom felt entitled while their student was not paying into the production at the rate of the students would leave with models who would communicate needing to have UFW step into issues of which they now needed to get compensated for their modeling. While research into this industry would start to show a high level trading happening between the photographers of whom were trade for printing their graphics of which they understood belonged to the production as they were not purchasing tickets to attend the shows within securing media passes, the models were equally gaining access to these prints as they were networking with the photographers of whom were scouting some of them for a range of industry projects. While Fatoba grew from being the 18 year old organizer and soccer player of whom was investing in these programs starting at the age of 16, there was a need for the production to now pay into the ability for these initiatives to run on much more than a Scholarship fund that was meant to send one student to University but has allowed many to gain an experience of a lifetime.
While internally UFW was struggling as a startup initiative, externally some designer would see the boost in resources and gain momentum while starting to grow off that momentum, but while these were now small businesses creating employment opportunities, the marketplace that was producing these opportunities lacked support and resources. From not being able to afford Audio Visual services to needing to innovate in stage designs, negotiating with union politics and representative for market buy-in as part of the need of the platform to showcase the diversity of each market. Influencing memberships and groups for room booking privileges, while also engaging other local businesses for space sponsorship opportunities. The vast amount of responsibilities to keep the production advancing required more time and resources, something Fatoba as a student also needing to pay for his academics while being charged by the Union impacted. Some students did get involved and became interested in supporting the management needs in exchange for an opportunity to present as there became a growing need to charge designers. One of these talents would be an executive from Rappers Without Borders as well as African Business Forum at UBC. Ken Chi and Kuzi had both been part of the presenters of two initiatives of which was not only supported by Skynation, but by being experienced in running and organizing clubs, speaking to the union in funding opportunities to support events and networking opportunities on campus, and them understanding the startup nature of Skynation, and the student of whom was using his out of pocket funds to invest in community development initiatives, Ken Chi and Kuzi would engage Skynation and University Fashion Week to not only lift the Stop Work Order, but support the need for the production to raise the necessary capital to support the presentation at UBC.
Flying from Toronto to Vancouver and back as a Torontonian did take a lot out of Kayode of whom needed to make a choice between stopping all his development initiatives or start to learn more about business and organization franchising and expansion to both alleviate the growing expenses in keeping his programming going, while also being able to advance his primary objective for coming to BC which was to secure a PreMed Degree. With experienced organizers from UBC of whom had grown in experience at Kayode and Skynation wanting to really champion the top down work of engaging the power brokers of whom had seen the initiative as an external program, while attempting to attack the creator who was not at competition with anyone given the designers and models were who were competing at the trade show, having a growing appetite from this student leaders meant UBC would engage it’s community as opposed to businesses building themselves off an unsustainable platform growing itself off the hard work of students of whom lacked sponsorship and funding. From growing website and technology costs, to flight and accommodation of booked guests and performance artists, the opportunity of having a Creative Director of whom was from a music club that was used to producing events to showcase and develop their membership towards being able to make a living off their art meant an opportunity to have a director capable of licensing the production and raise the capital to support production expenses within what become a growing demand for fashion designers to start contributing to the show.
