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Fifth Avenue Women, July 24, 2018

For our last study tour, we went to Fifth Avenue Women. Fifth Avenue Women is a jewelry wholesaler, who specialized in different gems and stones. We talked to the President of the company, Sophia So. Sophia was originally born in Taiwan and moved to New York to make a better life for herself and eventually family.

Sophia knows a lot about precious gems and stones. She sells to many different stores including Saks, Barneys, JCPenny’s, Macy’s, etc. Her favorite gem is the Jade. Jade can show someone if they are in good health based on how shiny it is after wearing for a few months. Jade is typically a green color but can range from brown to light green.

Since Fifth Avenue Women is a wholesaler, Sophia sells the jewelry at manufacture price, meaning it is relatively inexpensive, but when companies purchase from her, they mark it up 60-70% to be able to make a profit. Sophia has been doing this for over 30 years and she absolutely loves jewelry. She does everything from costume jewelry to fine jewelry with precious gems.

Even though Sophia majored in Computer Science, her true passion is for jewelry. That is why she started this business. It was really cool to learn more about the wholesale process and how much things actually cost when it comes from the manufacturer verses retail.

Overall, I learned a lot about jewelry and the wholesale process. It was interesting to learn about it after learning about all of the other companies that we visited this Summer. It was a very different experience from Sam Edelman and their showroom verses the showroom here at Fifth Avenue Women. Throughout the whole Summer semester I learned a lot about the industry and each visit was unique to the company.

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Stoll, July 19, 2018

On Thursday, we went to Stoll. Stoll America Knitting Machinery has been around since 1873 making knitting machines and creating different knit stitches as well. It is one of the leading flat knit machine manufacturer in the world.

One of the biggest things Stoll focuses on is quality of yarn and quality of garment. Most of their garments are fully fashioned meaning there aren’t any seams. They use linkers to link the edges together by knitting.

Stoll has worked to develop many different techniques when it comes to knitting. They knit everything from shirts, dresses, jackets, pants, hats, and shoes. There are different gauges of knitting machines, i.e. how big the needle is. The higher the number, the finer the needle used causing a thinner fabric.

At Stoll, they have both machines that do the knitting and they have hand knitters, shown in the picture above. To create a long vest, it would take them three days. It was really interesting to watch these ladies work on their projects because it is such a craft and it takes months to learn how to had knit using a machine like you see above. Both of the ladies above have been knitting with a machine for over 40 years!

Lastly, Stoll has a huge library of different knits and fabric samples. They allow designers to come and see the new collection but also use the library for inspiration for their collections. They only allow one designer in their at a time and they will spend half a day or more looking through everything. 

Overall, it was an interesting visit since Stoll is known around the world for their knitting expertise and have created and influenced many different knits, fabrics and designers inspiration.

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Sam Edelman, July 17, 2018

Today, we went to Sam Edelman and talk to Lizzie, Jessica and Sam himself. I really enjoyed learning more about the company. Sam and his wife Libby started their first company in 1987 called SAM&LIBBY. They created shoes that were comfortable and stylish. They both retired for about 10 years. In 2004 They started the Sam Edelman brand and have been doing really well since then. 

Sam told us about the office space and why it is so important to him. The inconsistent free hanging, reclaimed wood beams represent that the brand is different and there is never a straight path to the finish line. It also show that it is a different brand that does things maybe a little unorthodox compared to other brands. 

The above picture is of their lobby. You can see the beams that I talked about before. The big table is what they call the kitchen table. It is a place for people from all departments of the company can come together and eat lunch or just have a conversation. Sam and Libby are very involved in the company and their employees. They have made it like a family atmosphere and they know every employee including things about their life and family. This kitchen table is to represent the kitchen table in Sam and Libby’s Connecticut home, where they first came up with the idea and concept of their brand.

Every little thing that they talked about had a reason behind it. All of their ideas and inspiration came from buying trips around the world. A few employees would go along with Sam and Libby themselves. They would bring everything back to their headquarters, which is the entire 34 floor in the building, and set up a showroom to tell a story of their target market. They come up with 1000 different SKU’s and when buyers come to look at them, they start to pair that number down to a collection size for the season. 

Every piece of furniture that is at the company has, at one point been in Sam and Libby’s house. It is all from their personal collection. The company has been showcased in many magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Bazaar, Marie Claire, etc. The company is very different from other companies because anyone can talk to anyone about any problem and many times people ask Sam or Libby. Everyone in the office seamed to be very personable.

