Study Tour: Week 14 Letter J

Research: Jason Sommerfeld is the owner of Letter J. It’s a small men’s apparel boutique located in Chelsea right by the Chelsea Piers and the Highline. Letter J has been open for 4 years now and is run by Jason himself and Fletcher. They have a mix of great brands. Jason grew up in Queens and knew he wanted to be in the fashion industry since he was 15. He worked with many different companies and always wanted to be a buyer. After he graduated from FIT later down the road he followed his dream and became a buyer. He has many years in the field and one day decided he wanted things to be done on his own terms and wanted to open up Letter J. Fletcher grew up in Colorado and actually never thought he would end up in Fashion. He was a chef and now works for Jason at Letter J and has been for 2 years.

Observations: I have to say that this was one of my favorite appointments. I am taking Fashion Entrepreneurship right now while I’m here studying in the New York Studio. I am and always have been very interested in opening and owning my own store someday. It was very neat to connect the dots from class and to see them come to life at Letter J. Jason was extremely helpful and knowledgeable and you can tell he is very successful because he’s a smart businessman. He gave us great information that I will always carry with me. I learned that it really isn’t smooth sailing like people may think and you are spending more hours with your own store than you do in a corporate office so you have to be willing to put in the time to gain awarding results. I never realize really how much actually goes into it. This is definitely a career path I would love to be on someday! I have always had store names and ideas in my head since I was a little girl and my Fashion Entrepreneurship class has really helped me put those ideas into something that I can hopefully use one day to open my own store!

Weekly Question: I thought it was very interesting how Jason told us that he definitely recommends being a buyer or having buying experience before opening up your own store because there’s always numbers and money involved. I always thought I wanted to be a buyer but I still am unsure but I might really have to consider it in order to open up my own store. I also loved the location of his store. I think his reasoning is brilliant he didn’t want to be in the heart of SoHo and just, “Another Store.” This makes people have to go out of their way and so many people see it because it’s by the Highline and the Piers. I think it’s brilliant because there are no stores around it like his and there’s a ton of foot traffic. I hope I will be as knowledgeable and successful as he is one day if and when the time comes for me to open up my own store! 

Study Tour: Week 13 T-Project

Research: T-Project was founded in 2011 by Laura Chini. She is a leading expert in Tuscan leather goods industry in Italy. There is a T-Project in Florence Italy and New York NY. Italy is where you consult and design and New York is a showroom. They work with companies such as Kate Spade, Calvin Klein, and Alexandra Wang. Since Mrs. Chini is a leather expert she started the company just with leather but now has expanded the company to many other fabrics and materials. They are very well known for making handbags and shoes. They are working their way into making garments and some accessories as well. Both T-Projects hold classes where you can learn how to make a handbag. Most students and designers attend these classes to gain more knowledge. 

Observations: I was very intrigued by this appointment. I loved how they were extremely Italian and were very knowledgeable in their field. I loved how they made a showroom in New York so they don’t have to go to a from Italy all the time. I learned how important it is to work with all fashion capitals in the world because so much goes on in both that it’s so important to stay connected. I think most companies need to have two stores in each country like this. I don’t see myself working in a showroom or with leather at all but it was very neat to see, especially the making of the handbags and all that goes into it. I would love to work with people overseas though!

Weekly Question: What resonated with me the most were two things. The first one being that all their leathers stems from veggie and grain leather. They are then heat pressed so they have the look of real leather. Most leather can only be made into dark warm colors but at T-Project they have samples of very bright and vibrant colors for leather. This was neat because it’s hard to find bright color leather like that. It was also very interesting to me how they cut the leather 3 different and specific ways and how leather is either very dry or oily. The leather that is oilier is of better quality because the dry leather can get scratched and wrinkled way easier. The feathers were also very interesting and I love how they get their leather and feathers from food companies. This means they are not killing animals just for the fashion industry. We are eating the meat then they take the remains and use those for fashion. I really like how they aren’t killing for fashion and are being resourceful. 

Study Tour: Week 12 The Museum at FIT

Research: Rei Kawakubo is a Japanese designer based in Tokyo and Paris. She was born on October 11, 1942, in Tokyo. She created the fashion label Comme des Garçons which means, “Like Boys.” She graduated from Keio University, which was where her father worked, and where she studied fine arts and literature. Her major was, The History of Aesthetics. In 1964 she worked at a textile company and then in 1967 was a freelance stylist. It was just two short years after this that she began to design her label. Melissa Marra gave us the tour in “The Forces of Nature,” at The Museum at FIT. Not only did she give the tour but she also curated it. The Museum at FIT was founded in 1969. It was built to support the students work and to educate them with well known designers. 