Models were sponsoring their time as volunteers, while fashion designers would come into the production demanding to not only use their own models, but also rejecting models that did not fit into their image of “beauty”. As the vision of the platform was to make it accessible to all students, Fatoba would reject the demands or brands, while dismissing models of whom were not confirmed as part of the production. While this move would cause some designer brands to leave the platform, the regulation would give models of all body shapes the opportunity of also seeing themselves as businesses within seeing the designer brands that welcomed them for their diversity and differences. Seeing the growing need of some designers to have control of their show, music style and more, there became a need to tier designer applications while also communicating to designers With the production having a number of events in the campus of which was growing and giving the digital studio Skynation, it’s own local UBC promoter, management, and creative culture; one Rapper and UBC student would see the opportunity coming out of another Skynation production CXXLAID. While many would know him within that production as SWABSKI, a rapper from Rappers Without Borders who were part of the list of discovered UBC hiphop acts who we’re curated as part of CXXLAID UBC’s tour. With the tour headlined by Friyie at a time when Roy Woods was set to take the stage at SFU, the alignment between Canadian national campaigns and the various internal institutional course progression opened the door to students who were open and looking to innovate their academic experiences. While CXXLAID would successfully see a produced show, the knowledge exchange and sharing of markets and trade secrets between SFU and UBC outside of UFW’s general knowledge translation would allow both chapters to coordinate a well executed afterparty that not only saw buses picking up attendees for an undisclosed location, the confirmation of management and headcount as well as ticketing system meant that the total number of attendees coming and purchasing tickets were also checking out through their respective chapter leads, but before all this could be a reality. Ken Chi would take on the difficult task of defending the platforms ability to expand. While the competition between public sector and private production would pusht the SFU production to find booking within budget in a Surrey Library to maintain an attainable destination for it’s target market, it would take the next Season for new changes to come into effect within starting to build through the support of various Skynation associates of whom were now representing the platform as decentralized agents in their respective markets. While it’s not all talents that get signed and represented by a production studio, for some of whom are interested in the creative industry, what they do often requires the brokerage and management as there are a range of liabilities associated with all activations.
UFW was able to provide some core funding, within supporting the various high level labour expenses, rent, internet, technologies and various year long services necessary to keep the platform operational and growing while being able to grow at a level that gave it’s volunteers and team the ability to attend to their day to day, those of whom do end up signing with a management for a range of opportunities, be it modelling, acting, painting, performing and much more, often times young creatives looking to professionalize their trade arent always looking to solely volunteer in non for profit environments while never getting an opportunity to really compete and put themselves out there. While Kayode himself was not paid by Skynation while needing to pay for everything and work to secure grants and fundraising, the growing need to list the various costs associated with keeping the platform sustainable would mean replacing himself and with the liabilities associated with him as a Creative Director, the producer started integrating honorariums as part of the productions presentation. Given the various non for profit partnership requirements of the initiatives, certain expenses taking on by the Creative Directors would just be reimbursed under the grants being awarded by the supporting community partners, from ticket revenue, and artist sponsorship there can slowly become a way of paying down the growing expenses of keeping the platform growing while securing various sponsors able to support it’s financial needs.
Seeing the various issues, the lost earnings to Skynation from the cancelled production at UBC the first year, the liabilities of advancing the production would rest on finding a Creative Director who could argue that the various liabilities associated with the shut down of the expansion attempt would be mitigated and seeing an opportunity to mix music and fashion, Swabski would be the first of two musical artists to cross over to fashion as Creative Directors. With him and the UofT Creative Director De Mikyla really seeing the platform as a marketplace to grow themselves as well given the range of external industry networks that were being invited to their campuses, Ken Chi would highlight one area of focus coming out of a cancelled production. He wanted to be the first to raise the capital and grants to not only allow the show component of the production license to be presented through community funds as a number of other production companies are contracted, while his focus was not generating revenue to pay off the production licensing fee as a growing platform, the believe that the overall success of his team within the management expenses being spread into subsequent years as part of management adjustments would mean being able to really gain the support of production and it’s infrastructure while really starting to look at the vision for activating programming. While Ken Chi advanced UBC’s negotiation abilities with the production, the shift in experiences within SFU and UBC would start to become increasingly apparent. While UBC would be unlucky in seeing Fryie who’s performing associates Don Meeno and a number of associates would visit UBC from Las Vegas right after the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor fight. With SFU securing the show a day after UBC, a missed fight by Friyie would result in SFU getting to see the talent while UBC would get a range of support acts. Within the flight, accommodation, ground, production licensing fees, design, legal and much more and more being taken care of by Skynation, Ken Chi’s experience and focus in advancing UBC’s chapter would showcase a huge difference between his presentation and SFU. While Dio Wong’s SFUXFW would see a range of hiccups, the success of Ken Chi and associated liabilities within the SFU market would only commence after the delivery of the production. While Kayode had created SFU’s Fashion Club as a way of supporting the various networking demands being requested from him long after the production. Having a club would split the interest of his fraternity and various stakeholders from externals wanting to stay updated on how the platform was evolving, but due to the non for profit nature of the organization, the competition and election fears led to student leaders who saw themselves as brands really seeing their fellow students as externals.
