kdynes

[kdynes]

Tusk

On Tuesday July 23rd, we went to tusk in Manhattan. Tusk is an luxury, leather handbag store. Tusk is based in New York City, but they gain a lot of inspiration from India; where the handbag factory in Mumbai that is managed by the owner’s family. So it is very unique. With all of their products they promote fair wages and sustainability; while maintaining a functional and high quality product.

Tusk believes in using only high quality leathers that they have touched and picked themselves. Although they price of these products range from $100-$300 the product is worth the prices, because of the quality. This store was interesting to me because  the owner actually asked our opinion on how to promote the store and what kind of ideas and things customer’s actually care about when purchasing a product. The owner truly cares about what the customer wants. 

[kdynes]

Preface

On Thursday, July 18th, my class visited Preface in Manhattan New York. Preface is a fabric business started by Sonia Martin and Betsy Franjola.  Preface is a preliminary statement of trend merged with fabric collections, printed textiles, a curated book selection and vintage garments. Betsy Franjola graduated from The University of Cincinnati in the DAAP program. This was especially interesting to me because my sister graduated from The University of Cincinnati in the DAAP program as well, so I know how tough the program is. And the amount of work and time I’m sure Betsy has put in, in order to make Preface a reality.

I started my tour of Preface in  pop up shop of vintage clothing. This room was special to me because all the pieces that were shown were truly vintage and an aesthetic statement. The man that talked about the vintage clothing pop-up shop talked about how vintage clothing is a current and future way to shop; because it is clothing that customers are looking for, that have been upcycled so there is zero waste of making new garments and it is not harmful to the environment. 

Aside from the vintage pop- up shop, there was a seperate room of merchandisers from mostly China and also from Los Angeles California, that sold and talked about their fabric/textiles/ and garments they created.  I liked that the companies that were showcased were from abroad, but also from in the United States. There was one specific company that I talked to that were very personal when talking to me and were open-minded to sharing insight in the fashion world and merchandising over seas. 

[kdynes]

The MET

On Tuesday, my class attended The Metropolitan Museam of Art.The MET is one of the world’s largest and finest art museums and was founded in 1870. It is home to thousands of rare and beautiful pieces of art. My favorite exhibit was Camp. Camp is a fashion exhibit that examines how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration are expressed in fashion. Camp is extraordinary. There are many pieces from Moshino to Gucci to Marc Jacobs, to Walter Van Beirendonck and much more. Camp is almost what you want it to be. It’s kind of hard to understand. I think the most important thing to know about the word “Camp’, is that it is to take the essence of something or an idea and exaggerate the idea to it’s utmost potential. 

Also, at the MET, me and a few classmates went to the garden on the rooftop. It was beautiful because you could see the full landscape of Manhattan and the beautiful buildings. After that, we walked around for about an hour and toured different exhibits other than Camp. Pieces of art that caught my eye were large tribal sculptures and the Spanish exhibit. The MET is a great place to get lost in,  mentally and physically lol. Even if you are not constantly critiquing or viewing every piece of art, the culture and the vibe of the museum is relaxing and inspiring.   

[kdynes]

Stole Knitting

On Thursday, my class went to stoll knitting in Manhatten. At Stole knitting we were told many facts about the machine knitting process. Stole knitting is a very cool place because on the tags of the clothing, it has bar codes which if you scan on your iphone, it brings you directly to the website page with the pattern of the exact garment. Also, at Kent State we have an exact replica of one of the stoll knitting machines

During the tour of stoll knitting tour we were taught how to use a hand knitting machine and one of my classmates actually got to keep one of the swatches and later we were taught how to finish the edges of the knit so it would have a clean finish

[kdynes]

Mood Fabrics

On Tuesday, My class attended Mood Fabrics. Without a doubt, Mood Fabrics is the number one shopping destination for fashion fabrics in the world and has played a giant role in the fashion industry and on Project Runway for a long time. 

 Although I did not attend this class, I visited mood fabrics a few weeks prior. First, walking into the building for Mood Fabrics was very interesting because It was a huge building and you had to take a weird, high tech elevator to get to the floor it was on. Then, when walking in, it was a little overwhelming. I definitely was not in Joanne’s anymore! It was crazy to me to see how many fabrics could be in one store. From, cotton and denim to leather, crepe, silk, ect. they had any fabric I could think of. There was also a wide assortment of zippers, accessories, and applique. Something else that was very interesting to me, was not only did they have a Mood fabrics but there was also a Mood Home next door. The Mood Home contained all different sorts of upholstery fabrics, curtains, ect… which is actually the first store I walked into accidently, instead of Mood Fabrics. 