I really enjoyed this visit and I think this might be my favorite. Sam Edelman is a company that I would want to work for in the future because of the family atmosphere and how involved Sam and Libby are within the company. I am definitely going to keep my eyes open for Sam Edelman opportunities, when I start applying for jobs soon.

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Fox Unlimited, July 12, 2018

On Thursday, we went to Fox Unlimited. Fox Unlimited is a leading fur and leather supplier in NYC. During our visit, we had the pleasure to talk to the owners, Jack and Marvin. They were so nice and let us try on some of their jackets.

https://www.foxunlimited.com/pages/about-us 

Jack and Marvin explained to us some of the process of creating the garments. They always die the fur or leather first before they create the garments. They use a wide variety of furs such as, Coyote, Fox, Rabbit, Goat, Mink, Raccoon, and more. 

Fox Unlimited also has a small factory at their location. It is only used to create samples. They do mass manufacturing overseas since they work with big fashion companies such as Michael Kors. Fox Unlimited has their own in house brand called, Tasha Tarno.

Overall, I really enjoyed this visit and hearing all about the company from the owners, Jack and Marvin and all of the garments that they showed us were really cool, like the leather shawl in the above picture. 

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Doneger, July 10, 2018

Yesterday, we visited Doneger. Doneger is a trend forecasting company, who specialize in fashion, business, and culture trends. For many of my classes I have used Doneger for their fashion trends for future season. I did not realize that they offered more than just fashion. Doneger is a very creative business and has more to offer than other trend forecasting companies.

The biggest thing that I learned is that they really focus on their clients and providing them with lots of information to help them make an informed decision for their company. They do this by using one of their five different services. Services include:

DONEGER MERCHANDISING: Our core business provides retailers with extensive consulting services, seasonal merchandising direction and current business and market analysis in all classifications, sizes and price levels for women’s, men’s and children’s apparel, accessories and footwear.

DIRECTIVES WEST: Our West Coast merchandising team provides market analysis, extensive retail and street coverage, and insight into the West Coast lifestyle as it relates to fashion and the consumer.

DONEGER CREATIVE SERVICES: Our lifestyle, trend and color forecast offering is comprised of a broad range of products and services devoted to the apparel, accessories, footwear, beauty, home and lifestyle markets.

PRICE POINT BUYING: With a focus on women's, men's and children's apparel, accessories, footwear and home, PPB presents clients with outstanding opportunistic buys and facilitates business relationships in the value-driven marketplace.

TOBE: Our consumer-centric fashion think tank, TOBE defines the influence fashion and aesthetics have on the consumer, delivering creative strategies in the areas of business development, marketing, customer engagement, design and presentation.

https://www.doneger.com/public/Services-Page.html#serv-forecasting

I found all this information from Doneger’s website from the link above. Out of all of the different services, for fashion, I find that Doneger Creative Services is the most useful when conducting information about current and future trends.

The image above show a quick preview of the Street Sport from the Fall/Winter 18: Ready to Wear Runway Recap. Doneger puts together different reports from different events from fashion shows to music festivals and to other cultural events. They look everywhere for current trends and for what might come next.

Overall, I enjoyed our visit but I wish they would have showed us around a little bit to give us a better idea of what they actually do verses just showing us their website for an hour. It was still interesting to learn more about Doneger since we use it for class projects. 

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Dover Street Market, July 5, 2018

Today we went to Dover Street Market. Dover Street Market started in 1912 on Dover Street in Mayfair, London. It is a high fashion company multi-brand retailer and has stores in New York City, Tokyo, Singapore. 

In the store there were 7 levels with different designers on each level. On Thursdays, Dover Street launches a new collection. Today they launched a Supreme line. We were not allowed to take pictures of it but it was really cool to see.

Something that Dover Street Market excels in is visual merchandising. Every floor for every brand had a different theme and mood. It made the small floors unique to the brands that were on them. This was really interesting to me since I am a very visual person.

They really make good use of the small space that they have. They have very creative ideas that help define each brand. This was my favorite part about Dover Street. The use of space and how different each corner was.

Even though I cannot afford any of the clothes, I really enjoyed seeing the unique items and spaces in the store and how the sections of the store flowed right into the next.