While UBC may have experienced this external effect, the split in market share meant that UBC as a market was having it’s own conversations while advancing the platform’s success within it’s community. While this politics was something that was capable for Kayode to do when he was a student at SFU representing Skynation and UFW, there was a need for SFU students to represent themselves but as there was an assumption that because Kayode was Graduated it meant production did not need to listen to the Creators publishing terms, a growing range of production theft, trade deals and terms, as well as strategic partnerships of which would limit the success of some Canadian designers, political instability, lack of social support, capital, and the rejection of executives from accessing various opportunities they paid for through their student levy would see SFU Fashion Week and a range of productions being cancelled at SFU. Kayode was SFU’s first Vice President of Student Life creating a wave of large scale programming and while some were openly shared with his union to continue running or shut down at will, others were licensed to his production as platforms to develop his community at large and UFW was one of these platforms. A brand may not be able to afford the high cost of city platforms but find the university market as a competitive environment. He’s able to gain insight as well as a smart talent pool looking to grow and support his talent. While SFU would see it’s first shut down, Ken Chi’s vision of producing and sharing the risk of bringing his chapter to life while working towards advancing productions abilities generate profit for the productions abilities to grow would not only push the platform towards having a long term focus that pushed it’s expenses into having a more long term focus, the success of UBCXFW would produce new results than SFU even after sharing the same after party.
While Ken Chi had jumped into UBC Fashion Week production from CXXLAID UBC, Kuzi Mutonga would jump into managing the after party coming out of UBC African Business Forum, a program conceptualized through a partnership with Skynation in which wasn’t just a vision, it required Kuzi to really bring together his respective communities to work with him and his stakeholders. While competition worked to outcompete Skynation in the community, agents of whom worked to pitch Skynation the opportunity of expanding into other markets were now part of the agents communicating changes within the platform and negotiating better trade deals and support. While Ken Chi would work with Kuzi both of whom not only had Skynation experience, but we’re bringing this experience in to support such a foundational year, Kuzi saw the marketplace as an outlet for african designers in his direct market to gain access to an international fashion marketplace and production within Canada of which may not be aware to those not working within it’s culture. The cohesiveness of Ken Chi’s vision, and Kuzi not only led towards a successful delivery of UBCXFW, the need for SFU to understand that they weren’t just engaging Kayode’s creative works anymore, they were having conversations specific to their market of which weren’t just limiting their own market’s abilities to succeed, the various liabilities and growing deficit and theft would eventually lead to SFUXFW’s first workstop order. While UofT is the first school that has really worked to advance over the commercial hurdle with a range of XO, OVO, and Miss Universe representatives visiting the university for a number of networking opportunities, the complexity of the national conversation around Nike’s participation in UFW would open various conversations during fashion week. One one side Toronto’s commercially dominated market saw various university students looking to open collaborative conversations with Nike as a sponsor, while Ken Chi’s social advocacy component would see an X Nike Executive speak on the rise and growing concern of Fast Fashion while speaking on the complexity of this issue within the huge marketing potential of brands like Nike not seeing platforms like UFW as an accountability check. Nike would sponsor the platform with free merch and it would cause more long term and loyal merchants, but the Nike executive also had an audience. The founder of the production was at UBC and although Nike was a visible national brand outside of smaller brands of whom were unable to afford the same sponsorship categories but attempted to promote their brands through a platform they hoped to continue gaining free advertisement and recruitment abilities. The diversity of conversations on Nike did give the brand a high Canadian visibility which had many speaking on Nike as a topic of conversation UBC and UofT and SFU afterparty.
