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12/6/2021 Aritzia Hudson Yards

Aritzia is a Canadian clothing retailer. They have three stores in the New York Metropolitan area. On Monday, we visited the Hudson Yards Location. Hudson Yards is a mall on the border of midtown and Chelsea. It is home to the Edge observation deck, the Vessel, and the start of the Highline. Hudson Yards was opened to the public on March 15, 2019. It soon became a staple in New York City shopping and a tourist location. It houses many fast-fashion retailers as well as some luxury brands. From Dior to H&M, Hudson Yards really has everything, including Aritza.

Aritzia is in the better market segment. They sell well-made, trending clothing and accessories at a higher price point. Our Guide, Laura, described their customer as “the woman who shops luxury and needs something for her everyday-wear.” They have gained popularity through social media with the “Melina” pant, a vegan leather pant, and their “super-puff” jackets.

I really enjoyed the Aritzia design aesthetic. You can see the quality in their garments and feel the difference in their fabrics, in comparison to other fast-fashion alternatives. I also really enjoyed the comfortable layout of the store. I really enjoyed seeing all of the lights inside Hudson Yards! Their light displays are gorgeous!

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11/29/21 Kohl’s presentation

Kohl’s was established in 1962, with its first store opening in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The brand went public in 1992 with 76 stores around the Midwest. Then in 2001, the company launched Kohls.com, giving the brand an online presence. Two years later, Kohls opened 28 stores in California. This gave the brand the coast to coast range that it needed for success! From there on, they have expanded to nearly 1,100 stores throughout the United States and a blooming online presence for e-commerce. Kohl’s annual revenue as of 2020 is 19.9 billion dollars. The company has made a name for themselves and have successfully established themselves as a dominant force in US retail.

It was very interesting to hear about the design side of Kohls from Paige’s guest. Growing up, Kohl’s was always somewhere my mother would take me for my back to school shopping. It’s a practical retailer for families and lower to middle class adults. Hearing about this perspective on the fashion industry really means a lot. It gives another avenue for students that are entering the workforce!

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Independent Study: the Brooklyn Museum - Dior Exhibit 11/22/21

For my independent research, I went to the Dior exhibit in the Brooklyn Museum. I had never been to Prospect park or Prospect Heights before so this was a very new experience to me! Prospect park is a really nice neighborhood with plenty of trees and greenery. The streets also seem to be a bit wider than the streets of midtown and the garment district. The Brooklyn Museum has free entry for the general exhibits, however, for more specific exhibits, student tickets are about $16. The general exhibits were very well curated and showcased some very amazing artists! I was able to see work from El Anatsui, an artist that I’ve been following for a long time!

The Dior exhibit centered around the luxury brand from its start to its current state. The exhibit started with Christian Dior and his life story which led to the inception of the brand. Some of the most iconic Dior looks were on display as well as some sketches and process images. They also followed the brand past Dior and focused on some of his successors such as Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, and currently Maria Grazia Chiuri.

It was amazing to see the evolution of the Dior silhouette! After seeing this exhibit, I will be sure to follow the brand and see what the future holds for them!

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New York Embroidery Studio 11/15/21

For our next study tour, the class visited the New York Embroidery Studio. The studio is on West 36th street, directly in the Garment District. The company works with designers in the New York City area as well as internationally. As their name suggests, the company specializes in embroidery but also does laser-cutting, printing, embellishments, stoning, metal cutting, pleating, and pretty much anything a designer can think of for their work. The company does large order work as well as small samples for designers. Most of their current work can not be disclosed, however, in the tour, it was mentioned that they worked with Coach for Micheal B. Jordan’s Met Gala 2019 look as well as Thom Brown for Cardi B’s for her 2019 Met Gala look.

This tour was very informative. I have never seen the inside of an embroidery studio before. It was very insightful to see all of the workers putting together their work and seeing the machines operate. I also liked hearing how the company dealt with COVID. According to our guide, the studio was only closed for about a month. They started back up, very soon after quarantine to guarantee their employee’s security at their jobs. Not many companies considered their employee’s well-being at that time so it was very nice to hear the studio really cared about this.

This was a very informative tour and helped me see a new part of the fashion industry, here in New York. It is nice to see that not everything is outsourced for cheaper labor.

