Make it to 25. Young designer Polina Dytman - about the mathematics of fashion, sense of style and work on mistakes

Great success does not come suddenly. This is known firsthand student of the Minsk State College of Fashion Industry Polina Dytman. The 19-year-old designer creates collections, participates and wins in national and international competitions. Behind her success - years of study, the first uncertain steps, mistakes and persistent work on yourself. And there are new goals ahead, the main of which is your own clothing brand.

Long before college, Pauline began to create her first outfits, however, only for dolls. At school work lessons, her passion was continued: she learned to work on a sewing machine and made the first stitches.

After the ninth grade, Polina entered the Minsk State College of Fashion Industry to specialize in makeup, cutter, seamstress. However, after completing the vocational education program, the girl realized that she wanted not only to work with makeup and ready-made patterns, but also to dive deeper into the world of fashion, to create clothes and image in general. Therefore, Polina continued her studies at the college level of secondary special education in the specialty “modeler-designer, technologist”.

Today, Polina can almost with closed eyes take measurements, build patterns and prepare the product for sewing. But the first steps in the fashion world were not easy for her, once it even came to tears:

- Our first assignment was to make ourselves an apron. What a pain I suffered! It was the first and last time I cried because of failure: I couldn’t make a straight line. I thought sewing wasn't my thing. But then I got ready, calmed down, and finished the job.

Studying as a fashion designer opened for Polina an unexpected side of the profession. When you dream of the fashion world, flying fabrics, color palettes and applause on the catwalk appear in your head. But the reality was much more prosaic, says the girl:

- Behind each air silhouette there is a strict geometry, behind each flawless landing of the dress - accurate calculations up to a millimeter. It turned out that fashion is not only creativity, but also a science directly related to mathematics.

Behind each air silhouette hides a strict geometry Critics welcome Pauline's path to great awards was swift. In 2025, she represented the college at the ProfSkills Belarus Championship. Participants were offered several tasks: to build a pattern, make a sketch, sew a dress and perform a tattoo on a mannequin. And we had to create a mudboard, shares the student:

- For her composition she chose images related to nature and Belarusian culture: butterflies, cornflowers and history.

In 2026, Polina went to the international level, going to Kaluga for the championship “Professionals-2026”. There she had to work in a team for the first time, with participants from other countries and in conditions of language barrier:

By the method of drawing lots we were divided into threes. With me were girls from Russia and China. We communicated through an interpreter, and showed some moments with gestures. The language of fashion is international.

In five hours, the participants had to sew a vest and add customization elements to it. To cope with the task on time, they divided the work among themselves, lists Pauline:

- A girl from Russia was responsible for the construction of templates, a representative of China - for tailoring. My area of responsibility is decor. The product had to fit the New Galaxy theme, so I twisted roses out of fabric that looked like small planets. We added luvers and embroidered comet silhouettes. That was great. The judges also appreciated our work. As a result, we took first place in the team standings.

In the individual module, Polina was second. However, this result did not upset her: the girl sees the competition not only as an opportunity to win an award, but also as a way to understand what else is worth working on:

- This approach helps to develop. If it's not the first place, then I haven't tried hard enough. I can do better next time. I know how to admit mistakes. Therefore, I have a good attitude to criticism: if they say that I am doing something wrong, I will listen and analyze.

Competitions are always a huge stress. Hands can tremble and time can tremble. Pauline has a psychological technique that helps her cope with anxiety:

College teachers recommend for such cases to imagine that you are in a dome where there is no one, only you are alone. And it really works.

Polina tries herself not only as a designer, but also as a model: she goes to the catwalk in outfits created by other authors. One of the most significant events for her was participation in the Republican festival-competition of fashion and photo "Fashion Mill". Behind the external lightness and beauty of the show hides hard work, because the stage and the backstage are two completely different worlds, the student admits:

Models in the show involved much less than presented collections. You come out in one image, and in five minutes you should appear in another. You need to quickly get to the designer and change clothes. Behind the scenes there is real chaos, so the main thing is not to get lost and not to miss your exit. The pins in the backpack and sketchbook by the bed Polina has already formed his own vision of style. She understands what her outfit should be and what qualities make clothes really successful:

- It's important to me that things don't look boring. Even a classic outfit should have some detail that makes it special. But at the same time, clothes should remain comfortable: after all, a beautiful image will not bring pleasure if it is uncomfortable.

Polina applies these principles not only in competitive works, but also in everyday life. Most of the things in her wardrobe were made with her own hands. Skills she uses for loved ones – this year she sewed a graduation dress for her sister:

- She completely trusted my taste, only asked that the outfit be black. I decided to sew a long dress that emphasizes the figure, but with detachable lush sleeves, so that they can be removed if desired.

Polina finds inspiration everywhere: in nature, flowers outside the window and the works of modern brands. The best ideas often come at night. In order not to lose them, she tries to fix her thoughts:

- You lie down, you think, and here comes the idea, you need to fix it urgently, so as not to forget. So I always keep a sketchbook on hand. And if it was not, at least verbally try to describe the idea in notes. Then, using these keywords, I restore the image on paper.

Creativity accompanies Pauline in everyday life. Even her dormitory room resembles a small workshop: the walls are hung with drawings and sketches, and among personal belongings there are always materials for work. In the backpack, the girl carries a small set that can be useful at any time:

- There are always pins in the bag without them. And pencils, notebook, centimeter tape.

One of the competitive outfits created by Pauline Leave to return College became for Polina not only the place where she received her specialty, but also an important part of her professional development. Here she participated in competitions for the first time, learned to cope with difficult tasks and gradually gained confidence in her abilities. Teachers and the administration of the college played a big role in this, says the young designer:

The teachers taught me a lot, told me their secrets, shared their skills and were very supportive during training. Not only teachers, but also the administration of the college – everyone came to me, gave advice.

Pauline wants to use the experience gained in further work. In the summer of 2027, she plans to enter the university, and later return to her native college as a master of industrial training

- I want to teach a new generation and share my competitive experience with students. I hope I can inspire someone with my own example.

THREE POLYNE QUESTIONS

- What advice would you give yourself, a ninth-grader who is just choosing a future career?

- Go to college. Don't be afraid to experiment. Go ahead and try something new.

- Do you have a professional credo?

- The Rule of the Three Ts: Work, Creativity, Talent.

- What are you dreaming about?

- A good industrial sewing machine. It would help to implement ideas faster and work on products more professionally.

KSTATI

- What else do you want to do before 25?

- Get higher education, return to work as a master of industrial training in his native college. And, of course, become a good specialist to do everything qualitatively and without mistakes by this age. And then the dream is more serious: to create your own brand, which will be known.

shestakevich@sb.by

Photo by Alexander Kulevsky and from the personal archive of Polina Dytman