How I Ended Up Homeless in New York with a Suitcase Full of Designer Clothes
Ah, the life of a designer. Glamorous jet-setting, sipping cocktails by turquoise beaches, and casually sketching the next big runway hit on a napkin as you breeze through the world. Or, in my case, getting lost, broke, and accidentally becoming an international fashion disaster.
The Beginning…
At 16, I made it my life’s mission to see as much of the world as possible. Why? Because why not? I felt the pull. It seemed like the thing that would make my future self feel impressive and successful. Unfortunately, my bank account was still in its rebellious teen phase, refusing to support my global dreams.
So I waited. And waited. Until one fateful day, after years of determination, some miraculous circumstances aligned. As a now qualified fashion designer (emphasis on “qualified” because, as you will soon find out, my funds did not match my qualifications), I found a job as a camp counsellor in Maine, USA, teaching fabric arts. Yes, fabric arts. It sounds glamorous, doesn’t it? I thought so, too. Until I realised it mostly involved me teaching kids how to make friendship bracelets while I, a grown-up designer, tried to hide my existential crisis behind glitter glue.
The Adventure Begins (Cue the Dramatic Music)
Leading up to this life-altering journey, I kept having these vivid dreams about visiting another planet. No joke, I thought I was being sent to Mars; that’s how big this adventure felt. And, to be fair, as a young girl from South Africa, I was about as prepared for a three-month camp in Maine as I was for a mission to the moon.
It was an eye-opening experience. Every night, as I went to bed in a cabin surrounded by pine trees, I’d say to myself, “Wow, I can’t believe this is my life; I am so grateful to be here”, even though I was sitting in a room full of 12-year-olds who could barely tie their shoes, let alone make a quilt. But hey, it was a chance to travel, make some money, and get slightly closer to my dreams of becoming a world traveller/ designer.
( PSSST, those kids were great, just trying to make a point )
The Real Adventure: New York City and My Failed Hotel Plans
The camp was wonderful—I earned dollars, my first taste of actual money, and I thought that was all a fashionista could wish for. But, as it turns out, no amount of camp counsellor pay could cover the cost of my online shopping addiction. You see, in South Africa, online shopping was as mythical as a unicorn, so when I discovered it in the States, I went wild. Clothes, shoes, accessories—I was living my best e-commerce life. My suitcase, or shall I say my three suitcases, was full of designer goods and, unfortunately, left my pockets empty of cash. But hey, priorities.
So there I was, my camp stint done, with all my fabulous new clothes, with their empty pockets. Naturally, I decided to hop on a bus to New York City to experience the Big Apple (and surely, I could just book a hotel when I got there, right?). Well, here’s where I learned my first big travel lesson: New York is expensive. Turns out, the hotels I could afford were fully booked, and the ones I couldn’t afford? Also fully booked.
So, picture this: a young, naive girl with a suitcase full of designer clothes, stranded on the streets of New York. It was exactly as glamorous as it sounds. As the evening sun began to set, I started scouting out a deckchair in Times Square to sleep in—the classic “I’m here for the lights” move—tears in my eyes. And then, just as I was preparing for the worst (aka a night under the stars… and neon signs), something miraculous happened.
The Fashion Fairy Godmother
Would you believe it? Someone I knew—someone I knew—happened to walk right past me. At that moment, my waterworks kicked into high gear. A mix of exhaustion, panic, and sheer embarrassment flowed out of me like a broken faucet. But, being the wonderful human they are, they offered me a place to stay at a friend’s apartment. Extra rooms. No judgment. The fashion gods had smiled down on me, and I was saved from an unscheduled street fashion show.
Travel: The Ultimate Humbling Experience
Nothing humbles you quite like travel. No amount of designer clothes or flashy dreams can protect you from the chaos of real-world travel. It teaches you lessons in unexpected places: humility, adaptability, and the importance of always booking your hotel before you land.
So, let me take you on a little journey through how my travels inspired—or, let’s be honest, completely derailed—my fashion journey. Because while I may have had dreams of creating iconic runway collections from the streets of Paris or Rome, what I ended up creating were some very questionable travel decisions, a few new wrinkles, and a whole lot of unplanned adventures. And honestly, isn’t that the real inspiration?.