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Guest Speaker: Ross head of recruitment, Samantha Mitchnick 11/8/21

On Monday morning, for class, we had a guest speaker come in to tell us about Ross. Ross is a multi-billion dollar corporation headquartered in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. The company was started in California but has 1629 stores nationwide as well as 266 stores of dd’s discounts. Ross brought in 12.5 Billion dollars in fiscal revenue as of 2020. They are the largest off-price retailer in the country and are still intending to grow.

Listening to Samantha give her talk on Ross was very interesting. I had never considered buying as a future career for me. It was always an off-limits profession, just because there is no cross between majors. Design majors don’t learn anything that Merchandising majors do. Fortunately enough, however, Ross hires virtually any major into their internship program and it is easy to rise through the ranks and become a full-time employee. It’s always good news to hear about new possibilities for your future and I enjoyed learning about buying, planning, and the Ross company.

I had no idea that Ross had one of the few female CEOs. I also really loved learning about their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. It seems like an amazing opportunity!

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Diane Von Furstenburg 11/1/21

Diane von Furstenburg was established in 1970. Von Furstenburg wanted to establish her own independence after her marriage with Ergo zu Fürstenburg. Three years later, the couple amicably split. Von Furstenburg kept her surname but changed the zu, which was only common in Europe, to von. Von Furstenburg establishing her independence has been a big part of the brand’s ethos, pushing forward the women’s empowerment movement and allowing women to make their own choices and decisions. This also shows up in von Furstenburg’s designs. The wrap dress created by her was so versatile that anyone could wear it. It was such a strong design that the brand sold roughly 3 to 4 million dollars worth. It was an instant classic that drew inspiration from many other garments before it.

The store manager of the flagship store, Kristin Gardener gave a lot of insight into the way that DVF is doing today. The brand had to downsize massively because of the pandemic. Many brands have had trouble staying afloat during these times but DVF has been making a huge comeback. Their classic silhouettes and trendy prints have made their way back in vogue. They have also been researching what younger consumers gravitate towards to extend the brand’s longevity. The brand has also taken to activism and philanthropy in recent years.

My favorite part of the tour was the trip into the gallery. It was very empowering to see all the portraits of women that are leading past and future generations. It was very beautiful to see the diversity and range of role models that they chose to line the walls. My favorites were Toni Morrison, Harriet Tubman, Simone Biles, Greta Thunberg, and Rosa Parks!

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Guest Speaker: Jamie Seiden 10/25/21

Nordstrom is a family owned retail clothing and shoe store started by John W. Nordstrom in 1901. Nordstrom moved to the United States in 1887 from Sweden with no money and no English speaking skills. Nordstrom managed to save up enough to start the store,only selling shoes, with his partner Carl F. Wallin, a Seattle shoemaker. The first store was opened in Seattle. After this proved successful, the two opened another store and later passed the business onto Nordstrom’s sons, Elmer, Everette and Lloyd. In the 1960s, the shoe store became the most successful shoe store on the west coast. The family decided to venture into women’s clothing. In 1973, Nordstrom opened their first Nordstrom Rack, a clearance center in the basement of the downtown Seattle store. The company worked on expansion across the US all throughout the 1990s. Today, Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack are one of the top retail stores in the country. Nordstrom is also still family owned.

In our last class, we spoke with Jamie Seiden. Jamie is a 2014 graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She started at Nordstrom as a Merchandising Assistant, working with the HauteLook team. In her work, Jamie does a lot of analytics and research for the Nordstrom Rack website, formerly the HauteLook site. For many years, Jamie worked as a digital Merchandiser but was recently promoted to project manager.

I found Jamie’s presentation to be very informative and interesting. I love getting new perspectives of the fashion industry and how different brands and companies operate. Jamie only had good things to say about Nordstrom and it’s corporate structure which is not something I was expecting. This is great news, however, to me and many other students! It opens an avenue that we did not necessarily know about in the past. We rarely get insight into the workings of a large corporation. I was very grateful for Jamie’s perspective!

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10/18/21 Fox Unlimited

For our sixth study tour, our class made our way to Fox Unlimited. Fox Unlimited is a leather good manufacturer in the Garment District. Much like M&S Schmalberg, Fox Unlimited is one of the only leather manufacturers left in their building. Most leather and fur manufacturers have moved abroad or outsourced their labor and move locations. The leather and fur industry has taken a great loss since animal rights activists in the 80s condemned the industry as a whole and pushed many models to promote fur alternatives. Our tour guide informed us of this shift in the consumer habits and genuinely listened to the conversation that we shared about today’s trend. Most of the class agreed that more handcrafted items and quality pieces that will last lifetimes are back in trend, meaning leather goods and fur will make a reappearance in popularity.