Observation: I was very impressed with the museum. I love nature and you don’t realize how many designers actually incorporate nature into most of their garments. The fashion world really has a deep connection to nature. Melissa was very knowledgeable about all the garments and designers and was very interesting to listen to. I know so many designers these days travel all around the world to get their inspiration for their garments. Nature is surrounding us everywhere we go. Whether we realize it or not nature has a big impact on all of us. I think it also really depends on the current trends like I know over the summer and the beginning of fall of 2017 floral patterns were extremely popular and it’s very suiting for that time of year because it screams happiness. I also think fashion designers look at most things with such a deeper meaning.  Most of them feel very strong about certain movements with the world or nature. Stella McCartney for example is a strong advocate for sustainable garments. It’s crazy how the fashion industry is harming the natural world with so much pollution. Also how brutal we have been to wild animals in the past. Most animals have been sacrificed just for us humans to wear them and so they can make money. It has definitely gotten better because people realize how terrible it is but some companies still use animals skins and parts for their products. It’s very unfortunate but it’s almost like the food chain. We need to clothe our bodies and a lot of raw materials that are created and turned into fabrics are plants such as cotton, hemp, and flax. Water is also a huge part of making garments as well. Fashion and nature will always cross paths and be connected in many ways. We need nature but nature doesn’t need us.

Weekly Question: The garment I chose was made by Rei Kawakubo in 2013. It was a red velvet suite with big roses. The roses are supposed to look like they are dying and withering away that’s why they are are jumbled and look like they are sliding off the garment. She wanted it to stand out because most designers make flowers look alive and give it a very feminine appeal. She was inspired by the men’s tailoring of Saville Row. This suite was in the section called, “The Language of Flowers,” in the museum. It describes flowers to be innocent and have a sense of sexuality. Her idea of the garment definitely made sense and brought the garment to life even more.  I think red was the most appropriate color to display this innocent and sexual appeal. Red is the perfect color of love and romance and this sections compares flowers and their cycles to human love-making. It’s perfect for Kawakubo because most of the work she creates is based off of sexuality so she really fits into this category well and her work displays this extremely well. It was very mesmerizing and captivating to the eye. The roses and velvet gave a great touch. It was also very unique because most designers just print or embroider flowers onto the patterns but she actually designed roses into the fabric. They look real. 

Study Tour: Week 11 Marie Claire

Research: Marie Claire is a fashion magazine for women to share their views, opinions, and humor.  It also focuses on beauty and health. It was founded by Jean Prouvost and Marcelle Auclair in 1937. The magazine is published in 26 countries and is read by more than 15 million people in the world. Jenae Green is a manager, promotions and special projects for Marie Claire. She is in the marketing side. She was also a Kent State Fashion Merchandising alumni. She had 3 internships. She had one the summer after her freshman year at a magazine company. Her second one was at Vogue while she was studying at the New York Studio. The last internship she had was at Calvin Klein and she kept in touch with them and networked well and they eventually granted her a job after she graduated. We also got to meet Courtney who is in sales, Alice is in design, Melanie is in services, and Raeya. I forget her exact position.

Objective: I found this meeting to be very informative but also a little overwhelming. The information that was given was great and extremely helpful but I wished it was a little more engaging. I never really thought about working at a magazine company until today. I also didn’t realize that there are two sides, editorial and marketing. It was very interesting to me how the girls said marketing it calmer and less time consuming than editorial which is crazy to me because the marketing girls seem extremely busy so I can’t even begin to imagine how busy and hectic editorial side is. I think I would like having Alice or Courtney’s job. I have a very good eye for certain layouts and I love being creative and being able to put my own spin on things. I also am very social and love interacting with others so I think I would like to be in sales. Courtney was saying how she’s always in meetings with clients and going here and there. This is the exact job I see myself doing. I don’t want to be sitting at a desk all day long. I love how the company is very into being unique and standing out and doing different things. Their new pop up shop sounded amazing! I wish I could have been there and seen how everything works. They really think in depth about their jobs and are very passionate. I love how they all spoke with such enthusiasm. I hope to love my job that much someday and to be able to make an impact on other woman like they are through Marie Claire’s magazine. It’s also very neat how they get to meet all these different people working for bug companies and celebrities. They work with beauty products such as Olay and Covergirl. They also focus a lot on health so they work with many workout enthusiasts. They also hold many events for their clients to show their appreciation, which I think, is great and really important. I thought it was very neat how she said Jennifer Aniston and Mila Kunis went to a conference. I loved how rather than the celebrities getting another award these celebrities are awarding their team members and theirs stylists for all their hard work and determination to get these celebrities to where they are today.

Weekly Question: I was really happy to hear all the advice the girls were giving to us. Especially how Jenae was saying how she had no clue what avenue she wanted to go down after she graduated. She never thought she would have ended up in marketing in fact she didn’t want to do that or buying but now she gave it a try and loves her job and is good at it. We really have to be open-minded and willing to try new things and get a lot of experience with internships before we make decisions. She said never close a door completely always be open minded which I thought was great advice. I can’t wait to gain more information and experience through internships to hopefully help me be able to decide my path. 

