a-working-princess

[a-working-princess]

Last but not least, for our final and nicely chosen study tour location, we got to attend a Shoe Trade Show! We attended the FFANY (Fashion Footwear Association of New York) Shoe Show, at the Academy Mansion, and it was amazing! Firstly, normally the only people that would be permitted to enter trade shows in general are the companies showcasing their good, and the business and buyers who plan to network with said companies and make deals about purchasing stock for their markets. For example, Crocs would be the company, and Kohls could be the business or buyer that is looking to make purchasing offers to get Crocs' latest design inventory into their store chains for mass market consumption during a certain season (Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer, Holiday, etc). However we were able to get an exclusive tour around to see the shops present, and to get presentations and information about how some companies worked during market week, or during a trade show. It was a wholesome and educational experience to say the least, especially since it was basically a behind the scenes special for us. We were even able to go to the Warwick hotel trade show location as well, and not only did some of us that went get even more insight on the working of certain businesses, we collectively felt like we got more of a learning experience, or education, than we would at school! Schools can tend to focus on specific areas, and not the whole picture, and it was nice seeing much more of at least part of that big picture that day :) This semester has been a series of great opportunities, awesome experiences, beautiful aesthetics, and more with these study tours, and I'm glad this class exists solely for the fact that all experiences are good experiences if you play them to a positive tune 💜

[a-working-princess]

This past week's study tour we went to a place called ABC Carpet & Home. They sell everything home good - carpets and rugs, beds, sheet, sets pillows, bed ensembles, clothing, decor, dinnerware, desks and tables, couches, jewelry, and much more. Whatever you can think of to decorate a home, you can find it there! They have a bigger warehouse like store of ABC Home that sells just carpets and rugs, right across the street, too. Everything was no joke very beautiful and extremely aesthetically pleasing. Very easy on the eyes, with lovely selections and inventory out for display for everyone to see and shop around. The furniture especially were my favorite to gaze and sit upon. They all looked so sleek and stylish! And to make it better, ABC Carpet & Home puts a majority of their energy and focus on to making their merchandise and products as green as possible. They source sustainable solutions to the manufacturing of almost everything, and from the looks of it, mostly their furniture. Their whole brand is centered on creativity, individuality, and artistic expression, while doing what's good for the planet at the same time, it's no wonder people love this place. If I had the money, an ABC Carpet & Home location would probably be one of the first locations I would go to for my future home's needs! Can't wait for what's next!

[a-working-princess]

This past week’s study tour location was an interesting place called Fox Unlimited. Fox Unlimited is a Fur and Leather supplier in the used-to-be Furrier district of Manhattan. They have an online shop as well as the brick-and-mortar location that we visited for the study tour experience. The business also has facilities where people can come and work on projects that require their machines, Fur, Leather, or anything else Fox carries. They aren’t an open to the vast public retail store, however, the public can contact the owners and come to shop around, or use their extra facilities.

The whole presentation was very insightful and Brittany Lauren Levenson, a valued employee who happens to also be the owner’s Daughter (however, that’s not an indication of anything relating to her job or her work ethic), was incredibly insightful about the workings of Fox Unlimited and how they work with designers, famous or otherwise like Kanye West and his Yeezy line, to help them create pieces that we onlookers could see on runways and in stores. She and the owner gave us a rundown of the history of the Furrier district happenings, a quick look at them being able to get their brand in Harper’s Bazaar, and they showed us samples of a lot of the fur works/pieces that they are working on and carry for shopping.

The whole ordeal was greatly appreciated, and showed a different side to merchandising than was previously shown to us before in other study tour visits.

Coming up on the last study tour next time, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us!

