On Monday Fawziyya Sugai, the founder of Gwell and Coup de Coiff, spoke to us about her career and gave us very helpful advice on how we can start ours after graduation. She has had a lot of experience over 12 years and has had the opportunity to work in many different fields of the fashion industry. Her first major job was an entry level job with TJX and later on worked with Stuart Weitzman and Ralph Lauren. At Ralph Lauren she managed six people and worked as a product developer. She was there for seven years and took classes at FIT. She had the opportunity to work at The Gap in the finance department in order to gain more experience. Currently she launched Gwell, a wellness company that focuses on natural and organic ingredients that are vegan and made with no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. She also runs the Coup de Coiff website which is a clean beauty brand. They sell skincare, body care, and cosmetics that are made without toxic ingredients.

Fawziyya also spoke to us about how to create a career for yourself. She said that it is important to go into the interview knowing about company. By this she means doing in depth research about their financial statements, mission and brand identity. Knowing who you are interviewing for shows that you are serious about the position and are prepared to start with the company. She also said you need to show desire to learn. You cannot act like you know everything going into a position and have the ability to learn a different way how to do something. She mentioned that companies do not expect you to know everything at first and want to train you properly. Fawziyya said that it is good to ask questions when you are not sure about something and to always be yourself. She mentioned it is better to be yourself than to change who you are to fit a company.

Fawziyya Sugai contributes to the fashion industry by having several different positions in several different companies. She is also branching out and working on projects outside of the fashion industry, but can use her prior product development experience to make those businesses successful. I could use her advice in my future career by being authentic and finding a company I feel comfortable being myself in. I can also think about gaining experience in different aspects of the industry to make myself more well-rounded and create more job opportunities for myself.

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On Monday we visited Borghese, a luxury skincare line, and talked with Aleksandra Wasowska and more members of the Borghese team about their brand and company. Borghese was founded over 60 years ago by an Italian princess named Princess Marcella. Borghese’s ingredients are found in Tuscany’s mineral-rich springs and their magic ingredient is the water of life. Borghese sells several different face and body masks targeting different skin problems, as well as other skincare products, and cosmetics that are made with natural and healthy ingredients.

I really enjoyed my visit to Borghese. I have a passion for skincare and cosmetics and enjoy learning about new brands that are made with natural and helpful ingredients. I have done a lot of research in my personal time about skincare ingredients that are great to have in your products. Learning about this brand and how to properly use the products was a great experience. I also liked hearing about Aleksandra’s previous experience working with luxury cosmetic and skincare brands Laura Mercier and La Mer. They gave us free samples of their eye patches and face masks that I am really excited to use.

Borghese contributes to the fashion industry by working with social media influencers who are either beauty or fashion bloggers to promote their brand. They are also making a statement in the cosmetic/skincare industry by using healthier products. This company can help me in my future career by using my skills in marketing and product development to help promote the brand and help create new products. Many people with fashion merchandising degrees work in the cosmetic industry and do not need a cosmetology license in order to be successful. This career field has a business side to it that merchandising can help me succeed in.

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On Monday I visited the Morphew showroom and had the opportunity to learn a lot about vintage fashion. Morphew sources vintage pieces from around the world for designers, stylists, and collectors. Our tour was led by Lori Sutherland, a soul stylist and pleasure visionary, who has a deep passion for vintage fashion. We also heard from their stylist Bruce Estevez. He spoke about having very famous clients, like the Kardashians, and having trunk shows around the country and selling these one-of-a-kind pieces to women who tend to go to events or who just want something new and unique. Lori showed us many of the designer pieces that they carry. She showed us Versace shirts and the matching shorts to go with them and a vintage Chanel dress that was speciality made for someone. Lori allowed us to try the garments on and take pictures of them as well.

When we were trying the items on, I found a gorgeous gold sequin bomber jacket and a vintage silk Chanel dress. Along with those, I was amazed by how beautiful everything was and these items could still be worn today and look fashionable instead of dated. My eyes went to directly to the beaded jackets and dresses. Morphew also has a great selection of designer scarves including Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent. The accessories included gold chain Versace belts and Tom Ford heels. I really enjoyed my visit to Morphew and would love to have beautiful pieces like the ones they have. I feel that I learned a lot about vintage and what things to look for when buying vintage garments. Having different and unique clothing is something I enjoy and going to vintage shops like this is a great way to do that.

Morphew contributes a lot to the fashion industry by bringing back styles and trends from the past and styling them in a way that looks stylish for today’s world. They also provide a different way of buying clothing instead of just seeing 10 different sizes of the same garment on a clothing rack. When going to vintage stores like this, you are getting one-of-a-kind pieces and you will stand out in a very positive way. I could possibly use this company in my future career by pulling vintage looks for clients. Styling is a career that I’ve thought about a lot and having an original shop like this would be a great opportunity to show of my styling skills and build a strong client base.

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On Monday we visited the Jia Aili Combustion gallery in Chelsea. This gallery was really cool and had a lot of very large paintings. The layout of the gallery allowed each section/room to have its own theme. The first piece looked like a night sky with stars and clouds. The next few pieces were a lot more colorful and had more shape to it. It was difficult to see exactly what the paintings were of, but I still think they look really cool and the colors complement each other. My favorite one there is a painting of what looks like glass shattered and a man trapped inside. The man in the center is very subtle and it took me a minute to see it. I like this one the most because of the dimensions of the shards of glass and how it gives a 3-dimensional effect.