Study Tour: Week 10 Kohl’s

Research: Kohl’s was founded in 1927 by Maxwell Kohl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kohl’s corporation is in Milwaukee. They have thousand of employees there and they have the private labels there. The NYC satellite Kohl’s handles the exclusive brands and they have close to 200 employees. Kohl’s started out as a corner grocery store. It wasn’t until September of 1962 that they opened their first department store. Kohl’s carries a line called Candies. This line was started in 1978. It wasn’t until 2005 that Kohl’s started to have exclusive rights to the brand in all departments except shoes. They are always rotating famous celebrities to be the face of Candies. The face for Candies is currently Sarah Hyland. It was very neat how we got to meet a lot of the members of the Candies team. We got to meet Alyssa Alvarado and Rachel who are in the design department. Jonathan and Disenny who are apart of Product Development. Missy Dutton is in Trend Forecasting at Kohl’s, is a Kent alum, and started A Magazine at Kent State. Paige Labarge is the Engagement Manager. She is in charge of everyone and is in charge of the internship program. We also got to meet Carol who is in Tech Design and Lexi who is in charge of all social media. 

Observations: I was extremely impressed with Kohl’s and all the team members! I love how closely they all have to collaborate with each other throughout the day and how close they all are. You definitely get a warm and fuzzy feeling being in that environment. I never realized how much one department can effect the next. For example, if they want to change a style in design then that will affect the marketing department and all the numbers involved. I learned about a lot of the systems they use during their day-to-day activities. They use PLM, which is almost like a google docs where it’s shared with other businesses and you can constantly see changes being made. Jonathan who is in Product Development referred to it as, “The style bible.” They rely on this system. I also didn’t realize all the work that goes into the Social Media job. It sounds a lot more basic than it really is. They have two teams creative and analytic. Each team works close together and they also work with marketing. They are constantly doing a ton of research, making sure they breakdown everything really well to the audience, and that everything performing correctly. They use spread fast and netbase systems a lot. They are really trying to push active and wellness right now. Influencers are growing rapidly in the industry so they make sure to keep tabs on them at all times and work closely with them. This job entails a lot more than it sounds! It was also really neat to see that about three of the girls there did the internship program at Kohl’s headquarters in Milwaukee. Internships are extremely important because a lot of the times if they like you they will hire you. All the employees couldn’t express enough how important internships are because you can really get your foot in the door and make a lot of connections and gain a ton of experience. They were all extremely helpful and I was very impressed with their information, the office, and how well they all work together. This is the exact company I picture myself working for. They all get treated very well, it’s a huge company but they work at a satellite branch office so it’s a smaller environment and everyone get’s to know each other on a personal level, the office was beautiful and organized, and the passion in the office was great! If you love your job it won’t feel like a job or work!

Weekly Questions: I really learned a lot during this visit. When everyone introduced themselves I just assumed that the design team made all the corrections and measurements. I assumed they had everything to do with the garments but I was wrong. I learned that Carol whose in the Tech Design team was in charge of the measurements. I didn’t realize that the design team does more of the embellishments and ruffles. They handle more of the outside finishes rather than making the actual garment. It seems as though the design team sketches it out and makes the idea but then the tech team with actual make the garments. I found this super neat because I never knew this! It’s crazy how many different departments there are under one category. There is a lot that goes into each team! I was also very interested in Missy and how she started A Magazine at Kent State. She seemed like a very determined student and knew what she wanted and went for it. She also went above and beyond to get experience and make a name for herself. I really looked up to her and realize I need to start making more of a name for myself. I really need to gain more experience and I cannot wait to do that this summer with my possible two internships this summer and a job in retail. 

Study Tour Week: 9 Personal NYC Exploration Assignment

Research: Chelsea is a neighborhood burrow in Manhatten and was added as a historic place in 1977 and has expanded in 1982. It is located on the west side. Chelsea starts on 14th street and continues through to 34th street and Fifth avenue. This means it reaches out to the Garment District, West Village, Greenwich Village, and The Meatpacking District. Chelsea is very residential. There are a lot of apartment complexes, houses, and townhouses. It is also known to be the center of the arts. There’s over 200 art galleries located here. There are also a lot of small retail businesses. It is a very diverse and ethnic culture. The Meatpacking District is a huge attraction to Chelsea. It was founded in the mid - 19th century. It used to be known for plaster mills, woodworking, lumberyards, granite works, and painting mixed in with homes in 1840. In 1879 there were 10 brick buildings that they used trading and selling for meat, poultry, and dairy. In 1900 it became home to 250 slaughterhouses and packing plants. It wasn’t until the 1990′s that it grew into high-end boutiques, nightclubs, nice restaurants, and bars. It is also close to the Highline and the Chelsea Piers, which runs along the Hudson River. 