[a-working-princess]

This past week's study tour experience was actually a place that I've been wanting to walk into ever since I came to New York and started walking to the studio for classes, and that's Stoll America! The Stoll machines are all equipment used for knitting, both in pieces and in the round, both hand operated and computer operated, single and double bedded, so on and so forth - a plethora of possibilities. Because we have multiple Stoll machines in our school back in Ohio - both the automated and hand knitting machines - I've been interested in wanting to learn more about this amazing equipment, since I like to do needle knitting and crotchet, myself. However, since I'm not in any of the classes that require the equipment, I haven't been able to see or use them in its entirety, except for days where there were open studios in the fashion building. So being able to get to tour around the US headquarters in NY - a Stoll subsidiary named Stoll America Knitting Machinery, Inc. - was a wonderful experience. Not only was it a great tour opportunity, it was one of the few places we've been to this semester that have been more design related, even if on the textile and not construction side of fashion. Although I have liked and loved the places we've been to so far, and I know both merchandising and design students should know the aspects of each other's fields, it was a nice transition or break from the merchandising/buying related trips seeing as how I am in design for a reason after all, heh.

[a-working-princess]

Another week from study tour passes and we had the wonderful opportunity to have Todd Snyder, a Men’s wear Fashion Designer, as a guest speaker for our recent study tour related experience! Apparently he’s the most reputable person to step foot into our School’s studio space, and that’s an amazing circumstance in and of itself!

Todd Snyder is deemed one of, if not the most influential menswear designer of his generation, and he gave great insight on how he started up, raised to his top dreamed height, branched out, and lived life since then in his profession. His tenacity and determination, even though he came from a not-so-fashionable place like Iowa, got him to his dream job of working for Ralph Lauren, to J. Crew, to the Gap and Old Navy, then back and forth, then his own shop selling t-shirts with his father and brother. He even has collaborations with Champion and Timex. He’s been through so many experiences while not necessarily jumping around too much, and it’s inspiring to see someone in the flesh who has done all of these things and are still going strong, all because of a series of communications and phone calls.

He gave us valuable advice about getting into the business and staying there like keep calling if you want a job or internship, once you intern be the first one there and the last one to leave every work day, make sure you make it a point to work hard, don’t be too shy and elusive and make it look like you are willing to work, and so on and so forth. This guest lecture was an awesome addition to add to this program, and I’m glad something like this was able to happen during our semester, because it gives us hindsight into what the industry holds and how we can maneuver around and with it at the same time.

Next study tour, here we come!

[a-working-princess]

In this past week's study tour experience - and it sure was an experience! - we went to a Jewelry shop called Fifth Avenue Woman. It was the cutest little place, and Sophia, the president and owner, was a very down-to-earth, eccentric woman who gave us a run down of how the shop came to be, her background, and the type of work she did and currently does. Basically she works with semi precious stones and sterling silver, among other things, like gold-plating/coating, and pearls. She even works with Jade, and has a limited inventory of ivory products, seeing as how ivory is no longer allowed to be imported. She showed us lists of the names of all the different types of stones she works with, like birthstones, and the meaning of each (included in the above pictures). It was very interesting to see some of the meanings of either the stones I didn't know about, or the stones I knew, but didn't know the meaning for yet. She makes a lot of rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and possibly more that we didn't get to see in depth/person, but what we did see was amazing! Everything was beautifully made, and clearly expertly crafted. For business, companies and stores would come to her for 'samples'and buy them at a low cost in big batches, basically like wholesale. Then those companies (any place ranging from lower priced markets like Macy's to luxury good markets like Bergdorf Goodman) would sell them in their shops for whatever price suits their stores. Most of us at the study tour couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to get our hands on some of her stock for the sample prices! It was such a wonderful trip and an enriching experience because of the background info we heard on her, as well as her wise words of wisdom! Can't wait for the next study tour experience!

[a-working-princess]

In this past week in study tour, we went to a reputable place called Dover Street Market. Dover Street Market is basically a huge department store market with about 6 floors, founded by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, and her husband, that houses the main label Comme des Garcons on every floor, of course, as well as many other high end luxury fashion brands like Gucci, Supreme, Thom Browne, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, and much more. While it's technically labeled as a department store, it can be seen as a high fashion shop that wrecks the box of normalized retail stores and challenges their creativity with its constant aesthetics, numerous sculptures, and beautiful displays of both merchandise and artwork galore. The atmosphere is very soothing if you're one to just comb through pieces and items that catch your attention, mingle with a few friends who are into shopping freely, or browse while taking your time to appreciate the high quality masterpieces at hand. It may feel overwhelming to people only used to highly mass market retail stores and/or fashion markets like Macy's, Forever 21, Zara, JCPenney's, an outlet mall in general etc, and can only afford normal department store level prices, but one could get used to at least looking around a place like this, even if only to just admire the art and display pieces. There were so many great inspiring clothing pieces, as well as cool accessories and fragrances, and nicely crafted jewelry, all from different unique brands, all in the same place! While I would never be able to afford any of the articles sold here, it's a great place to browse and either see the trends high end designers have been taking in the fashion world, or look for inspiration and/or research for my design studio projects for this semester, which I actually happened to do a couple weeks before this study tour day, it any research in general! This place is definitely a valuable resource if anything! Can't wait to witness our next destination!

