Alumna Stories: Nirina Metz
We recently caught up with Nirina Metz, PCA Alumna from the Fashion Design department who talked about her journey, inspirations, and insights into the industry. She is currently working as first assistant for Charlie Le Mindu, French haute coiffure stylist and fashion designer who is known for pushing the boundaries of gender and beauty to create innovative and hybrid forms of expression.
Thank you for joining us today! To start, could you please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background in fashion design?
Bonjour, my name is Nirina Metz. I am French but was born and raised in Madagascar. I recently moved to New York after the last 12 years spent in Paris. I graduated from PCA back in 2016 with a BFA in Fashion Design.
Can you tell us about your journey into fashion design and what inspired you to pursue it?
Absolutely! I always have been on the creative side of things, since my childhood. My family lived in a very remote place in Madagascar, so my sisters and I had to be homeschooled and didn’t have access to other children or regular activities on a daily basis. On our free time, my mother occupied us mainly with creative activities such as drawing, embroidery, painting, beading, reading and so on. I think this is where my attachment to art and craftsmanship in general stems from and in that sense, fashion is the perfect field for me.
What made you choose Paris College of Art for your studies in fashion design?
I was very aware of the importance of having an international background to develop a career in fashion, which made me look at schools providing an English-medium education and international degrees. In addition, I wanted to study fashion in Paris as it is one of the most renowned cities in the world for fashion and couture craftsmanship. It was important for me to have access to the French “Savoir-Faire.”
Can you share some memorable experiences or lessons from your time at Paris College of Art?
The multicultural as well as multidisciplinary aspect of PCA is something that taught me a lot. The importance of being open minded to other cultures, realities and experiences, as well as creating a network not only based in my field certainly made me grow in my artistic practice.
You recently worked on a collaboration between Paris College and Charlie Le Mindu for the production of hairy costumes with PCA interns and faculty from the Fashion Design Department. How did this partnership come about and what was the experience like?
I was very happy to have the opportunity to work with PCA, and it overall went really well. Long story short, we were given a very tight deadline on a massive costume production for Doja Cat’s performance at Coachella. From the beginning, I had already booked PCA alumni to work on this project. Two of them, Caroline Elie and Lilla Farkas, are now part of the faculty in PCA’s Fashion Design department. We figured it could be a great idea to centralize the work at the school and give the students the opportunity to closely accompany us in this adventure. We proposed the idea to the Chair of the department, and it was approved. I am very grateful for this collaboration and for the support we received from everyone involved. The final result was incredible (I did cry a bit seeing the hair moment on stage), and I’m sure the entire team was proud of the work we achieved together!
What advice would you give to aspiring fashion design students who are preparing to enter the industry?
My best advice is to be prepared and willing to work. Hard and consistent work will take you anywhere. To make it in this industry, people must be ready to put in the effort, as it can be a long road. But a beautiful and rewarding one!
Finally, what’s next for you?
Well, first of all I will use the summer to recharge my batteries after this intense first semester of 2024, and start to settle in the US. I will continue my creative collaboration with Charlie Le Mindu there but also in Europe depending on the projects we get. I am very excited to see what will happen next for us. And on the side I will keep on developing my side activity as an editorial nail artist.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey and insights with us, Nirina. We wish you continued success and look forward to seeing your future projects!
Interview by Zainab Affejee
To read more about the collaboration between PCA and Charlie Le Mindu, click here.
PCA x Charlie Le Mindu