Observations: I actually live in Chelsea. I loved this assignment because I feel like I never have really wondered around in Chelsea. This assignment made me venture out and find so many more places around me. Chelsea is very populated and busy but nothing like time square. It would definitely be a great place to raise a family but there are also a lot of people independently strolling around. It’s very fast paced on the avenues but the streets are a lot quieter where the homes are. It’s also convenient to live here because there are all the stores that you need around such as Duane Reed, Westside Market, Rite Aid, and more. I wouldn’t say it’s pretty like Central Park but it’s very homey on the streets. You can tell a lot of families live in the houses because they decorated all out for Halloween for trick or treating for their children. There was also a school right in between homes which also tells me its a very family oriented area. There is a ton of people my age or older walking around though. I would say it’s a good mix of people but I think the majority are single people living in apartments. There are a lot of cute restaurants that are half inside and outside on the avenues, small bars, liquor stores, retail stores, and home good stores. I feel like Chelsea’s style isn’t current. I notice a lot of people are late on current trends and still wearing clothing from early 2000′s. It’s definitely not as high end like the Upper East Side is but there are nicer areas mixed with some lower end places. I honestly think Chelsea is a good mix of everyone. There’s a Barney’s close to UPS store, Westside Market, and small restaurants. I feel like that gives a goof picture of the mix of the population. The buildings and houses are visually similar because they are all like shades of red or pinks.

Weekly Question: Urban Outfitters, Barney’s, Chelsea Market, Rag and Bone are 4 main stores that stood out to me while I was exploring. I was happy to find an Urban Outfitters so close to my house because it’s one of my favorite stores. They are known for their boho-chic women and men’s attire. It’s nothing to special with aesthetics. They have wooden stairs when you walk in. I feel as though it’s pretty plain. They also have accessories, shoes, and now are growing into s slim selection of beauty products. They have mannequins for visual presentations. They attract customers who are usually like 15+. It’s pricier compared to some stores so I think mostly people in their teens and up because their parents take them shopping or college students. Barney’s aesthetic is amazing. They have marble stairs, a security guard in a suit by all the doors, and glass doors. All their merchandise is displayed beautifully. It’s so pretty that I don’t even want to touch anything. Their first floor is all beauty products and perfumes, the second floor is accessories such as handbags and shoes, and the third floor is all women’s and men’s gowns and suits. Their typical customer is definitely upper class. It’s extremely expensive because the material and fabrics are of such high quality.  This store is for people who are older and settled down with a steady income and can afford something like $900 pair of shoes. The Chelsea Market is not a retail store but it is a strip of food places inside one building. There’s nice restaurants where you can sit and eat, there bakeries, gelato, burgers, fresh produce, a grocery store, and maybe two retail stores. It’s extremely cute and has cute little arrows helping direct you to your destination. There’s also a cute little fountain where you can make a wish and throw a penny into. The path you walk on is a nice stone. It’s a very organic feel and appeal. All the signs are wooden and it feels like your outdoors in a sense. Most kids wouldn’t come here unless they were with their families but I think it attracts people about 20+. It’s for someone who has their own bank account and needs food for their apartments or want to go here for a little girls night dinner date. the last store that stood out to me was Rag and Bone. This is a higher end boutique. It’s extremely organic and is all about the product they use in their clothing. They display picture of cotton a lot and earth tones. They have women and men’s wear. They have everything to winter coats to shoes and accessories. It’s super cute but expensive. One sweater is almost $400. I picture myself wearing the clothing but someone who has a steady income would definitely have to shop here to afford it. 

Study Tour Week: 8 WGSN

Research: WGSN stands for Worth Global Style Network. It was founded in 1998 in London by two brothers named Julian and Marc Worth. They used to put trends in actual books and would sell them. In 1998 google was invented and this is when WGSN was the first to put the trends online. The employees go to fashion shows all over the world to figure out the current trends. After the shows they have to upload their information to WGSN website within 3 hours! WGSN is not just for fashion companies, Apple, Google, Disney, Levi, Addidas, and Coach also use it. They have a WGSN in every continent besides Antartica. There’s 250 trend experts worldwide. They have to go to at least 137 trade shows a year. They run 400 trend reports each month. They also have to attend 23 festivals a year such as Coachella. They monitor 890 blogs a day. Sean O’Connor has been with the company for 4 years as an Account Manager. Elle Lasher has been with WGSN for 7 years. She is a consumer expert which consists of public speaking, reading, research, writing, and running a lot of reports. She focuses on lifestyles and hospitality rather than fashion. She works with companies such as Solecycle and Equinox. Trend experts have to attend Trends Days which is one week where experts who have been in the industry for over 15 years come together and present to other experts about their trend research and then they compare all trends. The product follows the trends. They also have guests speakers come in. After Trends Days is Color Week which is the same concept but different topic of discussion. Right now pink is the most desired color but next will be Lilac. They start figuring out new trends two years in advance!

Observation: I was extremely impressed with WGSN! The office was so cute and it’s crazy how much work goes into trend forecasting. They are constantly doing research, running reports, traveling, reading and writing. They basically live on their computers. I learned about a new job, Insight Editor from Elle Lasher. Elle came from  a culinary background. She knew nothing about fashion but her skills in journalism are what got her this job. It’s amazing to think of all the major companies she works for and how they pay her to analyze their companies and run reports and write articles for them. I think her job is super neat and unique. It’s always something new which keeps it interesting however a lot of trends do overlap over the years which makes it difficult to write about. Sean and Elle’s careers really did interest. I’m not sure if I can see myself in this career or not so I would like to maybe get an internship here to gain more experience and knowledge so I can help decide if it would be for me or not. Even though they do travel often they spend most of their days working at their computers at a desk and this doesn’t interest me. I picture myself traveling and being on my feet a lot.