Gary of SFUXFW worked to engage the various issues of theft, deficit, liabilities impacting his chapter, the compounding liabilities of a union that wrote production cheque to the wrong person, of which should have been to the production, event name, or while it is assumed that the President could have have the cheque made out to his name as communicated by the union, funds of which would have supported the rent and various expenses taken up by UFW outside of what it was liable for would become hugely depleted in the union leveraging more money from it’s students than actually promised through it’s levies. Among a range of political instabilities that would result in not only some of the international production volunteers and even the creator of the platform that would visit SFU much like him being welcomed to UBC and actually slated to fly to UofT for it’s fashion week. Various production workers, indegenous fashion designers and local designers, international students and various participants of the event would start becoming politically attacked and deprived of booking privileges while the production of which was written by the creator now required to call in the Canadian police of whom enforced the productions programming as agents capable of booking public spaces and occupying public spaces without descrimination. As Fatoba was Canadian, there became a need to not only cut the budget shared between SFU and UBC, while other chapters were running themselves and working to raise their own capital to pay for the various licensing expenses associated with keeping the production going, the mounting deficit of which was assumed by Gary from Dio Wong. While various contracts and text between Dio Wongs executive team would show that funds were transferred to the signed University licensed producer and promoter non of the funds would be transferred to Skynation, with the bookstore also communicating loss of merchandise among a range of other liabilities. While UFW had prebooked locations upon Gary confirming that funds would be secured and retrieved from Dio Wong by the executive team of whom were friends with him as the brand focused on the market solving it’s own problem without the need to introduce law enforcement and small claims court. Dio Wong communicated funds had been transferred to Fatoba but in fact Fatoba as the owner and creator was not only outstanding the payment for the production, there was now a shared liability by UBC’s Victoria Chen of whom would coSign to support Gary within National Selection Weekend. With the need to issue a work stop order for the SFU Market as it became visibly unsafe that the market did not have the infrastructure to support it’s production within Skynation and UFW focusing it’s energy on UBC and UofT Expansion efforts of which not only required a strong level of delivery from the Directors, but also say the support of previous Directors becoming mentors for Cohorts that were coming into the commercial side of community.
While the Police would need to be called to step in as Security were being called on students attempting to engage the previous student union of whom had created such a politically unstable market, there existed a liability of which would not only require all workers to be told to engage their student union, but a number of workers would end up in the hospital while requiring to catch up on their academics. Having a number of students fear their student leaders while communicating being politically attacked as well as the need for police to be called into the SFU market because of the growing investigation of Student Athletes, Organizers, and community members facing various racial and political attacks. While members of the UBCXFW community would agree on the need to split the production from SFU, the various investments in buses, after party staffing agreements, catering, and a range of rent within what had been part of a year long planning in a growing production would be lost as some of these items and performers had to be given a deposit for prebooking. Making a call to cancel a production is never easy, but Victoria would be the first Director to go through her licensing on the brand guidelines and various legal liabilities, but due to the partnership that saw UFW pooling Western Canada’s resources together as some UBC Students had came to SFU during the nascent stages of the production, the sluggish output of SFU and it’s various political instability would result in the inability for Victoria Chen to hold off on hiring volunteer pool.
