rachelchapuis-nyc

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Doneger & Andre Claudio

This week our study tour class went to Doneger TOBE where we learned about their history and what they do. TOBE was founded in 1927 and there were archives of the reports dating back from the first report. They now focus on mostly digital, only printing around twenty-five copies of every report.

They explained the services they offer their clients including customized research, trend forecasting, merchandising and more. I found this very interesting.

Sourcing Journal Staff Writer Andre Claudio spoke with our study tour about his career and the day-to-day of his job. I enjoyed hearing about his experience as a Kent State alumnus going into the journalism industry.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Splendid

Our class went to Splendid on Thursday and spoke with the Director of Sales Brittany and Haley who is part of the design and merchandising team.

These words were on a wall when we walked in, and I loved it.

We went into one of their offices with the moldboard and clothes for their Spring 2024 collection. We asked them about their backgrounds, and they told us about their career so far. I asked them a lot of questions about their design process. I found it really interesting how open they are with their designs for 2024 considering other study tours were strict about no pictures.

I loved their Spring 2024 mood board because it's similar to what I wear and the colors that I love. I found it interesting that they start with this mood board and create more focused and detailed ones.

When describing their competition, they gave a few names but one name they didn't say is Universal Threads which is a Target brand. However, I thought the clothes were similar to Universal Threads except they were better quality and at a much higher price point.

I really enjoyed speaking with these women and learning about this brand. If their clothes were cheaper, I would buy the whole collection.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Accelerating Circularity

Angela and Morgan from Accelerating Circularity, a sustainable textile company, came to our studio to talk about the non-profit.

This non-profit focuses on how to create more sustainable clothes. They spoke of reduce, reuse, recycle - reduce the amount of clothes you buy, reuse the clothes you already have, recycle the clothes you don't want anymore. Right now, there aren't many known ways to recycle clothing. They mentioned taking clothes to Goodwill.

This non-profit uses old clothes and turns them into fiber yarn, wipers (rags), or housing insulation. There are two recycling processes: mechanical recycling and chemical recycling.

Mechanical recycling includes chopping with metal detectors for the metal buttons and zippers. The clothes must be 95-100% cotton to be able to be cut otherwise it will sort of melt the polyester or whatever fiber when the blades get hot.

Post-industrial scraps are valuable because they are organized and stronger than post-consumer scraps.

The accelerated circularity blend contains 50-50 post-industrial and post-consumer fibers and adds virgin cotton fiber. They want to shift to a fully recycled blend but it's coarse because the shorter the fiber strands are, the coarser it will be.

They use polyester chips made from clear water bottles and polyester chips made from used textiles.

Accelerating Circularity shares its information for free on its website, trying to spread the word that it is possible to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The Walmart Foundation and other grants provide funding for this non-profit as well as charge fees for brands to be part of this research.

Overall, though this is not closely related to my career, I found it very interesting and enjoyed learning about this non-profit.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Create-A-Marker

On Thursday, our class went to Create-A-Marker. I thought it was interesting but unrelated to what I want to do as my career. I used to sew and make patterns, so I knew a lot about it. It was cool seeing how grading worked and the new technology they were using to become more efficient and sustainable.

This study tour was a bit chaotic due to Kait fainting, so I only took two pictures of the cat before the chaos happened.

Overall, I thought this study tour was interesting but very niche and didn't relate to my major, so I didn't love it. The cat was the best part by far.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Bergdorf Goodman & the Luxury Market

Last Tuesday, our class met at 59th and 5th Ave. to visit the Linda Fargo shop at Bergdorf Goodman and tour the luxury market. When we got there, Bergdorf was closed until 11 which seemed like something that our professor should've known. Our professor decided to tour the luxury market first and then come back to Bergdorf's. We didn't talk much about fabrics, trends, or patterns but we saw a lot of silver, rhinestones, patterns, and bright colors.