[a-working-princess]

In this past week at study tour, we visited the infamous, at least to me, Cotton Incorporated Office! According to the other tenants from the company next door, this was even a new building space, and it was honestly so chic and clean. I really liked the aesthetic of the place, especially the little conference room where we got a presentation on Cotton Incorporated as a company.

In this presentation, we got an overview and then some. We learned about how the franchise is a non-profit organization whose goal is to advertise the sourcing and use of cotton in general for all types of projects, of course mainly in fashion. They get their funds from cotton coming in to America, and going out of it, which in turn helps them do market research and trend forecasting for the next upcoming fashion seasons well in advance (for example, right now they would be forecasting for spring 2020 instead of fall 2019), which in turn keeps the business going, since a lot of well known companies and brand names look to places like Cotton Incorporated for the upcoming trends. It all comes full circle here, and pretty well especially for a not-for-profit organization!

I’ve been a part of their online informational component, ‘Cotton University’ - now known as ‘Cotton Works’ after a revamp of their website in the past year - for about 2-3 years now, and was always fascinated with all of the information one individual could receive from this company like thread types, dyeing techniques, all the different cotton textiles, etc, and it has proven to be helpful for certain fashion class projects. I’ve admired them for a while. Hearing about how they forecasted fall 2018 a year and a half before, how often they travel and travel being the best and worst part of the job, and seeing all the research and concepts (for fall 2018) in my face that day, really brought it home how hardworking these very professional and creative people really are.

Seeing the New York office branch in person, and getting to listen to the presentation we received kindled a great deal more of appreciation for trend forecasters than I did before, because Lord knows I don’t have the skill or patience for that kind of job 😂, so major props to all on their team!

I can’t wait for what’s in store on the next study tour!

[a-working-princess]

This past week for Study Tour, we went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, commonly known as The Met. We went to observe and take in the experience of the Heavenly Bodies exhibit, stationed in the Anna Wintour Costume Center, among other locations, not only in the Met on fifth avenue, but at another branch location, the Met Cloisters. The exhibition showcases the connection and relationship between ancient medieval art and what we call Fashion, to which also highlights the correlation to the old and modern religious practices of Catholicism. Included in a plethora of ensembles from contemporary designers - like Thom Browne, Gianni Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior (with John Galliano), Yves Saint Laurent, and many more - you can see imagery resembling robes of the Pope, Sisters (Nuns), Cardinal angels, prominent religious figures like the Virgin Mary, imagery showing the contrast between what could be perceived as heaven and hell, imagery portrayed from art and figures seen at the Sistine Chapel. So many pieces of art in clothing form to gaze upon. It was somewhat of an enriching experience for me because the only other times I had even gone to museums was for field trips in middle school, and those were just for regular American history, but being able to go to a popular or prestigious museum like The Met, and top of that seeing an entire exhibit dedicated to Fashion? It was inspiring to say the least. I had a great time! Also being able to see the rest of the exhibits during our visit was interesting and educational, and I had fun, but time to prepare for whatever Study Tour will bring us to next!

[a-working-princess]

In this past week’s study tour, we visited the Museum from FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). The presenter took us through the history of certain fashions between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, going through by decades, showing us a whole bunch of examples of real historical clothing and accessories from those time periods as well.

We learned about several different iconic designers like Chanel, the creditor to the Little Black Dress, and the creator of the infamous Chanel no. 5 fragrance; Poiret, the maker of the lampshade dress and the hobble skirt; Vionnet the pioneer of draping and the bias cut, and many more.