S’19 of UFW happened but at the expense of needing to shut down one chapter due to a range of reasons, that could not only drag on but the need to consolidate all the impacted productions does mean the need to look into the postponement of other chapters within looking at launching UFW within it’s growing production for the subsequent year. While UBC would need to cut down expenses and detach itself from the SFU Chapter, UofT would have to stay focused on production rules also showing that the lack of control by peers wanting access to the platform for a range of exposure saw commentary at the expense of some of the inexperienced students. While there would be a need for Skynation to take on more high level negotiations, location bookings, AV booking within the growing design of it’s tech riders and much more, the various changes to holding it’s Creative Director accountable would commence coming out of such a turbulent Season. While Creative Directors would often choose not to model due to the various needs of fundraising, UFW would report quotes of UBC deficits showing director billing arbitrarily of which was being sponsored when there was no confirmation of such expenses being levied as licenced. While production agreements communicated not only licensing fees, but the liabilities of which were necessary to be assumed by production as per developments, UBC chapter would seem to not secure any grants for their production, although a number of local businesses would sponsor the productions need for space for networking on that of the first day and the second day, not only would the cut in expense from the deficit from SFU impact already strained production, this being UBC’s first production of which it would attempt to raise the capital to support it’s production abilities would result in a deficit of over $2000 at the chapter level but significantly more while seeing the damages to the technologies, management rent, a range of broken equipment and other liabilities of which were the responsibility of the chapter and not UFW or it’s management and production partners.
With the decision to pull the plug this year really requiring the consultation from a range of designers, backend workers, as well as various models who participated in the platform, what was noticed off the bat was that UBC really saw themselves as being hugely more competitive without the need to support SFU Fashion Week. The deficit amount which would see students and ticket sales supporting some of the expenses, while the shut down impacted afterparty projections and other revenues from liquor to transportation and various line items that had given the production a growing momentum coming out of the first shut down year at UBC. As the organizer there was a need to give students the ability to focus on their academic pursuits while making sure that production was able to meet all it’s various event programming, and given the need to fundraise towards continuing UBCXFW, there was now a need to access the situation and learn how to scale and more forward more efficiently. The creator of the event did not get to go to UofT of which his flight would be postponed for a later day, while spending the production at the hospital given the attack production would suffer from other students. With campus security communicating their priority in working with various students from the University’s SOCA of whom saw the attack as a racially motivated attack given Fatoba did not just represent UFW within needing to step in to protect Gary from harsh criticism from his peers, the public engagement was coupled with a growing student advocacy voice who wanted the mountain to support it’s marginalized communities. To have a black owned production’s owner end up hospitalized while various students would be required to stay with the producer on the phone while a family members, community workers and more were required to get involved in ensuring the safety of Fatoba, Season 2 of UFW would not only get to produce just two of the three slated fashion show, the deficit reported by UBC once compounded to the larger deficit of which would have resulted in the shut down of the UBC Chapter within Victoria promising that she was certain of being able to meet her goals and target. The vast deficit coming out of it’s first year of which saw a great deal of support and leverage from SFU and UFW partners meant that UBCXFW was now starting to become responsible for it’s market’s presentation.
From a block party supporting another university who paid into it, to a fashion platform that now reduced having a market that was compensating them for event services, now attempt to be the front runner of the production. According to production executives there were clear markers that showed the SFU market needed to be split from UBC as their liabilities seemed far more significant. There was a difference when the Union of another university is paying for their students to attend programming at another university, but when the problems of a toxic event environment existed within their own community culture, it wasn’t coincidental that most of the events at SFU resulted in a shut down. With Skynation producing a range of events within the market, the company’s programming would be one of the hardest hit while requiring and increase in it’s investment to support an hospitalized producer, rent on the production properties, both commercial and residential, as well as working to raise capital to support the growing need for it’s software engineers and various annual milestones to be reached. Adding to the issues within the market were the transitional period the volunteers from this market had to produce their diverse initiatives and excel academically outside of Kayode being the student organizer and investor using his scholarship funds to produce these initiatives to support his friends business. Some of these designers had been members of the SFU African Students Association of whom had a large membership of international students looking to support the high cost of their educational and living expenses into the local economy. While locals lived with their parents and could afford to volunteer in events to save money, UFW executives and it’s partners needed to rent accommodation to support their ability to plan the event which increased the production expenses significantly. To top it off, the operating costs rose significantly outside of the various overhead costs to hugely commercial expenses of which while part of the hard costs were leveraged on the presenting chapters licensing the production, the student nature of the initiative and various executive unaware of the changes within the event made it such that management would be called to step in.