The first windows we looked at were the Bergdorf windows which featured rhinestone dinosaurs which were super cool. The outfits with them were boring though. Not much color but there were some sequins and stripes but nothing super interesting. The other windows we passed were Burberry, Gucci, Chanel, Calvin Klein, and more.

We also passed Tiffany & Co. which was really beautiful and another jewelry store that had a beautiful exterior.

We passed St. Patrick's Cathedral which was gorgeous. We also stopped at the Ralph Lauren Cafe truck, and everyone got a drink which was refreshing.

After getting a drink, we went back to Bergdorf's and went to the Linda Fargo store. It was interesting but there was not a lot of context about the store. I thought the vibe of the store was cool and had gorgeous items in it.

Overall, this study tour visit was a little disappointing. There weren't any professional experiences shared by the Bergdorf employees and the luxury market tour felt unnecessary as part of this class. We all live here for the summer and could have gone window-looking and to Bergdorf's by ourselves on our own time instead of taking class time to do it.

In addition, there were several places that were related to journalism that weren't pointed out or mentioned. Our professor took us to Rockefeller Center and talked about the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live filming there. She said students can try to get free tickets yet didn't mention the huge writer's strike going on right now that is affecting both the Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live as well as countless other shows and movies. Also, NBC Studios and Fox News are near Rockefeller Center, and they weren't mentioned either. I'm not blaming our professor because her background is not in journalism or media, but I do think that if this class is a requirement for a journalism minor, there should be the same amount of journalism aspects as there are fashion aspects and right now that is not the case.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Fifth Avenue Woman Inc., Accents by Sophia

This week our class visited a jewelry manufacturer that specializes in sterling silver and marcasite jewelry, jade beads, semi-precious stones, and close-out ivory jewelry.

The owner of the store, who was from Bangkok and moved to New York when she went to college, explained the process of manufacturing and her creative process. I found her passion for the different stones and their meanings so amazing. She has so much knowledge about all the stones and what they do for our bodies or lives. For example, amethyst is for protection.

The owner was so kind and generous. She was open to questions and gave everyone a gift, either a bracelet or a wishing pearl, which was so nice. She gave us great life and career advice, and, in the end, she was very generous giving all of us students big discounts on her jewelry. I got my best friend a beautiful necklace for her birthday in August.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Cotton Incorporated

Our class went to Cotton Incorporated on Thursday and spoke with the Director of Fashion Marketing. She spoke with us about their role in the company and what it's all about.

They do trend forecasting and present their findings to their clients. I found it very interesting that they trend forecast years in advance.

I loved hearing about their sustainability initiative Blue Jeans Go Green where they partner with Habitat for Humanity. They use old jeans to create insulation for houses that Habitat for Humanity builds.

I thought the different fabrics and patterns that they could create with cotton were amazing and inspiring to use cotton in diverse ways.

I enjoyed learning about this company and what they do.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

New York Embroidery Studio

Our class went to the New York Embroidery Studio on Tuesday.

They explained how each machine is different and what the machines do. I found it interesting that they still use machines from centuries ago. Their oldest machine is from 1860.

It was interesting but didn't really relate to my career path. I loved the interior design of the studio though. They had a beautiful wall of color-coordinated thread and sew-on and iron-on patches.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Museum of Broadway

On Thursday, our class went to the Museum of Broadway. I absolutely loved it. It was so interesting and kept my attention the entire time. I was not bored once.

We started in a room with posters of all the Broadway shows that are out and which theaters were playing them. Then we went into a room where we watched a video about the history of Broadway which was extremely interesting. After the video, we started walking through rooms where each room was dedicated to a show. It seemed like it was in chronological order but I'm not sure if it was.

In the rooms, the costumes were on display and the themes of the shows were very prominent.

There were some costumes that had original sketches next to them which I always find incredible.

After the rooms with the costumes and shows, we went to the part of the museum that was dedicated to the behind-the-scenes of a Broadway show. It showed the makeup station, the audio and lighting operation, and the overall hard work that goes into the production of a Broadway show.