I really enjoyed listening to the discussion we had with our classmates. It was interesting to hear everyone’s opinions on trends and consumer habits. I also really enjoyed seeing all the different leather jackets hanging from racks as well as the big fur coats and pillows. It was very interesting to learn about how they were adapting and changing with COVID-19. The move from leather jackets and fur coats to fur pillows and furniture was absolutely genius. As a huge leather fan, I was very interested in some of the jackets available!

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10/11/21 Harry Potter Store

For our fourth-week study tour visit, we visited the Harry Potter store in the Flatiron District. The Harry Potter Store is a store based on the cultural phenomenon of the Harry Potter franchise. The books were written from 1997 to 2007 and the movies were produced from 2001 to 2011. Since then, the franchise has had a massive impact on many generations. The store opened up on June 3rd of this year and has gained fan popularity. About 600 people visit this store every day according to Fodor’s Travels. There was a line nearly around the block, even at 9 am on the day of our tour. There were people of all ages lined up just to get a chance to walk through this themed store. The store has 15 themed rooms and multiple VR experiences available for a cost. There are also customization services on-site for wand and notebook engraving, jersey Embroidery, and much more.

I am not the biggest fan of Harry Potter and do not remember a lot of what happened in the movies or the books but I will admit that it was a very well-thought-out store. The merchandisers know their market and how best to cater to them. The store overall had a very magical and familiar feeling. The very intricate packaging went together with the shelve designs and many displays that they had out. It was a store that I think almost everyone could find something that they enjoyed. I will say that the traffic flow of the store was very cluttered. It was very difficult to get from one side to the other. There were far too many people in a lot of the smaller, compact rooms. It was still, overall, a very enjoyable experience!

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10/4/21 Accents by Sophia or Fifth Avenue Women Inc.

For our fifth-week tour, we visited a jewelry wholesale and retail store. Accents by Sophia is a small one-room showroom packed to the brim with gorgeous jewelry. The company is owned by Sophia So, originally a computer science major in college. So found herself completely enamored with jewels and jewelry making, after college, she decided to found Fifth Avenue Women. The store sells retail quality jewelry at wholesale prices. So has factories in Thailand as well as in the US for manufacturing and sells wholesale to stores like JC Penny, Macy’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue. With her success, So is able to do philanthropic work and has been awarded the Appreciation Award by the Charm of Asia in 2021.

I absolutely loved this tour. It was very interesting to learn the meanings behind semi-precious stones and what types of jewelry they make. So’s perspective on jewelry as a meditative practice was very interesting and refreshing to hear. As she was saying during the tour, we can get caught up in the busyness of life and are in need of a break. Cold stones can really be the method of grounding people. It is a very old thought process that I think gets lost to us in an age where most jewelry is made of plastic

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Prada Flagship Store 9/29/21

On Monday, we visited the Prada flagship store on Fifth Avenue. This small view into the world of luxury was exhilarating! Prada was started in 1913 by Mario Prada in the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II in Milan. The brand initially sold fine leather goods such as bags and trunks as well as steamers and travel accessories. For many years the brand continued like this until the mid 1970s when Miuccia Prada joined the family business. On top of selling high quality leather bags, Prada wanted to branch out into the world of fashion. In 1979, Prada released their collection of women’s footwear. From there, the brand continued to grow and expand with stores opening in Milan, London, Paris, Madrid, and Tokyo. Every store had this unique, clean aesthetic with distinct green walls that became known as “Prada Green”.

Much of the aesthetic and color palette can be seen in stores today. In the New York City Flagship store, the clean aesthetic and green furniture definitely stood out. Everything in the store had a cohesive and sharp look, the look of Prada. According to Garibaldi, our tour guide and store manager, everything in the store from the furniture to the carpet is picked out by “Miss Prada” herself. I was very impressed by the store and really loved the layout. The merchandising and display really showcased the timeless pieces that Prada is known for and the new twists that they have been pioneering in. I will say that I am in love with the prints and textures from their newest ready to wear collection shown at New York Fashion Week a few weeks ago. Even though I will not be able to buy from them, I will enjoy Prada’s collections from the sidelines!