While a visit to UofT and UBC would be necessary investments by Fatoba to activate these markets and engage it’s membership on the production coming to their campus communities, not being able to go to UofT within working to start transitioning his investments into the event’s growing expenses as the producer of the event would eventually see recommendations from his injury lawyer, nurse, social worker, and hospital communicating the need for the producer to take a vacation back to Toronto. While going to Toronto and spending time with family did impact the ability of Fatoba to support the various expenses necessary to keep the initiative going, having UBCXFW decide not to charge designers due to the need to attract designers of whom were apprehensive given the political instability felt across the speculators and followers of the market trends and liabilities. Choosing to assume these liabilities would be communicated by the chapters logistics and finance as investments capable of being accomplished as the production now had a running start at it’s own Season much like UofT of whom would see political friction from the productions selected Director and the direction of which their market decided to go within it’s heavily dominated commercial brands over what seemed to be a more socially conscious community of whom were aware of the Seasons theme. Where UBC Fashion Week may have lacked in financial abilities, it’s Season saw in accomplishments. Not only was this the only school that made it out of such a turbulent production year that saw the founder of the platform and many students from the SFU Market in a shut down mode of which would see various law enforcement being called to the campus while a death would also be reported during this time.
Outside of presenting a show much like UofT, UBCXFW would produce fashion designers of whom would get scouted for Skynation’s signature event, Lucky Lady IV. While only two designers are selected for this event, an indigenous designer of whom was confirmed to present at Simon Fraser University of whom had communicated to Skynation of her financial position and the need for her to pre order merchandise while communicating her apprehensive nature of being allowed to present her indegenous line at the University community. As Native By Nature was also part of a Rap and Hip Hop platform with Skynation, much like Ken Chi from Rappers Without Borders of whom was a Rapper and was able to navigate himself as both a product and a consumer paying into his educational experience, MzShells a female indigenous Canadian rapper who founded the clothing brand would see her confirmation to present in what would be her first fashion show almost result in a bankruptcy for her business. To work to order and design stock and inventory for a trade show in which you have the potential of making back this money meant that these designers understood the ROI associated with them presenting at UFW and gaining access to tables, consumer markets that wanted to support them as locals and the employment opportunity they were gaining by having access to models, photographers and markets that could also spread their show to other social media channels. While SFUXFW would get cancelled along a wide range like its notable Fall Kickoff, Cxxlaid, Deemaks, Holi and more of high profile events at Simon Fraser University during this politically turbulent Season, the loss of funds, increase in health and wellness costs, and growing deficit within what became UBC cutting their ties with SFU for it’s event deficit to now have it’s own line item and account became an opportunity to really give the institution a head start.
UBC had successfully hosted Fatoba at its campus for a number of events, including Fashion Week while being part of negotiating with the producer on the prospect of having Gucci Mane at their University given the producer at successfully produced Deemaks, Friyie, worked as a partner to ideate and develop African Business Forum of which was the reason Kuzi supported Ken Chi in working with Skynation to advance it’s third production at the campus. While there became a growing group of students, alumnus, brokers, promoters and more that were signed to Skynation at SFU including rappers, DJs photographers and more of whom are still hugely signed to the development label, the split in liability at SFU would show some of the same productions slated for SFU equally see similar shutdowns of which we can only imagine the cost this had on the various communities and partners supporting Skynation’s abilities to produce it’s events. Fatoba was the main producer and writer of these works and when it finally became clear that the SFU market was paying other commercial companies, some of whom were other students, while it’s own students were deprived of it’s own event experience and cultural programming, many of the national promoters of Skynation and it’s academic partners and legal advisors would not be more on the ball. There was a need to iron out SFU production issues before continuing any further investment in arts and culture within the market. As Skynation represented black Canadian culture of which worked to integrate the multicultural community, seeing this works being licensed by other institutions working to raise the capital and really focus on also staying student driven to contribute to the one day in the month rent associated with the year long planning that’s been part of curating and preserving the historical accomplishments of the various agents of whom have been part of the production, while being a launch pad for student designers to be openly critiqued did mean there was a need to prioritize the overall health of the producer above all else.