One of my favorite things in the whole museum is a miniature model of what a theatre looks like during a Wicked Broadway show production. It was so detailed, and it was mind-blowing to see all the behind-the-scenes work they do during the show.

I really loved the Museum of Broadway, and I would visit it again.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Diane von Furstenberg

This Tuesday, our class went to DVF in the meatpacking district. We spoke with the store manager, Kristin, who told us the history of the brand and how it became what it is today.

She explained how Diane von Furstenberg created the wrap dresses and it is still their best seller to date. It fits most body sizes and can be professional and casual depending on how you wear it.

The brand strives to empower women and one of the ways they express that is through quotes and images like in the image below.

She took us up their gorgeous staircase to where the offices and where they do fittings and meetings. It was cool to see the process behind the collections.

In their store, there is a beautiful room covered in different patterns. Many visitors take pictures in the room; Kait and I did.

After we left DVF, we walked over to the Little Island which Diane von Furstenberg and her husband helped create. I thought the island was beautiful and the view was amazing.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

M & S Schmalberg

We visited M & S Schmalberg which is a custom fabric flower manufacturer. We spoke with the owner and asked him about his experiences working at his family's company.

They showed us the process of making the flowers and how they make them unique. First, they cut the fabric into flower shapes. Then they use heated tools that give the fabric some texture and help it keep its shape.

They showed us how they put the flowers together once the petals take shape and the diverse ways, they can change how each flower looks.

Here are some of my favorite flowers and butterflies they had on display:

I thought this was interesting to learn about. The process was very cool to see. I had been here before, so I wasn't in awe, but it was cool to see it again.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art this week, specifically the Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty exhibit. The whole morning was so peaceful and exciting.

Kait and I started off our morning with coffee then got on the subway to Central Park. We wanted to walk through Central Park to get to the Met. It was so peaceful and there were so many cute dogs!

Once we got to the Met, we waited in line for the building to open. We found our class and headed to the exhibit. I had never been to the Met, which was much larger than I thought.

Walking into the exhibit, we noticed a Karl Lagerfeld quote saying, "Fashion does not belong in a museum" above the entryway which I found interesting and a bit humorous considering the exhibit was precisely that.

I found the exhibit so unique and powerful. You could really see the talent within every garment. The designs that had sketches of the original idea were my favorite.

You could really see the details of the garments. You could see every bead, thread, texture, etc. It was so beautiful and impressive.

There were garments that were inspired by paintings that were so incredible and creative. I was in awe by how similar the garments were compared to the paintings.

After the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit, Kait and I wanted to see the van Gogh exhibit, but we couldn't find it anywhere and we really wanted to visit the rooftop before we left. We had a hard time finding the elevator to the rooftop but once we did it was worth it. There was an Egyptian-inspired installation by an artist that was beautiful.

The view on the rooftop was jaw-dropping.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was an incredible experience, and I will be visiting again.

[rachelchapuis-nyc]

Scavenger Hunt

Our study tour class did a scavenger hunt this week that took us around the garment district. I think the intention behind the assignment was to get us acquainted with the area and how the grid system works. I found the instructions very confusing. As someone who was good at getting around in NYC without getting lost, this assignment made me less confident and more confused about the area.

Since we couldn't do the scavenger hunt in class, I did it with my roommate and classmate, Kait. We started our scavenger hunt at the studio and started following the directions to The New York Library. We passed the button sculpture on the way there.

We walked behind the library to Bryant Park. We walked along the park until we found the Kinokuniya New York bookstore. We went inside and looked around.

After leaving the bookstore, we were unsure which way to go down 6th Avenue. We found the instructions confusing as they told us to go down 6th Avenue for a block then turn towards East and cross if we must. We were supposed to be headed to the button sculpture which we passed on the way to the library. We found our way back to the sculpture and took a few pictures.

