How I Got Here: PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Program Manager on applying curatorial thinking

“As a curator, I’m always trying to interpret, elevate, support and celebrate designers.”

Have you ever stalked someone on LinkedIn and wondered how on earth they managed to land that wildly impressive job? While the internet and social media might have us believe that our ideal job is a mere pipe dream, the individuals who have these jobs were, believe it or not, in the same position once, fantasising over someone else’s seemingly unattainable job.

But behind the awe-inspiring titles and the fancy work events lies a heck of a lot of hard work. So what lessons have been learnt and what skills have proved invaluable in getting them from daydreaming about success to actually being at the top of their industry?

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Welcome to How I Got Here, where we talk to people who are killing it in their respective fields about how they landed their awe-inspiring jobs, exploring the peaks and pits, the failures and the wins, and most importantly the knowledge, advice and practical tips they’ve gleaned along the way.

This week we speak to Paola Di Trocchio, the Program Manager at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival. After an illustrious 20-year career as a Fashion and Textiles Curator at the National Gallery of Victoria, Paola recently decided to apply her curatorial skills to the Festival’s dynamic nine-day program.

As an official media partner of PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Fashion Journal has a particular interest in those who bring the event to life. Working closely with Australian designers, storytellers, performers and artists (as well as her A-class team), Paola is using her background in art to elevate emerging talent in the contemporary fashion space. Here’s what she’s learnt along the way.

What do you do and what’s your official job title?

I’m Program Manager at the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival. I oversee and plan the festival program, [which is] now launched and ready for your to have a look at and attend.

Take us back to when you were first starting out. Did you study to get into your chosen field or did you start with an internship/entry-level role and climb that ladder? Tell us the story.

I had a keen interest in fashion from a young age and undertook work experience and volunteer work to find out about the industry. I then studied at university, but it wasn’t with a chosen vocation in mind. I loved history, english and arts in high school and did well enough to receive a scholarship for an arts degree at Monash University.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I continued to do volunteer work (including volunteering at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival) to keep finding out more about the industry. In my honours year, my lecturers recognised my love of fashion and history and placed me in an internship at the National Gallery of Victoria in the Fashion Curatorial department. I worked hard and it translated into a job as Assistant Curator and then Curator [for] Fashion and Textiles. I learnt about curating from practising first-hand in the museum, as well as by doing my Master of Arts (Fashion) at RMIT.

I worked at the NGV for 20 years and then decided I’d quite like to apply my curatorial skills outside of the museum… the idea of becoming Program Manager at the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival appealed. As an industry professional, I’ve loved and admired the Festival for years and believe in the power of fashion to bring people together and create [a] community in a fun and creative way. I love the live element of the runway, as well as the thought-provoking component of the Fashion Culture Program’s talks, exhibitions and performances.

 

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I felt I could transfer across skills as well as learn new ones. Some of the skills I most wanted to continue were working with designers to hero them and their creativity, as well as applying my curatorial thinking to the runways. For example, this year I’ve approached each of the runways with a curatorial theme to show designers in new contexts, as well as highlight current ideas within contemporary fashion.

What challenges/hurdles have you faced getting to where you are now? Can you tell us about one in particular?

In the beginning, I think the main challenge was probably the uncertainty around employment. It’s not uncommon for arts jobs to start as contracts, which mine did. On the one hand, they give you the opportunity to try things out. On the other, they can cause a little anxiety as you never quite know what’s going to happen when they end. Thankfully though, I achieved continuous employment after about four years, stayed at the NGV for 20 and am now at the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Commencing at the Festival has definitely been a steep learning curve as I learn a new role with the overarching knowledge of just how close the festival is in March and [with] over a hundred programs to plan and oversee. But thankfully, I have a sensational team in programming, superstars Sai Wai Foo and Molly Himpoo, who are helping me bring together an excellent program.

What do you want people to know about your industry/your role?

I love fashion. It’s a wildly creative industry that includes so many different facets, from the commercial to the artistic… but then I’m sure Fashion Journal readers know that. As a curator, I’m always trying to interpret, elevate, support and celebrate designers.

What’s the best part about your role?

Working with such a great, dynamic and fun team at the Festival, as well as working with so many talented Australian designers, artists, speakers, writers, filmmakers, photographers, performers and storytellers to program the festival. I love that the festival covers so many aspects of fashion that make it the exciting subject that it is.

What would surprise people about your role?

That we work year-round to create the festival in March. But given that there are over 100 programs across 60 venues [and] almost 1000 people involved in creating the festival for over 300,000 attendees, it’s probably no surprise.

What skills have served you well in your industry?

Listening is really important. When I started in this role, I tried to make contact with every designer to make time to speak to them [and] find out… about their label and what is important to them, what their aspirations are for 2023 and what are they excited about. I didn’t want to just assume I knew them. I wanted them to tell me themselves what was happening for them and what was important to them. I then used that information to help form the program. It also helps to be organised. There are a lot of details to manage.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours one day?

Take a broad interest in the fashion industry. Designers are at the heart of it, but there are so many facets to fashion that play such a crucial role. It’s also very important to be professional and polite. At the end of the day, everybody is a human being who deserves to be treated with respect and courtesy, no matter what their position or role is.

What about a practical tip?

I didn’t take a traditional path, but then I don’t know that many people in fashion do and that’s the beauty of it. I would advise getting as much experience as possible, whether that is paid or volunteer, and taking each role seriously. Show up, be on time, do what you say you are going to do, take an interest, listen, learn and always act professionally.

If you choose to stay in the world of fashion, it’s an intimate community and you are forming your reputation from day one. People often remember your behaviour, whether you showed up, did the job and how you made them feel. And have fun. It’s a really special industry to be part of.

Read the rest of the How I Got Here series here.

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