It did not make sense that the society was investing hundreds of thousands in one single concert while a production that was creating economic opportunities, from employment, to arts and culture, to social advocacy, and networking opportunities bringing it’s communities together to meet locals and be part of global conversations pertaining to our role in fast fashion and it’s impact to the environment and much more. Seeing the UBC market being the first market which albeit had financial issues, saw students work towards advancing the production. There was a need to support successful models and designers with reference letters. Connect with photographers to secure photos, consolidate expenses for tax purposes as part of the event revenue while working to cancel and reschedule based on capable events and the need to make sure the writer and producer of the production was back to recovery. Skynation was behind a number of production either publicly or privately, without SFU’s student Union seeing and valuing the contributions of Skynation and Kayode to their institution, while assuming liability within the need to pay into the productions expenses of which does need to be valuated given other institutions were impacted, recommendations were called for Skyantion to halt the support of it’s event provision to University Fashion Week until such times that it’s debts were paid. Given the need for Fatoba to invest in making the necessary bills while the sites starting going down as overhead staff started to quit as there was no retainer funding to support their continuation. As certain associates would stay dedicated to the brand during the shutdown citing if the brand was willing to maintain some updates and communication, it was able to maintain representation within it’s respective market. Skynation had produced Deemaks at UBC but would see it’s revenue being stolen. While that production had produced over $8000 in revenue, an external student would leverage Skynations funds and production infrastructure while leaving the production with funds. A system practiced at SFU of which would result in the shut down of SFU Fashion Week. While AMS would take liability for the expenses citing the publishing of the club on it’s portal and the delisting of the club, the slow splitting of accounts would start to show a more consolidated UBC community when it came to it’s various event negotiations and activities while at SFU not only was liability being shifted on students who would start to impact one another politically, the impact to the writer and creator who was able to see invitation and development in other campuses while seeing a similar liability has it’s book store who would report also having some of its merchandise stolen.
Although it may be easy for the bookstore to write that off, realizing that a number of this initiatives were started by a medical student who wanted to help his friends who not only became the first Vice President, President, Senator, Creative Director, Architect, Developer, Engineer, Security and all the various positions his investments were able to employ; meant that him having to secure a student loan, working to secure back some of the scholarship, to getting elected and supporting the student driven initiative to build a Student Union Building meant the various initiatives being created as a result of that where historical in nature.
While UBC Fashion Week may have dropped in stock, the new position of being able to see it’s outstanding deficit within the growing production and ability for the production to now plan ahead and engage diverse locations while starting to work towards understanding it’s management of it’s ticketing partners and distributors. While all events had it’s own expenses and respective partners and liabilities, UFW as a complex production happening at UBC and UofT was a success in of itself. Majority of productions at SFU were cancelled and did not happen while the brand was able to scale into other institutions while curating a growing roster of talents. Can this market make it out of the starting blocks of which it now needs to raise the capital to get itself back into production, this year changes are being made to the Season of which while many assumed it to run on Kayode’s schedule of whom attempted to catch up to the student calendar, now the script is being changed into a longer fiscal year with the Creative Director being brought in and hired a lot earlier. Much like the union, having a year to plan the production alongside UFW would give the ability to raise a lot more capital while making sure to afford a bigger location and potentially more grants and funding. Hearing this and continued interest in students who wanted to take on the Creative Director initiative, new changes became part of what needed to be translated into production terms for talents following production.