Weekly Question: I was also very intrigued with the presentation Sean gave us. He was very thorough and gave such great information. You can tell he really loves his job and that he’s very good at it. I loved how he showed us the new trends for Spring/Summer 2019. Re/Action, Creativity/Complacency, Town/Country, Creative Manifesto, and Cobot Revolution are the new coming trends. I was very fascinated about them and I love all their descriptions and meanings. I love how they all have a commonality of stepping outside of the box, automation, sustainability, and solutions to the world problems. I think these are all very important topics considering the direction the world is heading in. We all need to keep an open mind, help save the world from being more polluted, and we need to see how much we are really starting to depend on technology. The amazon warehouse is already starting to use robots to help grab packages from the shelves. They are struggling right now with the weight on items and how to properly grip them but they will have a solution soon. This is the way we are heading in. A few years from now we will have robots everywhere! They will be made to help production go faster! It’s amazing to me to think that we will get even more tech savy in years to come but it does make sense. I’m excited to see what out future will hold and how productive more and more companies will become!

Study Tour: Week 7 Material Connexion

Research: Material Connexion was founded in 1996. It is the largest library in the world for materials. They have 7,000 total including online and 2,500 in the actual library. They sort the materials by composition. The order is Cement, Process, Carbon, Metals, Glass, Ceramics, Naturals, and Polymers. The material has to be brand new and never created before to be in the library and it has to be sustainable in some way. You would think that only garment designers come and buy materials from here but that’s not the case. Companies such as IKEA, Tesla, Chrysler, Toyota, Nike, Calvin Klein, Disney, and Armani are examples of the customers and brands that shop here. It is a Sandow company, which is full of portfolios that end up in magazines and to be advertised.  Andrew Dent is Vice President and Research. His job is to keep adding sustainable materials to the library. Adam Sandow is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and he loves creating new brands for many different categories. 

Observations: I was very impressed with Material Connexion! I love the modern feel to the office whenever you walk in and how the doors are all glass. I absolutely loved the library. It was so neat to see how many different substances make materials. There was glass, metals, actual fabrics, liquids, and even things such as animal parts. I never realized how many things could be turned into materials that we can reuse. I was also very excited to learn that as a Kent State Student we have access to Material Connexion’s library on our Kent website. A major thing that resonated with me was that they have 7,000 materials and how hard it is for a material to get into Material Connexion’s library. They have to go through 4 steps before they are admitted in. I also was so amazed that car dealerships buy materials from them! All fashion designers want their work to stand out the most. I think its super impressive when the material they use, is something out of the ordinary. The material is and makes the garment. Materials make fashion happen. The fabric and material is super important because it helps keep your wardrobe interesting and changing for the different seasons. As they make new materials more and more are becoming more sustainable. Making garments is rated in top 10 for the most pollution in our world. We are really working as a community to try to not create as much pollutions and be in the top 10. Thrifting has become a huge trend, especially for people who are very concerned with going green. They don’t want to contribute in buying new items of clothes is they weren’t sustainable therefore buying second hand clothing is passed down. A lot of the materials in the library were recycled and or reused. Therefore, they are reducing the increase of pollution.

Weekly Question: The material that interested me most was made from 100% glass beads. It had a stitchable polyurethane coated non-woven backing. This material is the first of it’s kind that was used for upholstery. They also used panel wrapping, upholstery, and accessories. When I first saw this material I was assuming it was a bunch of rhinestones or glitter. I was amazed when I read it was tiny glass beads. It was so shiny with a gold tint, however whenever you moved it around from certain angles it looked silver. It reminded me of a chandelier. Each bead gave off a different color depending on how the light was reflecting off it. I loved how the back of it was super soft and how the front had a smooth hand but was also cold. It almost felt like little small pebbles. I kept thinking how beautiful this material would look on a gown! I didn’t want to stop touching it!

Study Tour: Week 6 American Eagle Outfitters

Research: American Eagle was founded in 1977 by two brothers named Jerry and Mark Silverman. Arie is the sub-brand and owned by American Eagle Outfitters. It was founded in 2006. Arie has lingerie, under garments, bathing suits, and active wear. American Eagle has RTW clothing targeting men and women’s wear for ages to 15-25. They have more than 1,000 stores all over the world. Chad is the president of American Eagle. He has been with the company for 4 years but has been in speciality retail for over 20 years. He’s worked at Coach, Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie, and more. His favorite part about working is working and creating the concepts for the different seasons. 

