NYC Ballet

     It is coming to the end of our trip here in New York City, with our farewell event being the Nutcracker, being able to see the New York City Ballet and how they construct the costumes was perfect timing! Mark, the director of the whole studio shared how intricately made all of the costumes are. They start off with the bottom first where they eventually add all the tulle to create the tutu. I found the dyeing process very interesting. Most all of the costumes made, they try and keep them as long as they can, or till the tutu starts to not have as much life in it. With the dyeing process the challenge is to keep the bodes the same color as the skirt, because they are made of two different fabrics. The reason that they can end up different colors is because of the stage lights and depending on the fabric they could fade differently, so the person who dye's the fabric has to make sure all the pieces are the same color. Mark had also stressed that now a days with HD and during a ballet all the pictures that are taken that show everything, he has to make sure the piece is flawless and more intricate than ever! Overall the entire process of creating these costumes requires so much detail, design, and talent. All the ballet's in NYC have such a great company to help them with all the costumes and it is a truly amazing art.

    I cannot believe that there is only one more week left here in New York. I have learned so much about the city and all of the opportunities that it offers. I have truly enjoyed each and every study tour that we have done. I can remember thinking for our first class that I couldn't even believe that we went to Madison Avenue and Barneys, since then I have seen so much more! Each and every study tour was so different and I loved that. Seeing the art galleries in chelsea, the tenement museum, were all things that I would have never seen on my own, and I am so glad that I got to! This class has really helped add to my wonderful experience in New York and I am so thankful we could do! I hope to come back to NYC and tell my friends and family to go the the places we went in study tour!

Bard Graduate Center

 I really enjoy experiencing museums in the city that I probably would not find on my own. As a hat wearer, I have never really thought about the history behind hats. The tour guide was very passionate about hats and shared some very interesting facts and history on the certain hats. In the first display we saw, my favorite hat was the "Kiss of Death" hat, it was so different and had a shape that I have never seen before. Even though I had favorite hats that I would wear, the traditional hats from different cultures were the most interesting to me. In the US we wear hats mostly for either warmth or fashion, but in other countries depending on which side of the hat sticks out more can mean you are married, or single. There was so much that I had learned from the tour about hats, what hat makers are called, how their showrooms are called Salons, and most interestingly how they are made. The video we watch on how the designers create these one of a kind hats was not what i was expecting it to be. Each hat is carefully molded on wood shapers and then steamed on them to keep the shape, each piece is also hand sewn. Watching the process which only took about a day to make the hat made me wonder about mass produced hats and how they are all probably machine made and I would love to see what that process looks like. Stephan Jones is an amazing hat designer, he has designed for so many different fashion houses, and has created history and one of a kind hats that are so unique. I truly appreciated the art and now I appreciate the process of it more being that they are all hand done and can take almost an entire day to finish just one!

The Fabric of Our Lives

      
     This by far may have been one of the most interesting study tour for me. We have yet to hear from a fashion forecaster and it was very informative and helped me decide more of what I would like to do. Being a merchandiser there are so many different job opportunities that we are unaware of, so it is nice to explore and learn about them all. I have learned about fashion forecasting in classes at kent, and am aware of what it is but it was nice to hear someone working in the field to actually explain it. 
     Cotton Inc. as a company is so well known from the catchy commercial that we all see on TV. What I at least did not know is that the company is a trend forecasting company, and is a non profit company as well. Being non-profit company they make their money from a percentage of the price of a bail of cotton that anyone buys. I am very much interested in going green fabric and ways of recycling and Cotton Inc. does a ton of this type of work. They require that all of their clients that they give trend presentations to have to have at least 60% of their product to be cotton. Another method of recycling they practice is donating old jeans being that they are 100% cotton most likely, and making it into home insulation for low income housing. 
     The actual act of traveling to other countries and taking pictures to make into inspiration is very intriguing. At some point in my life I would love to travel to as many places as I can, even though Abbey said that you are alone and in a country that you don't speak the language, but it is an experience. I am also very captivated by photography as well, and give them props they take all of their own photos. Not only does actual fashion bring inspiration for fashion forecasting, but politics, phycology, cultures, anything you see that is interesting to you. The presentation that we got to see was very inspiring, I have used a powerpoint type service called prezi that was almost similar to the set up of her  video but definitely didn't have the graphics that they had.
     I truly loved everything about this company and what they stand for. I would love to consider an internship with them maybe this summer or next. Abbey mentioned that the interns do very hands on projects as well as getting paid. I hope to tell their story to people that have no idea that Cotton Inc. is a trend forecasting company.