Season 3 of University Fashion Week is still happening but now, Season 3 has a year to plan of which the delivery date will be March of 2021. This targets ensures the ability of making sure that the various negotiations with Simon Fraser University are prioritized while there’s a grow in the various talents Skynation needs to hire to meet it’s various needs. As this Season is expected to be one of the most competitive Seasons as the focus will be on curating Canadian industries, the compounded need to turn the platforms and marketplaces around by maintaining strong entry fees synonymous to the brands, calling for union support in funding for student participation and growing the sponsorship targets to give a lot of funding to the production, it’s very important to watch out for the Creative Directors coming out of National Selection Weekend. Given this is a social experiment that’s really resulted in communities seeing continued ROI in engaging the platforms trading instruments, understanding that UFW and it’s partners reserve the rights to shut down the production at any time due to a range of liabilities that pose a threat to the safety of it’s workers, it’s invited guests, dignitaries, designers, performers, international speakers and special events volunteers; communicating understanding of this has not only become part of the priorities moving forward, there was a need to ensure that the enforcement of the sustainability of the brands demanded the political stability of the platform. From various promoters, talents, artists, creatives, directors and much more of whom would be signed to SFU saw similar political friction with a number of students starting to speak out, the need for Kayode as an externals and Torontonian to fly to Vancouver and back to continue his community development work meant that all this needed to be factored into consideration. These out of pocket investment would not only mean the need for the owner to continue raising capital to support the ability for production to continue to support his abilities to affording living in Vancouver, there was also a mounting expense of paying development and various other development expenses associated with his growing role as a Canadian producer in BC’s rapidly growing arts and culture community.
As an urban producer in BC Tourism there was an opportunity to expense international communities who were unaware of what to wear, what to do, and the various events that were happening in Vancouver and with UFW being on of the premier events, brands and local businesses starting reaching out to Kayode about supporting the initiative. Anim a local barber shop would experience an increase in sales as students from Simon Fraser University would come there to get their hair cuts as they went and prepared for SFU Fashion Week, being able to see an increase in revenue at a period where there may have not been a reason for some of the international students of whom were targeted through this initiatives to come out meant the economic benefit the event was providing the local communicate was something that was very much outside of just the fashion designers of whom were capitalizing of the models who were advertising their clothes for free while some attempt to sell overpriced merchandise from China. The increase in competition saw brands starting to compete to not only stay relevant but following Skynatin’s University Fashion Week’s new event within the diverse trading associated with it.
As a producer of it’s own proprietor productions of which are licensed with strict rules, seeing the published outcomes start to really compound the results of each production has really put UBC ahead of SFU coming out of the blocks. While UofT would finish strong as the number one market of which would see close numbers of which would not only support the ability to pay of some of it’s chapter expenses, the outstanding liabilities being pushed into it’s upcoming Season, has not only put the production in a hugely positive position, as the first market in Eastern Canada to be part of the National platform, one can expect Season 3 of the presentation to be one of the most competitive to date. While Fatoba is still only putting out 3 licenses as 2 of the 3 licenses say an ROI while also requiring a need to knowledge translate a range of photovoice and information from a number of UFW’s production agents brokers, promoters and power brokers. One thing is for sure, many are feeling as though the reverse may be in order has Ken Chi would introduce a talent from Emily Carr to Skynation who was interested in bringing the production to her University. While the demand to franchise the platform does mean SFU could see themselves relegated from this initiative while still being liable for the outstanding debt associated with it’s market, seeing some of the markets emerging promoters wanting to work towards bringing a wide range of Skynation productions back to SFU may mean the opportunity for the market to still be in the runnings. While UFW had projected doubling it’s licensing applications every successful fiscal year, seeing that some Universities of whom have experienced shutdowns have also seen improvements that have led to them really starting to manage their own line items and see a growing account of Directors really growing in partnership opportunities with the platforms and development label meant there was a direct correlation between support for the platforms economy and the employment opportunities that were generated as a result of the event. With National Selection Weekend around the corner, the search for the next Student Creative Directors of whom are the ambassadors of the platforms natural traffic and media attention is on. Think you have what it says, follow the facebook pages of your respective chapters for more updates on event times, show times, and various volunteer opportunities as we get into the planning of Season 3 of Canada’s University Fashion Week
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