Observations: I absolutely LOVED going to American Eagle! I was super excited to see the New York building because I have seen the Pittsburgh headquarters before when I did a job shadow there during my senior year. American Eagle has always been a company that I have wanted to work for. I really felt like I learned so much during this visit. I loved hearing about Kimberly, Katrina, Craig, Richard, Kristina, Jennifer, and Leah’s backgrounds and what they do for the company. I learned to be open minded to jobs that come your way because you might fall in love with it. I also learned that there are so many different departments such as mens shoes, jeans, tops, and women’s accessories, shoes, pants, tops, graphic design, product development, assistant designer, design director, associate merchant and more. A lot of these jobs have a lot to do with collaboration. They all work together to make the brand the way it is. I loved how they were asking us for feedback. You can tell they really love and care about their jobs and they want to make American Eagle the best that it can be. I learned that American Eagle is a great company to work for because they treat their staff so well. It’s a pretty laid back environment but very diligent with their work ethic. I also was very excited to see my friend Madi Fox who works in accessories. I love hearing her story and about what she does. She absolutely loves her job and I can see why. Not only was everyone so nice but I love the building and it’s layout. I’ve always wanted to work here but today made me realize how much more I really do want to work for them. If I worked here I think I would want to work in women’s accessories an or women’s apparel as an associate merchant. 

Weekly Question: I personally still shop at American Eagle and still really love the store. I think they are doing a great job at keeping up with their target customers. I love how they are working on “Don’t Ask Why.” This brand is one size fits all but I love how Leah explained it. She was saying how it’s one size fits all because it’s easier to make and produce faster and it will fit every body type differently and they are aware of that. Their goal is that it will look differently and lay differently on everyone such as too short or too long or too big but that is their goal. Everyone will work it in their own way. They are using young influencers such as Hailee Steinfied to represent the brand and young great photographers such as Cass Bird. American Eagle is representing be who you want to be and love who you want to love I think this slogan will also captivate a lot of their target customers eye. They also brought in Jay Scottenstein who wanted to drive away from their usual and really focus on denim which is a great idea considering denim is a really current booming trend. I also buy all my jeans from them. They have great denim and great quality.  This will really captivate their target customers eye and draw them in. I think they are a great company and doing everything right! I hope to be on board with their team one day!

Study Tour Week: 4 Create A Marker

Research: Create A Marker was founded and owned by Paul Cavazza in the late 1900′s. Create A Marker is a grading and marking company for clothing. Paul grew up around factories, which led him to start using a sewing machine at the age of 10. He always knew he wanted to go into something fashion related. When it was time for him to go to college he chose FIT in New York City where he studied production. He was always very into creating and inventing things so he knew production was right up his alley. Once he graduated he worked for a man named Louie who owned his own grading and marking company. Paul worked there for a few years then realized they could use computers instead of doing everything manually. Louie didn’t like this idea so Paul ended up quitting and opening his own company. Louie and Paul are still close and Louie realized how well Paul was doing and Louie said he wanted to come work for Paul now online. It’s funny how things turn out in the end but if you have a dream you need to do whatever it takes to follow it. Paul is now one of the most successful grading and marking companies in all of New York. 

Observation: When I was told we were going to a factory I was expecting there to be a lot more machines than there were. Even though they are digital Paul still believes that the human hand and touch is very important. He still writes everything out on a huge piece of paper to get an actual visualization of everything before it’s done. I was very fascinated by Paul’s story and hope I am able to follow my dreams one day by opening up my own company and being as successful as he is. I also loved how easy it was for him to describe everything to us. You can really tell he loves what he does and knows it extremely well. I loved walking around to each station to see how things get done and to see the different people who work at each station. I loved how focused and motivated everyone was. Even though they all were very focused they all seem to have great personalities and get along well. The thing that stood out to me the most and made it easier for me to understand was when Paul asked us what size the mannequin was. We all guessed 4 but years back she was a size 10. It’s crazy to see how the scale has changed over the years! I learned a whole new side of the fashion industry that I have never even heard of before. I was very interesting in learning about grading and marking. I never realized how much work really goes into fitting and making a garment and how tricky grading is for fit. I don’t think it’s something I’m interested in pursuing as a career but I enjoyed learning about it. The grading scale was also very neat to me. I am not the greatest at math and with numbers so it was hard for me to understand but it definitely takes a lot of time, measuring, writing, numbers, and scaling. I really enjoyed this visit and felt like I took a lot from it!

Weekly Question: Briefly describe the difference between marking and grading...Grading is the scaling of a pattern. They do not use vanity sizing, which is guessing what size he or she is. Grading is very specific and has to be exact or can be messed up very easily. They take small, medium, and large and take the grading which would be 2 inches. Grading is very specific to the fit of the garment. It also is like mimicking the original garment. You can take a the original garment and make it in any other size that you want. Marker making is like a puzzle. It’s the very last step. The marker is placed on the fabric as a cutting guide and cuts out as many pieces of fabric as possible. The cut out pieces are then automatically uploaded onto a computer where the employees have to start matching the pieces together. 

Study Tour Final Project Week: 4 Coterie

Research:Coterie was started by UBM and is held in New York City twice a year. It is a global trade show that travels all around providing inspiring trends such as women’s wear, men’s wear, children’s apparel, accessories, footwear, and more. World’s top fashion brands and designers set up booths with their collections for international buyers to come through and look at. It’s a great way to get their names out there and to make great sales. Melissa Pizzuto is the designer of the well-known active wear brand, Ultracor. Ultracor was founded in 2014 and is a very expensive and high-end. It’s so expensive because the fabric is from Italy and everything is manufactured in Los Angeles. It’s also expensive because the garments have designs on them and these designs are made using a digital printer and laser machines. The leggings start at $185 and sports bras start at $135. These clothes are made to sculpt, enhance, get you fit faster, lift your butt, flatten your belly, and engage your core by simply just wearing them. 

