3.6 Feedback and Key Findings 

Following the skills exchange, I conducted an interview with each of the participants.

Nai was very positive at the convention and was grateful to Hichen for giving her the technical support she could use at work. She was sure she had developed her skills in creating a CV, alongside basic statistical skills, business analysis skills to grow her own fashion store, and how to coordinate between colleagues. Compared to the previous first intervention, she felt that offline skills exchange had been a better way to learn these skills in more detail and with more senses than skills exchange online. She felt safe working with friends, though she added that she would not have wanted to participate if it was an offline meeting between strangers. In terms of future employment, Nai would love to continue teaching Hichen more techniques to retouch and embellish his images. Hichen increased his frequency of posting pictures and thus encountered more opportunities as a result of her tutelage.

Hichen believed that meeting offline had been an excellent way to exchange skills, which had improved his photography skills, photo editing skills, and styling skills. Furthermore, he felt that this offline skills exchange activity had become a part of his daily life, and was something he could do with his friends. But he also felt that this had been a debatable part of the experiment. Such an activity can exchange transferable skills and, if practiced on a large scale, allow participants to make new friends, which can have an even greater positive impact upon them. However, there are also many other uncontrollable factors to consider, such as the potential safety hazards involved when meeting strangers.

Through observation, compared with the previous intervention about online fashion websites, Hichen believed that transferable skills can be learned online, but that offline exchange is different. Online fashion websites mainly teach transferable skills through the review comment process. Still, this method needs to be more manageable. The most important thing is that the online website may be used to connect the participants. Fashion online sales websites can become online fashion skill transfer websites. Then participants could meet offline – be it individually or in teams – to exchange transferable skills. 

Hichen believed that offline exchange skills would be beneficial for career hunting in the future. If he continued to meet new fashion professionals who might allow him to acquire transferable skills, he believed it possible to learn one or more skills on this skill exchange website and eventually become an expert in the field. Furthermore, as a platform for fashion people to connect, Hichen considered it a good direction for his future employment.

In Maggie’s evaluation of this intervention, she had found this way of meeting and exchanging skills offline to have benefited her acquisition and improvement of certain skills. Maggie utilised her skills in women’s fashion matching. At this event, she explored areas of menswear styling that she hadn’t been involved in before, but that she thought could be done online. As a result, Maggie improved her styling skills and communication skills throughout this process. Maggie and Nai didn’t know each other very well beforehand; however, between shooting photographs, discussing outfit details, and planning shooting angles, Maggie came to realise the importance of communication. Maggie thought the way to meet offline to exchange skills could be in more fact. Compared with the intervention of the previous online fashion website, Maggie believed that the combination of online and offline exchange could better consolidate transferable skills among all participants. Maggie believed that the transferable skills she had acquired through this intervention would be of use to her career in the future.

3.7 Reflections and Learnings from the Second Intervention

Throughout this process, I developed my skills in photography, retouching images, styling, communication, and collaboration. These skills should construe a great benefit to my future employment, as is discussed in further detail in the paragraphs below.

For the improvement of my communication skills, through offline skills exchange communication, I have learned how to develop my creativity and imagination. I have interacted with participants to gain new insights into this area, and I understand that both imagination and creativity will be necessary in my future employment. These skills can support me in absorbing or creating new fashion styles in my future career.

Styling skills have taught me to use womenswear elements in menswear, which can significantly influence my unisex and gender-neutral styles and may also be of benefit to my future career development. Secondly, these skills have a good effect on the psychology of primacy, a cognitive bias shared by many people. For the initial appearance of information to be received, it is imperative that one has a decent dress. The halo effect should also be considered, which is a cognitive bias that magnifies or extends the established impression of someone or something in terms of how well-dressed they are on the outfit to other areas. So for future employment, it is vital to make an excellent first impression. An excellent first impression and aftertaste achieve the goal and lay down a solid technology, attaining twice the results with only half as much effort. Moreover, if I can make a good impression in one aspect, people will often automatically add points to others. 

I also exchanged my own sportswear styling skills with the other participants, such that we eventually reached a consensus on what matching details may be used to display a finishing touch. Sometimes, if a boring outfit is suitably embellished (even with just a small detail, like the addition of a necklace or a trouser belt), these touches can enhance the overall visual sense as a whole outfit.

The improvement of my photography skills has taught me to pay greater attention to detail, thus changing the way I ‘see’. With this skill, I can continue to develop my career in the future and notice the details that others might miss. And for the pressure of my employment, with the continuous improvement of photography technology, I can find fun and let me live in the moment. Whilst shooting, I must notice details, circumstances, or other things in that moment that may be difficult to spot. Instead of constantly thinking about the past or future, focusing on the present means that I can forget my worries and stress.

Furthermore, through the selection of materials and expressions, advances in photography may allow me to better express my opinions and beliefs. When I change, my work changes with me. The photographer’s work can see the heart of the character. For future employment, photography skills can also play a role in recording for my career.

I may use my image retouching skills in many fields, including picture production, publicity planning, corporate culture construction, PPT reports, etc. I might also use it in my future work in the fashion industry itself. And the ability to use photo editing software is also an essential requirement for employees in many companies and positions. In addition to learning and improving my ability to modify and beautify photos, software such as trim video production is also highly beneficial at present. It is even necessary for daily work. And this process has made it possible to achieve the high level of software application required for future employment. It has also allowed me to find my goals and the space needed for me to improve myself. 

However, if I had another chance to design this intervention, I would nevertheless make significant improvements and improvements:

• I would increase the number of participants. These participants can come from different fashion professions and fields in the industry, and I would require  prior knowledge of these participants by writing a detailed CV.
• The two participants I invited for this intervention were both fashion graduates, yet this was not a deliberate limitation. In a future intervention, I would also invite fashion industry professionals to join as well. This intervention would allow for expert support and would also improve the overall professional level.