Calvin Klein Jeans

     Interning at Calvin Klein Jeans has been such a great experience for me, I have learned so much, and during this tour I actually learned a lot more that I didn't even realize. When you start an internship no one really sits you down to tell you everything about the company and although I have figured a lot out myself Kristin made a ton of amazing points and facts that I never thought of. As a merch intern I make a lot of proto line sheets for both the Men and Women. Within the proto sheets they are separated into delivery and although I have never realized they say which door on them it makes sense now. I enjoyed hearing the description about the different doors and the importance of each, it helps pull everything together and when people are talking about the different doors at work now I understand it! I have gone to the showroom many times to bring samples down or bring them up to the 15th. They change it a lot and I really liked the colors for women's, they change it so often and it always looks really amazing with the clothes and all the samples and ideas pulled together. Also being in merchandising I don't hear a lot from the designers, Monica really does so much from making a concept to actually designing the garment. Not being a designer I crave that feeling of satisfaction that she must get from seeing her concepts become actual garments.
   Once again even though I intern at CKJ it was really amazing to hear about design and what everyone that I see at my internship actually does. I never really know exactly what everyones title and job is so that was nice to see and hear all about that. It is a great company and I learned a lot and great advice from both Kristin and Monica.

CFDA

     Although the CFDA tour was a bit quick, we were given a ton of interesting information.  The company itself really represents the future of fashion, the way designers get discovered and start up their businesses. I think it really promotes and keeps designers on their feet to create what they do the best, it bring originality, uniqueness, creativity and talent to them. I have heard of the CFDA mentioned in a couple of my classes but not I fully understand what they do. The company almost reminds me of the fashion show that I volunteered at during fashion week in September. It was called the Gen Art fashion show, which basically the organization is also non-profit and they provide the designers with a runway and models free of charge, and take only a select number of designers each season to promote the up and coming talent. In the fashion industry I believe it is so important to help push, promote, and support the young designers, they are our future. 
     The tour guide shared a story I found especially interesting and truly inspiring.  Diane Von Furstenburg, a well known designer, but also a part of the CFDA, let them into her apartment to give advice to the young designers. She said that they sat on her zebra rug and just chatted, but DVF openly discussed her now multi million dollar empire going out of business twice. Although young designers most likely don't want to hear that even the big designers have gone out of business, I think it is a really good point to give advice on. It gives them that push and hope that, yes it is going to be hard and you may think your business is done with, but even the big names have gone through it as well,  and you can make it big. Not even as a designer is it great advice, life in general is hard and you may make mistakes and fall weather it be in your job or personal life or even education, but you can stand back up from it and do great things and be successful. 
     I would personally love to work with young up and coming designers. I think it must be amazing to see and support someone from the beginning of their career, and to see them blossom and become so big must be such a proud moment. The tour guide also gave some really good advice about internships. It makes sense that even if you don't want to work at a magazine but you want to be in PR that you learn both sides of it. I think doing more than one internship should be required at Kent State. In the fashion industry there isn't only just clothing and designing, there are so many aspects that I really think are very important in learning, and it would make you such a well rounded graduate if you had multiple internships with very different companies in different fields. 
     The CFDA provides the designers with studio's that they pay the rent on. It was really interesting to see how each designer decorated and made each studio their own. The first one we saw was pretty small, but the jewelry was so delicately displayed on the wood planks with nails holding them there. Then the last one we went into was by far my favorite, the lighting was a lot more dim and it was a lot bigger in space, but had so many personal touches to it, artwork, inspiration boards and so much personality to it. I think adding your own personal touch to your studio or showroom is so important not only because you work in the environment, but you want the buyers to be able to distinguish your product and feel from the next, and you want them to remember you.
     Overall I really enjoyed the short yet so informative trip to the CFDA. It's such a wonderful company and I truly enjoy what they are all about. I hope to be coming back to New York and I would love to intern with them!