Observation: Coterie was nothing like Cabana. This was Cabana’s first time in New York so it will hopefully grow in years to come but Coterie has been around for awhile and is very well known. It is so large that it is held at the Jacob K. Javits Center. It is so overwhelming I had a hard time navigating my way around. I had to work Coterie with my internship Joey Showroom. I was working at booth number 7625, which was Ultracor. I absolutely LOVED Coterie and all the different brands. I have to say we had one of my favorite booths. No one had anything like it. Most booths have white backdrops with pictures related to their brands but we had a digital screen that played a video of two models working out in the active wear attire. It was awesome because I got to meet the designer of Ultracor, Melissa Pizzuto. She also brought along a model names Sadie to model the active wear so buyers could see how they fit on. Sadie is not only a model but is one of the girls in the digital screen working out so it was really neat to meet not only the designer but also the main model of the brand. I noticed a lot of the other booths had similar concepts. The brands all had a very modern concept and trends which makes it a very competitive industry. However, it’s hard to say that there was a common theme because there were all different brands selling different things. Each company has their own concept so whatever they feel the theme of their clothes were, was how they decorated their booths.  There were a few visual overarching trends such as organization and pictures advertising their brands. The fashion trends depended on the style of the clothing for example, workout clothes had patterns, glitter, and were only neutral colors such as blacks, tans, grays, and whites. Other fashion trends that were displayed were gingham, embellishments, ruffles, puffy sleeves, and embroidery. 

Weekly Question: The four brands that stood out to me most were Ultracor, Pitusa, Fake Believe, and Cosette. Ultracor was definitely my favorite. I loved the digital screen video backdrop and the table, which was white with high top chairs and the clothing was displayed on the sides of the table. They didn’t use mannequins but the main model was there wearing and showing off the brand. I would definitely say the video and the live model were different than any other booth. We had a ton of buyer’s approach us compared to a lot of other brands. Many people were very intrigued with the video and the fact that our live model was in the video. The brand was definitely represented well. I loved how they did something different that would stand out. Pitusa is a beachwear brand with cover-ups, bathing suits, and light-weight clothing with pom poms and tassels. Since Pitusa is summery the colors are very bright, light, and pastels. This booth didn’t have mannequins either the girls working this booth wore the clothing. They had everything color coordinated and had their bags and accessories scattered throughout the clothes. I’m actually shocked that I liked this brand because I normally like simple pieces of clothing but something about these pom poms and tassels caught my eye and I loved the how they mixed and matched the color schemes. It definitely represents the brand perfectly. Another brand that I enjoyed was Fake Believe. I wasn’t crazy about this booth but I liked the clothing. The booth was very plain. All that was at this booth was a gray backdrop, clear chairs and no mannequins. I met the guy working the booth Pedro, and he wasn’t even wearing the clothing line. Being that the booth was so plain almost made it easier to stand out because it wasn’t overwhelming to the eye like most booths were. It also stuck in my mind because I was very disappointed by the booth being so bare. I don’t think the brand was represented well, which is sad because they could have done a lot with it. The brand is usually full of green army like jackets(they aren’t pictured), stars, stripes, glitter accents on neutral colors. This brand screams America. The last brand that caught my eye was Cosette. This brand’s booth was also pretty dull but the clothing was absolutely adorable. The brand is full of lightweight clothing such as gingham with the flare tops and flare dress pants. The one girl working Cosette was wearing a shirt to represent the brand. The brand is very simple and so was the booth. The colors are very simple such as light pinks, white, blacks, gingham, and navy blue. However it was very ordinary so I don’t think it did that well because there was nothing in it to really catch people’s eye. When there are so many brands selling things similar to Cosette right now I think they would have done better by making their booth look cuter and to have an accent that would have drawn more buyers in. I didn’t love the booths setup but I did fall in love with the clothing. I wish all these clothes were in my price range because they were all so adorable!

Ultracor

Random booths that describes the modern concept of the show

Fake Believe

Pitusa

Cosette

Study Tour Week:3 Aerin

Research: Aerin Lauder is the designer of her own line of home decor, beauty products, and fashion accessories. Aerin get’s her inspirations from her travels around the world. Her pieces are very classic, modern, and have a sense of easy and beauty. Some of her clients are Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Nordstrom. Her showroom is located on 200 Lexington Ave in New York on the 8th floor. It’s been opened since September of 2013. Joe works for Aerin in production. He was raised in the fashion industry because his dad walked at 9 West. He went into coding then realized it wasn’t for him. He then went back to school at FIT where he studied Textile and Marketing. He went to New Orleans for a little after he graduated then moved back to Brooklyn. He worked at Aiden and Anais and now he’s there at Aerin where he never thought he’d be. Yoon is Aerin’s assistant. She studied product design at Parsons. When she graduated she sent her resume online and a jewelry company found her. She needed a job so she took it but didn’t like it. Her manager was rude and controlling. She’s always wanted to work for home goods and so when Aerin presented the job to her she was very excited. 