Also, In Mood Fabrics, the staff was very knowledgeable and knew their stuff. When I went into Mood Fabrics I was looking for a type of lace and trim and when I asked for help from an employee they knew exactly where it was. Furthermore, when I was in the store I happened to walk into a room where sewing lessons were being taught. Which was also very cool to me. 

I can’t wait to visit Mood again and I know I will before I go back to Ohio!

[kdynes]

Cotton Incorporated

On July 2nd my class visited Cotton Incorporate. Lauren Williams, the Trend Forecaster, gave us a presentation about what Cotton Incorpporated is truely about. Cotton Incorporated is a non-profit company that develops research amd inshight to ompanies for innovative and profitable cotton. Cotton Incorporated employess travel to different countries such as Asia, Europe, Australia, WN eZEALAND to research cultures, attend events, and buy garments to present to other companies. The garments that oCtton Incorporated buys, are in silhouette form and also to cut up to give out swatches uring hteir presentations. When another company buys a swatch, the recipe of how to make that fabric is given to them and then the company takes the recipe of the fabric and brings it to another party for the fabric to be made. Cotton Incorporated is based in North Carolina, where there is mini research lab, knitting lab and finiancial and legal work is completed there. 

[kdynes]

Terra Indie

On Tuesday,  June 25th, we met at Terra Indie. Terra Indie is a small bridal/dress store located in Manhattan. The owner travels to different parts of India to meet with merchandisers and vendors, and goes to event to find special designers that make dresses she can sell in her store. The dresses in the store range from about $1,000 to $6,000 but the store also has dresses that are a little lower priced and also higher priced. Although that seems pretty expensive, all the dresses are curated to fit the customer and the design can be altered in many ways. For example, the customer can change the color of the garment or placement of the beading on the garment. 

This was my favorite place that we’ve visited so far not only because of the beautiful dresses but because of her honesty and drive to have her business grow. Out of all the places we have visited for this class, she was the first to be completely honest about how hard the fashion industry can be and that sometimes it’s not always glamorous. She explained to us how she started her company with almost zero money, 2 years ago, and has doubled her profits since the first year. She also explained that when you start a business you should be prepared to make severe sacrifices with  your money. Although, you have to pay your bills, you also have to be ready to put a lot of money into your business in order for future growth. She also used the word “hustle” a lot… putting yourself out there in order to gain more clients. and having to be nice and respectful to all customers because any one could potentially buy a dress; and aside from that, she is still trying to grow her business, so she wants every customer to have a good experience so they can tell other possible customers about her store

[kdynes]

Hudson Yards

On June 20th, my class attended The Hudson Yards in Manhattan New York. Unfortunately I was too sick to attend this site, I researched some main attractions and the story behind Hudson Yards. It’s located west of Manhattan on the banks of the Hudson River with several office buildings, numerous apartment, hotels, a public school, and more than 100 shops, restaurants and parks. Hudson Yards is a fairly new district in Manhattan that was beginning to be constructed in 2012. And it is said to be the most elaborate construction since the Rockefeller. This year they opened up the shopping portion of Hudson Yards. At the end of the project, there will be over 4,000 apartments, 100 shops, and it will be a total of 412 Acres. 

There are many sites to see in The Hudson Yards, some that I found from my research include: The Shed, Snark Park, and The Vessel. The Shed is a structure for all types of artists (singers, dancers, performers) to showcase their work. The Snark Park is a place were designers, artisits, architectures of Snarkitecture display immersive art in monochromatic ways and is a unique place for people to play and view. The Snark Park looks the most interesting to me because I can’t quite figure out what I would expect to see. Aside from a few of the “must see” sites I just listed. There are also over 100 stores to be shopped in, including some of my favorite brands and designers. Some of these include: Banana Republic, Dior, Athleta, Kate Spade, Madewell, H&M, Chanel... I could go on and on. 

Overall, Hudson Yards looks like an extremely fabulous place to see and learn about new/unique art, as well as having a successful shopping trip in stores all in one place. I’m pretty disappointed I wasn’t able to attend this site but I plan on visiting on my own time in the near future.

[kdynes]

FIT

On Thursday June 20th, we went to the FIT museum and were given a private presentation and were shown actual clothing throughout history. She started from the 1900′s and followed through until the 1990′s. Also, the garments she showed us were actual ones from the time period. They were not costumes.

The woman presenting started off by showing us garments worn in the early 1900s. Garments such as the corset. The corset was a structured piece worn in the torso that has boning in it and ties in the back that allow for the women wearing the corset, to tighten and loosen it, to shape the torso and to make the torso seem smaller. Later on, the corset was made with hook and eyes allowing for the corset to be purchased by most women, because women could tighten and loosen it themselves. Without any assistance. 