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ABC Carpet & Home, July 3, 2018

Today we went to ABC Carpet & Home. It reminded me a lot of Marshall's or TJ Maxx minus the clothes. It was similar to a concept store, where table sets were put together and bed sets were set up with bedding and pillows and everything you would need to sleep.

This store was very interesting because it had a very large variety of things in the store, many of which were vintage items. Many designers come to the store for inspiration since items are also from all over the world. 

“Sourcing goods that are created with sustainability and fair labor standards in mind, we have pioneered a path all our own, creating and nurturing a marketplace built on craftsmanship, quality and integrity,“ (http://www.abchome.com/about/). I think this movement is huge and amazing that they take sourcing goods to a whole new level and find the best of the best to bring to the store. 

We did not have an official tour today, but it was still really cool to see all of the different vintage pieces that were in the store. I think that ABC Carpet & Home has a really good sense of what people want for their homes. I feel like a lot of people want to have unique furniture that fits their lifestyle and personality. Your home can say a lot about yourself.

Overall, it was really interesting to see all of the different influences that are in the store and I understand why designers come here to find new inspiration for their collections.

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Natori, June 28,2018

Today we went to Natori! The Natori Company was started by Josie Natori in the late 1970′s with an embroidered blouse that she brought from her native country of the Philippines. She took this blouse to a buyer at Bloomingdale’s and the buyer encouraged her to make the blouse into a sleep shirt. Thus the brand Natori was born. Natori is a high luxury Lingerie brand that is now also getting to Athleisure wear.

The Natori company has many different brands under the name including Natori, Josie, Josie Natori, and N Natori. They have everything from Ready to Wear to Couture. Natori owns her own factory in the Philippines that she works closely with to ensure the quality and production of her garments. 

One thing that I found interesting is that the design team only has two people and an intern in the department. Today, they kept saying that it is a small company, but I think it is bigger than they think. It may only have a small workforce but there are many brands under the same name that reach a lot of people at different price points. There are many different departments that work close together to make everything possible from design to production to the retail stores.

We met with someone who deals with all of the colors and lab dips for all the Natori brands. He takes what the designers come up with and finds fabric swatches that match the colors wanted and then relays this information to mills to create lab dips and sample swatches to ensure color matching. It was really cool to learn about more fields in the fashion industry.

Overall, I think the Natori company is a great way to see all different price points of consumers. It is a well established company, and one that would be great to work for in the future. I really enjoyed learning more about the company.

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Nordstrom Buying Office, June 26, 2018

We had the opportunity to visit the Nordstrom Buying Offices here in New York City. It was cool to see something that we talk about so much in classes and what a lot of people want to go into. We talked to Jamie who was a student at FIT and she does digital Merchandising for HauteLook which Nordstrom uses for flash sales for certain brands. Most of these brands do not want to be seen as an off price brand so they do not allow Nordstrom to sell their items at Nordstrom Rack, but they allow them to do flash sales on HauteLook.

When Jamie was speaking about Digital Merchandising, that was the first time I have heard of this field of fashion. The above picture shows the differences between Digital Merchandising and Buying. Digital Merchandising takes care of a lot of things for the website and planning events that are going to happen online. They are responsible for driving conversion through the customer experience. Where as buyers are responsible for ensuring events meet demand plans as well as forecasting future sales plans. They also create and maintain relationships with vendors to get the best assortment.

Digital Merchandising is a very behind the scenes job but they are responsible for a lot and making sure that they tell the Right Story in the Right Place at the Right Time to satisfy customers needs online. They plan some online events 6 months to over a year in advance to ensure that their numbers are and will be good for those months. 

Overall, it was interesting to learn about more fields and opportunities that are offered within the fashion industry. Nordstrom has a lot of opportunities for employees to grow within the company.

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FIT History of Fashion, June 21, 2018

Today, we went to the FIT Museum and spoke with a lady name Ellen. She is a Fashion Historian and showed us garments from the early 1900.s through 1980′s. I thought I knew the basics of the history of fashion but, she definitely taught me more. 

Photo creds: https://www.linhardtdesign.com/483/

One of the first things Ellen told us about was about the corset that women would wear to get an hour glass figure in the early 1900′s. I did not get a picture of this but she explained that women would always put their hands on their hips to get the corset tighter and the one she showed us was falling apart, right where the women’s hands would go. This tells us that the sweat and oils of our hands and body, actually affect the fibers of the garment causing it to deteriorate. From here, we moved into the 20′s Flappers style. Ellen showed us a beautiful evening dress from the 20′s that was off the rack but all hand embroidered. 