Observation: I really enjoyed going to Aerin’s. I thought this was going to be a clothing showroom so I was surprised to see home decor. However, I loved the home decor it was very elegant, modern, and classy. I love moving into a new apartment because I get to get new home decorations. Aerin’s stuff is definitely out of my price range but I absolutely love her designs and products. I love how she used stingray skin in the fall and cane in the spring. I loved how the showroom was set up and how they have a room for each season. I also liked how it’s a smaller company and how they work alone in each department. I learned to never get discouraged and to always follow your dreams. The right job will present it’s when the time is right but you do have to search and put in the effort. I also learned a lot about production. They design it, then send the design to the people who make the mold, then they make it into the real thing. They usually make one product in a bunch of different colors and with different fabrics. I also like how being an assistant designer you’re constantly making new designs because every 3 months they change the products. Even though I found these jobs very interesting I don’t think they are for me. However, it did make me think more about wanting to work in a smaller company.

Weekly Questions: Something that resonated with me was... How Joe and Yoon both started up in the fashion world. I was extremely intrigued by their stories. As a student it’s easy to get down on yourself because I’m not sure what I want to do yet. I loved hearing how Yoon worked her way up and now found a job that she loves. It gives me hope that we will all find a place we love. I love how Joe spoke so highly of the company Aerin. I love how it’s a small company and how everyone knows each other. I feel as though that would make the company stronger because everyone knows each other on a personal level. I was very inspired by Joe and Yoon and hope to have a job I love the way they do one day!

NYC Study Tour Week: 2 Scavenger Hunt

Research: European explorer, Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1542, founded New York. New York City is referred to as “The Big Apple,” and “The Fashion Capitol.” It has 5 boroughs which are; Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Manhattan is the smallest borough but happens to be the most populated because it has the most popular places such as; Time Square, Central Park, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, The Garment District, and much more. The Garment District is located on 35th and 41st which is between 5th and 9th avenues. The Garment District was made for self-sufficient clothing makers, which could make for cheap and speedy ways to clothe their slaves. In 1931 it became the top garment manufacturers in the world and remains that way to this day. Manhattan also happens to be home to the largest department store in the world, Macy’s. Macy’s was founded in 1858 and was originally called R. H. Macy and Co. It’s about 3 acres which takes up about a block. They are also known for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and for their 4th of July Fireworks. Mood is also another major store for fashion designers. Jack Sauma founded Mood in 1991. This is a three-story store where a designer can purchase any type of fabric they are searching for. It is very well known now because in 2002 Project Runway’s crew asked Jack if they could send their designers there to buy fabrics for their show. 

Observations: I was very excited to hear we were going on a scavenger hunt around the city. Normally I love these and they are super fun however my group had some complications. We started off getting lost by walking too far down on 5th avenue. We realized we had gone too far and it was raining and we didn’t want to walk a mile back so we had a taxi take us to Lorde and Taylor. I thought the kiosk with the button on it was super cute for being on fashion avenue. although it was very tricky to find because it looked as if it was under construction and a tarp was half covering it. I liked how we were able to see a lot of different places in the garment district though because I haven’t seen them before and they are really important places in the fashion industry!  I really did love the idea of the scavenger hunt but it was also a little overwhelming trying to find our way around because everyone in my group just moved here to New York. I did enjoy the scavenger hunt with my group and enjoyed the places we saw but I don’t think it’s something I would like to do again. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming events you have planned for us! :)

Weekly Questions: What were my expectations of the garment district before my tour? When I pictured the garment district I was picturing a bunch of clothing stores and boutiques in a row. I thought it was going to be a strip of stores that you can purchase completed garments from. How do they differ now? It definitely differed from what I was picturing. It ended up being a strip of different fabric and textile stores. However a lot of them looked like they sold the same material. Some of the stores sold very elegant gowns as well. Describe three things that were memorable to you after your tour and why? I would say the three things that were most memorable to me were getting lost on the way to Lorde and Taylor, Macy’s, and Mood. Getting lost was definitely memorable because it set the tone for the rest of the hunt. We ended up realizing we went almost a mile too far and got a taxi to drive us back to Lorde and Taylor because we didn’t want to walk a mile back. At the time we were a little frustrated but looking back on it, it was funny and gave us good memories to laugh about. I really enjoy Lorde and Taylor and it’s different floors and the layout. Macy’s really was the biggest store I’ve ever been into! I was extremely happy to say I’ve finally seen Macy’s! I absolutely love the Macy’s Day Parade so it was really neat to finally picture the place that hosts the best parade in the world. I was also super excited to see Mood because I love Project Runway and it was really neat to see where all the designers shop on the show. I loved all the different fabrics and really enjoyed the store itself. However it was really different than I expected and I didn’t think it was going to be over three floors!