Other garments that she showed us was Dior’s New Look. Dior’s new look was an outfit with a jacket and full fitted skirt, that accentuated the waist and was full at the bottom. 

Another designer that was talked about was CoCo Chanel. who wore knee length skirts and lite, but fitted jackets. She also would put a chain at the hem of her jackets to weigh them down and give them a more structured look.

There is a lot I could say about our presentation at the FIT Museum. I learned a great deal of information that I did not know before.

[kdynes]

M&S Flowers

On Tuesday, June 18th we met at M&S Flowers located at 242 West 36th Street. We met with the owner . He was a very funny and down to earth guy. M&S Flowers is originally owned by his father. M&S Flowers makes fabric flowers that can be used for any purpose. Usually, used to be sewn on dresses or to be worn in someone’s hair, or even just for decoration. M&S Flowers has made fabric flowers for many different celebrities such as Anne Hathaway and Vera Wang.

Adam took us on a tour and should us all of the different kinds of flowers they have made and how they are made. (Pictures of the flowers shown below).

First, the fabric used to make the flowers, is stiffened, to make sure the flower holds up after being made. Then, one of the many metal mold cutters they have are used to cute the shape of the flower. Next, There are other special molds that create a special design on the flower to give it a unique look. Then, if there is anything else to be put on the flower, such as a clip, that is done last. I really enjoyed taking a tour of this company and seeing how the flowers are made.   

[kdynes]

Nordstrom

On June 13th 2019 we were given a presentation from Jamie who is the assistant digital merchandiser in the New York location of Nordstrom. Nordstrom’s headquarters is based in Seattle and there is only a small team team in the New York City office. Jamie showed us different tactics to display merchandise on Nordstrom’s website and the differences between Nordstrom, Norstrom Rack, and Haute look. Nordstrom rack is cheaper than Nordstrom and HauteLook. People think that because Nordstrom rack is cheaper, that it’s merchandise that just didn’t sell. That is not the case. 

Nordstrom Rack is filled with merchandise that is just as good quality as Nordstrom; there are even items that are specifically chosen to appear on Nordstrom Rack. Although her presentation was short, we were given a chance to ask questions (about Nordstrom or simple life questions). She talked to us about how she wasn’t able to find a job after college, therefore, she did another internship. It comforted me to know that not everyone gets a job after they graduate, and I can still get a great job after getting more experience as an intern.

[kdynes]

M.M. La Fleur

M.M. LaFleaur. On June 11th 2019 I toured M.M. LaFleur at 100 Broadway Manhatten. This company interested me more than I thought it would previous to the tour. We met with a panel of amazing women who explained to us the mission of M.M. LaFleur and what they have achieved. This company is truly inspiring because they design and style their clients based on that particular client’s needs. To summarize their customer, M.M. LaFleur, mostly targets women who are well established in their career, loves their job, but may not be sure what to their job. Or they may not be sure what fits them well for their job. Although, they usually have clients of this sort, they are currently ooking to choose fabrics that cost less and design clothing that could be bought by a woman who may not have the income to afford their current prices. The team at M.M. LaFleur curates styles, fits, colors, ect. that are specific to what you want and your body type. They do this in several ways; But my favorite is The Bento. The Bento is a box full of hand selected items, based on detailed questions asked by their stylists. They ask you questions such as your age, occupation, favorite styles, Ect. and then they send you outfits directly to you based on your answers. I believe that so many brands and companies design their clothes based on what they think their clients should own and not what the client wants

[kdynes]

FFANY Shoe Expo

On Thursday, June 6th, I visited the FFANY shoe expo at 24th West 57th Street at the Warwick City Hotel. At the FFANY shoe expo, shoes by different vendors were shown to possible buyers before the shoes hit the market. There were many differrent types of brands there. Some of the different brands included: Clarks, Crocs, Sketchers, Ect. 

To me, the most interesting part of FFANY was, that the shoes were laid out on beds and carpet floors in different hotel rooms. Each different shoe brand was in a different hotel room.

My favorite shoes to look at were Clarks and Crocs because any brand of shoe that I wear, has to be stylish yet very comfortable.  I was really impressed with the vendor who talked about Crocs, because he explained to me that the shoe sizes come in 3 different sizes of widths. This was exciting for me because I wear a 7 ½ Wide shoe and it’s extremely hard to find shoes that are comfortable; Most brands of shoes that I find, only have one width size.

Overall, the FFANY shoe expo was an incredible, eye opening experience for me and I hope to go back.