Although it was technically a refresher for me since I took a History Of Costume class previously, but refresher or not, I will probably always find it fascinating learning about the upbringings of what fashion was and wasn’t and how fashion and style has changed over the decades and centuries.

Let’s see what fashion has in store for us next, as well with the next study tour!

[a-working-princess]

This past week’s study tour - Rebecca Minkoff! I’ve always heard this name, whether it be through advertisements, internship postings, or supplier retail stores like Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s, but I’ve never actually buckled down to find out what exactly was contained in the popular brand. Rebecca Minkoff’s Fashion brand consists of a lot more than I expected! Apparel, Handbags, Footwear, Watches, Tech (like stylish portable chargers/power banks); It’s a full house.

I am inspired by how Rebecca Minkoff started off, igniting her interest in Fashion from her costume department in high school, because my situation was almost the same. I had heard, freshman year, of a yearly Fashion Show going on in the Spring and wanted to get a glimpse of the specifics so I went to the meeting. It was then - after choosing to participate as a Designer, and then taking the Fashion Production class we had all four years of high school (as well as Fashion Illustration in 11th and 12th grade) - that my rooted love for Fashion, that I didn’t realize I had until then, sparked my want to pursue Fashion Design as a whole, and to find my own color in the future.

Minkoff also currently has a design movement called “I Am Many” which focuses on the power women hold as individuals, and showcases how many diverse women are trying to be a part of a revolution that wants to change the way the world views, and tries to control, said peoples. It’s a Collective that shows that women can be who they want, and do what they want, without the barriers of forcing them into specific roles in society. So I wrote down on the I Am Many wall (pictured above) at the location we were at for the study tour the three main things I am, two of which people normally wouldn’t see in a woman like me, and in some cases wouldn’t approve of. “I Am Many”, and I’m all for it!

I’ve always wanted to see what all the talk was about for Minkoff, and I’m so glad I was able to finally do so at this study tour. I believe she’s more well known for her handbags, which are gorgeous from afar and up close, but ALL of the merchandise looked top notch; the shoes very aesthetically pleasing, the apparel well crafted and cohesive, the accessories designed beautifully, and the backpacks my favorite!

Now if only I wasn’t One of ‘Many’ Broke College Students 😂 I would love to buy some of the merchandise! Can’t wait for next study tour!

[a-working-princess]

This week on study tour! This past week we had the opportunity to visit the Ross Office building for our second info gathering experience. We got to look at how they do some of their processes, that although I can't name and describe, I will say was very influential in terms of looking at how one would go with determining target audiences, buying rates, popular seasons to put out certain items, etc. Since we weren't really allowed to document certain aspects of their presentation, I don't have any pictures to showcase, however, there was a cute little pamphlet that showcased their popular internship program, and we got a glimpse into the very very similar work lives of those who went into the internship program, and then to an actual tangible position, seeing as how all three of the presenters were fairly recent graduates and two were from Kent State University! Can't wait for what's in store next week!

[a-working-princess]

Fashion is my passion. But fashion isn't only one aspect. It includes multiple facets in the field. Some aspects include the business side, rather than just the idea or design process. And the business side - merchandizing to be exact - is what we learned about in our first study tour destination; the Nordstrom Office! Learning about the merchandizing cycle process of Nordstrom Rack and HauteLook was very eye opening as a Design student, and not a Merchandizing student, because it showed a lot of the behind the scenes planning that goes behind advertising sales, showcasing products on a website, and documenting information for events and buyer analytics. As the pictures above show, there is a main workflow process that goes from starting with an assortment of items and inventory, sometimes from Nordstrom Rack, that would go into an event on HauteLook, to the final step of initiating the events and/or sales. It may not seem like much in the pictures, but requires a lot of effort and attention to details, because one wrong move could create a grave mistake or a loss of money for the company - any company, really. This experience overall has taught me that once I try to start up in this field, I can't just think that I can draw a design and have it sold, and that's that. No, I have to look at all parts of not only the design process, but the business strategies as well. I wonder what the next destination will have in store for us!