Ralph Lauren

 Ralph Lauren has a classy elegance about their whole look, and even their stores. Visiting the Flagship store might have been one of my favorite classes so far! I had no idea that they made purses, and fine jewelry. Being in the retail business at Michael Kors I really took all of the customer service amazing and as great advice and tips to make the customer feel at home and appreciated, because loyal customers are the ones that keep these amazing stores and businesses running. The service in particular that I enjoyed was the car services, Stephanie said sometimes they will take clients to certain places or pick them up. There were also butler services, a full equip kitchen where they prepare food, and give clients water with lemon, or even sparkling water. With their extensive customer service it lures the customer into trusting their opinions and feeling comfortable enough to try whatever they suggest, which is a big step in retail. At Michael Kors, we mostly sell handbags, so I was all over the Ricky made-to-order handbag. As I mentioned before I had no idea that Ralph Lauren made handbags, they were so classy and I was loving the teal croc leather. 
     The interior of the store was amazing. It really felt like a home, even though most of us do not live in four story mansions! Every product was so preciously displayed. In the fine jewelry section which we learned is new to Ralph Lauren, the pieces were in their own glass box with black fabric behind it to make them pop. With the jewelry, being a horse owner and lover, I was amazed with the stirrup necklace! I learned that their watches range from $2300 to over $10000, and their median price for a watch was $25000!! I could not imagine selling that high price of an item!!
     The second floor we learned more about the apparel. It was comforting to know that their pieces are made in NYC. One dress in particular the beaded evening gown was so immaculate, the beading is all hand done with each bead and done in India. Each of the garments are hand cut and sewn, this really gives the uniqueness to each item. Usually most companies work with China and India because it is cheap and keep costs down, but at Ralph Lauren it was stressed that it is done there strictly because it is the best work and that the cost does not matter.  I admire that, because they want their customer and clientele to be in the most fabulous clothes that they deserve and to have unique one of a kind pieces! Another factor that I loved about their fabrics was that they work closely with PETA and all of their furs and leathers are from animals that are eaten. Working with leathers I find that admirable and really brings respect towards the company that they know where they get their leathers and furs from. 
     The architecture and the interior design in the store is so rich and looking out the balcony on the second floor, it almost felt like being in the streets of Paris! The store that we went to took 6 years to finally be done and is only about a year old. At first I thought to myself that's a long time to be working on this place, but it is filled with such detail and great thought that I definitely think that it was worth it, and that the sales of the store proves it!
     The fourth floor was also so amazing. The dark room that they change 2 times a year had such an amazing feel of elegance and old 20's glam. Interior design is so inspiring to me and it's amazing what people can do with it.
     I was very surprised and admired to hear that Ralph Lauren himself is involved in 100% of what you see in the store. Nowadays you hear of designers and that they have a lot of people that do a lot for them. Even though he has tons of help with his brand, it is nice to know he cares to see what is in the store and appreciates what his sales team does! This tour made me really appreciate being in retail and sales, and also that Ralph Lauren may be a brand that I would potentially work for at some point in my life!
     The whitney museum was one of the few museums that I have been in new york but I plan on going to more within the next few months left here! I loved my art history classes at Kent and it was really inspiring to see all American Art!

Fabric2Finish

  Although I did not get to take any pictures at Fabric to Finish I felt I was given so much helpful and useful information. Jaime is such an inspirational individual and it is really nice to hear that she still has such drive and passion about her job. I am in a product development class where we just had a test so this visit was perfect timing. She talked about licensing, royalties, and a lot of other terms that I could really relate to. It's so impressive what Jaime does, interning at Calvin Klein and having a product development team, It's crazy to me that she does the job that normally dozens of people do together. I also found it inspiring that Jaime started off at George Washington college and majored in Literature and had no fashion experience but has been with such prestigious companies as she had really proves that it's not just your education, most people might not care where you went to school, it's about your personality and how hard you work. If you put your mind to anything you can achieve whatever you want. She also made a very good point about standing out,  it made me think what does make me stand of from the next person that walks in the door. Its important to understand yourself and what your strengths are and to overcome your weaknesses. Working at Tommy Hilfiger seemed to be a very important connection that Jaime made with the company. I enjoyed that she became so close to her bosses and they ended up promoting her and giving her responsibilities she never thought she would obtain. I also think being fired from J-Crew or any job in general is helpful to learn how to deal with rejection because not everything is ever going to be a cake walk. The lack of internet and technology has never come across my mind but being so dependent on it I find it hard imagining how I would keep in contact with overseas offices, or even find jobs! Another story Jaime told was about the man she had her first interview with and saw in the elevator at Mood and how she had not seen him in 10 years and here she was as successful as she could ever be and had transformed into such a great successful businesswoman. I hope to have an experience like that, where I see the first person I interviewed with or interned with and see how successful I am at the point in my life, I hope to see Jaime again, she really had such useful advice and inspiring stories and life lessons that cannot be forgotten.