I also really enjoyed the quick walk we took on our way to the Prada store. It was nice to familiarize myself with the surrounding luxury stores and see more parts of New York

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M&S Schmalburg 9/20/21

M&S Schmalburg is a small family owned fabric flower making business in the heart of the Garment District. The company was first established in 1916 and has been in the same building since its start! M&S Schmalburg is the only artificial flower maker still in New York City. Many of the practices that were used in 1916 are still used today with some modifications. Some manual labor was replaced by heavy machinery and some gas appliances were switched out for more electric, hydraulic press machines. Even with the updates to their processes, they still have some flower molds and embossing pieces from the early 20th century.

The company makes artificial flowers for some upstanding clients such as Constance Wu, Emily Ratajkowski, LeBron James and Emma Watson! They also work with designers such as Vera Wang, Marchesa, Ralph Lauren and Oscar De La Renta. Their flowers have been seen all over in different fashion scenes, most recently, the Met gala as well as the VMAs, a couple of weeks ago.

I really enjoyed this tour of the small, one floor factory. I felt that this gave a new and fresh perspective on the fashion industry and what the Garment District used to be like. It’s hard to imagine that 105 years ago, people were doing the exact same thing and using the exact same tools. I also enjoyed looking through the various flower bins and was even able to find a flower to give as a gift!

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Scavenger Hunt 9/13/21

This scavenger hunt was a fun and exciting way to see more of midtown and the garment district! The first stop on our trip was the New York City Public Library. The NYC Public Library is a great resource for New Yorkers, students, and anyone looking for access to knowledge.

The next stop was Bryant Park, directly behind the public library. This park is a great break from the concrete of the city. The park has game stations available to visitors, such as mini-golf, table tennis, and Jenga! In the summer, Bryant Park hosts outdoor movie series.

After Bryant park, the next stop was a book store named Kinokuniya. Unfortunately, the store was closed when we found it at 9:30 in the morning. According to the website, Kinokuniya is a Japanese book store, started in 1927. The store now sells novels in both English and Japanese as well as manga, graphic novels, design books, cookbooks, travel books, and stationery.

The next stop was meant to be the fashion walk of fame. These plaques embedded into the sidewalks of 7th Avenue were meant to commemorate and celebrate notable American fashion designers. Unfortunately (again), the plaques were taken off of the street because of the excessive rainfall within the past few months.

The most famous stop (in the realm of reality TV) on our tour is Mood Fabrics. This fabric store opened in 1997 and sells wholesale and retail fabrics, directly from designers. The store lets customers take swatches for free.

The next stop was All-in-One Suppliers Inc. at 223 W 35th St. All-in-One sells mannequins, dress forms, and some trims.

The stop after All-in-One was the Herald Square Macy’s. It is the largest Macy’s in the world with 11 floors.

Across from Herald square Macy’s is the Herald Square H&M. H&M stands for Hannes and Mauritz.

Then we found ourselves at M&J trimmings. This shop sold thousands of trims, ribbons, and patches!

After some subway travel, we found ourselves at City Paper. City Paper has every type of paper one could imagine. The store also sold stationery and small gifts. This was one of my favorite stops on the route! I loved the colorful papers, neatly arranged.

The next store is Muji. Muji is a Japanese clothing store with many locations throughout the city of New York.

The last stop on our scavenger hunt was F.I.T. or the Fashion Institute of Technology. The exhibit that was on display was Ravishing: The Rose in Fashion. Unfortunately, the exhibit was closed but my group was able to take a photo outside of it!

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Mood Fabrics 8/30/21

Mood Fabrics was founded in 1991 by designer Jack Sauma and his wife Janet Sauma. The young couple moved to NYC in the mid-1970s. With a successful career in the design world, Sauma grew tired of the business side of the fashion industry. He began selling fabrics from his collection to wholesale buyers as Mood Fabrics. After this took off, more home sewers and seamstresses had expressed interest in buying from the newly established Mood Fabrics but it wasn’t until 1993 that the store included retail sales on top of wholesale. This became a success and created the Mood Fabrics we know today.

This three-floor fabrics store is one of the most famous hubs for designers in America. The store has every fabric imaginable, from real alligator leather to 100% cotton seersucker. It is a wonderful experience to be able to walk through the lanes and see such a great variety of colors, fibers, and weave. It is also a more sustainable source for fabrics, considering that almost all fabrics in-store were excess yardage given or sold to Mood by bigger designers. This gives smaller designers, students, and home sewers access to fine materials at affordable prices. This place is truly unique!