Music pumps from a speaker in the corner as eight students hurry around the room, steaming clothing, pinning suit pants, and laying out jewellery.
"We need to differentiate between styling and dressing," Ampratwum shouts over the music, "add variants; mix colors . . use your imagination and use your creativity to put looks together."
Men's blazers are paired with large earrings; it's clear that Jeffrey Ampratwum's lessons have already sunk in.
The class photoshoot is the culmination of what the students have learned over the past semester; a chance to put their new knowledge to the test, and ensure that they'll have quality work to show off to potential employers after they graduate.
Models
Instructor/Creative Director Jeffrey Ampratwum @jeffreyampratwum
Grooming and Hair Stetson Jamila Bryan @stetson_jamila_bryan
Photographer Macrae Marran @macraemarran
Stylists/Students
Alexandra Ally Chatzifila
Jonathan Izkiyayev
Isaac Casteloares
Soledad Ordeix
Payton Pampinto
Rahul Rekapalli
Riki Shimizu
Rosalba Yvette Carrasco
Ampratwum is both a veteran stylist and a graduate of FIT himself, so he's been in the student's well-styled shoes. After attending dental school, he made a career shift and left the US to work in Paris.
While in Paris, he started "House of Merlot," a collection of striking red dresses. Though it began in 2015, the collection has now toured worldwide, being featured in countless editorials and exhibitions.
As a teacher, Ampratwum understands the importance of creative control, so each of his students has the opportunity to have complete autonomy over the styling for two looks. They collaborate, and receive tips from Ampratwum, but when their model steps in front of the camera, the look belongs to one student. For many of them, this is their first real world opportunity.
The class concludes with a quick analysis of the day's work: "There is something in the innate creative ability within us that will let us know “this is a little bit off'.” Ampratwum is an expert in knowing both when to push boundaries, and when to pull back just a little bit, and his students are on their way to becoming experts themselves. He tells the students that there will be a more formal review of the final images they created in their next class.
Ampratwum's book, Menswear Style Guide, is available online and in local booksellers now.