The directions then tell us to "look up and down Fashion Avenue and you will find a series of silver plaques on the sidewalk." We did not find any silver plaques on the sidewalk either way we walked on Fashion Ave.

We moved on to the next direction which included an address this time. 225 West 37th Street. We knew exactly how to get there by following the street numbers.

Once we arrived at Mood Fabrics, we asked about their swatch policy and took a business card.

We left Mood and tried to find the next location. We were very confused by the directions, "Leave this location by making a left and then make a right when you find the next corner. Walk downtown for only 2 blocks that are swell, then right again will serve you quite well. You should be on the street that is just above 34th. Now look up and to your left for the store name for this clue." Needless to say, we didn't find that one.

The next direction was "replace the first word in every golfer's dream shot with 'all' and you will have the name of this next port of call. To win at this game, you will have to tell us more, like what is the name and exact street address of this venerable old store."

Kait and I thought of "hole in one" as the golfer's dream shot and replaced hole with all. We looked up "All in One" and the only store that came up was a pet store like 15 miles away, so we also didn't find this one.

The next direction was to Macy's, and we found that easily. We also found the next one easily as it was Madison Square Garden, and we live right next to it at The New Yorker.

The next one was a store known by only two letters. Kait and I were very tired at this point and didn't realize it was H&M.

The next direction was the reason Kait and I decided to quit for the day and pick up where we left off the next day. The directions said "When leaving this store (H&M), make & right then right again to go up 6th Avenue. Keep walking uptown until you cross 3 streets while still walking North. The address will be 1008 but don't stop now, you've just barely left the gate. If ribbon's your game then you've found the right place, and even if it isn't, once you enter, you'll have a look of shock on your face. What is the name of this incredible trim store?"

Kait and I walked up and down the street looking for this trim store for at least 10 minutes. We knew we were looking for 1008 and when we walked one way the numbers were too high and the other way the numbers were too low. We walked down two side streets but thought that couldn't be right because we had to be going up 6th Avenue. We gave up and couldn't find the trim store.

We decided to take a break from the scavenger hunt and pick it up the next morning, which happened to be a Saturday.

The next morning, we went to the corner of 34th and 6th Avenue to get on the subway. We took the "N" train to go to 14th Street/Union Square. When we got to Union Square, there was a beautiful market selling fresh fruits, veggies, plants, flowers, and more. It was such a wonderful thing to find.

I loved to see all the people walking with their friends or family just enjoying the day. It was by far my favorite thing that I saw on the scavenger hunt, and it wasn't even part of the assignment. In fact, if we hadn't gone on Saturday, we wouldn't have seen the market at all.

After walking around the market, we went on with the scavenger hunt and headed to a store called City Papery. We followed the directions and stumbled upon a parade. I still am not sure what the parade was for because we caught the very end of it, but it was so beautiful and fun to see.

We found the paper store quickly, took a look around the store, and took one of their business cards. It was cool that practically everything was made of paper. They had all different kinds of paper and it was very unique.

After this, we went back to the market and bought some flowers, and just enjoyed the environment. We decided not to go to F.I.T. because I took classes there for several summers and Kait had also been there several times.

I thought the intention of this assignment was good, but I think instead of the directions in riddles, they should just be addresses and interesting places around the city. I would've loved to see more than just the touristy places like Macy's, H&M, the Button, Mood, and FIT. Though those places are interesting, there are so many unique one-of-a-kind places in NYC that are more interesting and less touristy.

Also, as a journalism major and fashion media minor, there were little to no destinations or stores that directly related to journalism or fashion media. The closest one was probably the New York Library. I also think that Library Way is such a unique and interesting installment that wasn't mentioned which is the blocks between Park and 5th Avenue and has 32 quotes from literary giants like Emily Dickinson, Ernest Hemingway, and more.

Penske Media is right across the street from The New York Library. Penske Media is home to numerous fashion-related magazines like WWD and The Sourcing Journal. Also, the New York Times building is around 2 blocks from Bryant Park.