It is hard to see in this picture from the angle I was at, but it was a nude color dress with every inch covered in beading in whites, silvers and golds. We talked about how the silhouette changed from the tight corset to a dropped waist and not much of a silhouette in the 20′s. From this we talked about how the Stock Market crash really impacted fashion and the materials that were allowed to be used for fashion. Salvatore Ferragamo was a shoe designer. He created many different shoes from atypically materials like fishing wire and cork during this time and into WWII when supplies were limited. We moved into the 1940′s with talking about Dior’s New Look from 1947.

Dior’s New Look was created during WWII when supplies were being rationed and the war took priority. The length of skirts got shorter and Dior revolutionized the “modern” women. This was a very fashion forward look for the time period and many Europeans did not like this new style, where the Americans loved it.

I don’t remember what decade this was from but the jacket is actually a cape that would of been worn with this nude dress that is cut on the bias. The cape is made out of red silk velvet with a fuchsia silk/chiffon (I don’t remember exactly) crepe lining. I thought this dress was really pretty and very different than other item that we saw. Below is an image of the dress being worn.

Lastly, we looked at a few dresses from the 1960′s and 1970′s. Below is a picture of one of my favorite dresses we saw today because it is bright and colorful and it is just fun! If I remember correctly, Oscar de la Renta designed it.

Overall, I enjoyed learning and seeing garments from the 20th century and I think we all need to learn more about the history of fashion and how the economy and cultures define fashion. Fashion doesn’t define the years, the economy does and fashion follows.

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Mood Fabrics: June 19, 2018

Today, we had the opportunity to go to one of the most well known fabric stores: Mood Fabrics. Mood was founded by Jack Sauma in 1991. Jack grew up in Lebanon and Sweden and graduated from design school in the 1970′s. Jack began to work as a contractor and sewing clothing for famous designers, such as Michael Kors, Geoffrey Beene and Pierre Cardin (https://www.moodfabrics.com/about-us/). During our visit, we spoke with Ashley more about Mood and what they all have to offer. 

Ashley works as a close out buyer for the company, contacting different designers to purchase their leftover fabrics from their past season. In the store there are thousands of different fabrics that are organized by fiber content. It is hard to keep all of them organized perfectly since so many customers come through the three floor store everyday. 

One thing that has helped keep the store open is Project Runway. Project Runway is a TV competition show for young designers to be recognized and noticed by the fashion industry. Every summer, Project Runway comes to Mood to purchase fabrics during filming. When they come to film, however, the employees must close the store for a couple hours to let them film. This helps people recognize Mood Fabrics and brings more customers to them.

Overall, it was a great visit and really cool to see a place where a popular show within the Fashion industry is filmed. I learned that you really need to know your fabrics in order to work there since there are so many and separated by fiber content. Lastly, enjoy a couple pictures of the famous dog, Swatch!

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MET: Heavenly Bodies: June 14, 2018

Today we went to the MET to see the Heavenly Bodies exhibit. Heavenly Bodies combined fashion and medieval art. These were used to create conversation of fashion’s engagement with the Catholic church of devotional and traditional practices. Within the exhibit, there were a lot of supporting artifacts that were from the 14-17 century. The combination of the artifacts and fashion reminded me a lot of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

The designers that were showcased in the exhibit, were for the most part raised in the Roman Catholic traditional church. Within the church there are many symbols and other imagery that is expressed and can have a large impact on many people including children. In the church, there are specific garments worn by the clergy and other religious leaders and orders. As you can see in the above picture, nuns wear a habit and it is typically a very specific outfit but in the examples above, the garments are a little more modern versions of the habit, which are never seen worn by a nun. 

Mother Mary is a big influence on the Catholic church and there were many artifacts made of her holding her son, Jesus Christ. In the above picture, you can see her garment is red, where it is typically blue. The red color, symbolized royalty. In the image below, Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino, recalled a silk dress called, cappa magna, worn as a choir dress by cardinals and bishops. I think he also made a correlation between Mother Mary’s red garment and the dress that he created in A/W 17/18. The two both have movement in the garments even though they are still. Piccioli made a more feminine version of the choir dress that would have been worn by cardinals and bishops.

This is a wedding dress designed by Christian Lacro’x in A/W 09/10. The embroidery is very similar to what would be seen in a traditional Pope robe. It is very elaborate and detailed, fit for a queen. This dress invoked the concept of the “virgin bride,” and took inspiration from Spain, Portugal and the Hispanic and Portuguese colonies from the late sixteenth to early eighteenth century. 

Overall, I found this exhibit to be very interesting though seeing how much the  Catholic church has influenced fashion back then and even today.

*Note: Information on garments and exhibit, were taken from the descriptions posted in the MET. 

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Rebecca Minkoff: June 12, 2018

Today we went to the Rebecca Minkoff store on Greene Street in SOHO. We talked with Mary Kate and she told us all about the brand and what is special about this store. 

Now a days, many brands are trying to figure out how to connect with more consumers through technology since it has been made more accessible to more people. Let’s back up a step and learn more about the company first. Rebecca Minkoff is the largest, global brand that is run by a millennial women. She moved to New York at 18 to follow her dream to become a fashion designer. Since she is in the millennial generation, she has always been an early adapter of technology. This has been a driving force in her brand since she started. 

Minkoff‘s first big recognition was in 2001, when she “designed a version of the “I Love New York” t-shirt as part of a five-piece capsule collection, which appeared on The Tonight Show and became an overnight sensation,” (https://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/pages/about). After this she designed her first handbag called the ”Morning After Bag” and continued to design handbags for four years. In 2009, Minkoff wanted to get back to her roots and design apparel. This is when she released her first ready-to-wear collection. 

Rebecca Minkoff is now recognized global brand that has over 900 stores worldwide. One thing that is special about this store on Greene Street in SOHO in NYC is the use of technology within the store. When you first walk in the store, there is a wall that looks like the perfect place to take an Instagram picture. That’s because it is! This is a way for the brand to connect with consumers online (see wall below).

On the other side of the store is another wall that lets you connect with the brand by allowing you to look though the clothes they have in store, just like you would flip though a magazine! I thought this was a very innovative way to use today’s technology. This wall can also allow you to shop online, start a dressing room and order a drink! The picture below is from the Wall Street Journal because it was hard to see in the photo I took (https://www.wsj.com/articles/designer-rebecca-minkoffs-new-stores-have-touch-screens-for-an-online-shopping-experience-1415748733).

Another way that the store is using technology is in the dressing rooms. As soon as an item enters the room, the RFID sensor is read and shows up on the mirror and the workers/manager’s iPads. The fitting room’s mirror is not only a mirror but a way that the client can interact with the brand, letting them see how the item can be styled. The technology can also allow you to change the lighting based on real examples around the city. This way you can see how the garment would look in different situations.

Lastly, the store has a self-check out counter! This makes shopping easier if you know exactly what you want and if you are in a hurry. The items in the store have sensors on them to help prevent theft but during self-checkout, it does not allow you to take the sensor off until you have fully purchased the item. This also helps the staff have another register/cashier when they are busy.

Overall, I loved this visit and I learned a lot about how technology can be integrated more into retail stores. I think the fashion industry needs to look more at the Rebecca Minkoff brand and adopt some of their technology uses within the store. It was a very interesting visit and a brand that we especially need to keep our eye on!

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Cotton Inc. June 7, 2018

Our first adventure to a fashion company was to Cotton Inc. Cotton Inc. is a non-profit organization that was created in 1970 by American Cotton farmers in response to synthetic textile fibers that were being used over nature fibers. Cotton Inc. is a research and promotion company for cotton. They conduct research that helps benefit every aspect of the cotton supply chain.

We had the opportunity to talk to Aubrey about her position as a Trend Forecaster. One of their jobs is to travel to many different cities doing research to learn more about upcoming trends and street style. When they purchase sample garments, whether it is for the silhouette or for the fabric, they have to make sure that the garment is at least 60% cotton.

With sustainability becoming a bigger issue in today’s society, Cotton Inc. has taken many steps to develop new ways of growing, processing and manufacturing cotton to have a more efficient way, with less impact on the environment. “Cotton producers who have over the past 40 years embraced new methods and innovations that have reduced pesticide applications by 50%, reduced irrigated water applications by 45%, and increased fiber production without without expanding acreage,” (https://www.cottoninc.com/about-cotton/sustainability/). Efforts like this will help our growing population and demand for products and clothes that are cotton. 

Overall, I really enjoyed learning more about their sustainability efforts and the steps they are taking to help cotton farmers and the environment.