On Saturday I visited the Comme des Garcons store in Chelsea as well. The store is in a really unexpected area for a high-end brand, but I think that it works for this specific brand. The walls outside are full of graffiti and it’s not very noticeable that the store is there. The entry way is a metal tunnel with red and yellow lights on the floor and glass door. The inside is very casual looking and very inviting. When I was visiting there was a good amount of customers there as well. I noticed that the men’s section had Canada Goose items and the women’s section was only Comme des Garcons. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the Comme des Garcons PLAY section where they had their converse collaboration on display. They had handbags on every shelf above the clothing. The clothing was on rails hangings and in fixtures. The workers at the store had an edgier look, which was very fitting to the brand and the store itself.

I really enjoyed both of my visits this week . The Jia Aili visit relates to the fashion industry by giving inspiration to designers for their newest collections. Having many artists that do different things is great for inspiration and bringing out more creativity in the fashion industry. This could help me in my career by getting ideas for a future collection or how I would merchandise a floor set with colors and architecture. Comme des Garcons is important to the fashion industry by being a very fashion forward and unique brand. It offers prices that are very high-end and some that are more on the contemporary side. It’s important for the fashion industry to have stand-out and unique brands that don’t follow every trend and that blend in with all of the others. This could help me in my future career one day by being a brand I could work for or a brand I could predict future trends from.

Yesterday we visited Fabric to Finish and had the opportunity to talk to the founder, Jamie Koff. The company was founded in 2006 and has a focus on independent and new designers. Fabric to Finish specializes in product development and production management. Jamie also told us that they assist new designers a lot with their designs and the fabrics that they use for their garments. Most of their clients are independent designers, but they also have larger known names like Diane von Furstenberg, Rebecca Minkoff, and Brooks Brothers.

During our visit Jamie talked a lot about her previous careers before creating Fabric to Finish. She told us many helpful tips about networking and job interviews. When talking about networking, she said that hand-written notes give off a good impression. Making phone calls to companies about job opportunities is another great way to network yourself. She talked about calling a store for a job opening, but they weren’t hiring at the time, so she asked to go visit the store for an informational type of interview. By doing this, she made a big impression that shows that she is passionate about that company. Networking is extremely important in this industry and we need to be doing more of it when searching for jobs. A big lesson I learned from her was that you can get fired for doing your job perfectly. I also learned that not all employers see that as an awful thing and understand that happens sometimes.

Jamie Koff and her company, Fabric to Finish, contributes a lot to the fashion industry by providing sourcing and technical design to smaller designers. They have appropriate pricing for smaller brands while still providing excellent work. It’s important in the industry to have companies like this that cater to emerging designers. I might use this experience in my future career if I am assisting with a design project at a company or assisting with fabric sourcing.

Yesterday we visited Create-A-Marker and spoke with Paul Cavazza, the president of Create-A-Marker, and he demonstrated what his company is all about. Create-A-Marker is a grading and marking company that grades patterns for many designers around the world. At Create-A-Marker, they bring designers’ visions to life and do it pretty quickly. They have amazing equipment that makes their work 100% accurate so that designers are getting what they asked for. They use seven different computer programs to get their grading and marking completely accurate and will even recommend sizing scales to designers.

When we first arrived we got a demonstration on how the computer systems work. Paul showed us how they grade and explained the process to us. The computer system gives accurate markings and shows the difference between each size very clearly. In the work room, he showed us the scanner that he puts the paper used for the process through and how the computer erases all human error to make the product 100% correct. Paul also explained the difference of the sizing scale in different countries. In America, the sizing is 2″ between each size. In other countries like Italy, the UK, or China, the sizing is around an inch and a half. He also explained how during the 1950s through about the 1990s every designer used the same sizing scale until Anne Klein decided to change her size 8 into a size 6 and increased sales greatly. In today’s world there is no set measurements for a size, so it’s extremely difficult to actually know your true size.

Create-A-Marker has a big contribution in the fashion industry. This company does grading for many designers. This is such an important step in the design process, so it is extremely helpful to have a company that does such a great job and doing it in a timely matter. I could use this experience in my future career by coming to this company for a garment the company I may be working at is producing.

Yesterday we visited T-Projects Showroom, a fabric sourcing company, that provides materials that are made in Italy for American consumers. Their New York showroom in the Garment District provides courses and workshops to teach more about what they do. They source materials for many designers, including Oscar de la Renta. T-Projects has a wide variety of materials, but mostly leathers.

During our visit, we were shown many different types of leathers and they explained what they are used for. We were able to feel the difference between each one and see the importance of knowing different textures. One of the cooler leathers we saw was a python embossed piece. This one was one of my favorites because of how different it is. I would love seeing that as a jacket or handbag. T-Projects also showed us the different chains they provide and had a swatch book of the stud work that they do. Another one of my favorite fabrics was the blush pink faux fur. It looks extremely luxurious and could be used for so many different items. At the end of our visit, we had the time and opportunity to look around the showroom and feel all of the fabrics. Besides leather and fur, they have a lot of unusual fabrics. Some had a plastic feel, but they were also very soft. She showed us a laser cut wood fabric sheet that was fairly smooth for being wood and a raindrop effect fabrics that was filled with silicone. I really appreciated seeing all of the different kinds of fabrics that they are able to source.

I think T-Projects contributes a lot to the fashion industry by sourcing and providing all of these materials for merchandisers and designers. They have high quality fabrics and know a lot of information about each one. The fashion industry needs people like this to help create beautiful projects. This experience can help my future career by remembering who to go to if I ever need materials. I am now aware that somewhere like this exists and provides good quality.

On Monday I was fortunate enough to be able to experience my first trade show with Curate International Collections. Curate showcases designers from all over the world and their collections at their show. The designers are not mainstream designers that you expect at most department stores, but they are just as high-end and sophisticated. Curate has very original designers with similar visions.

During my visit at Curate I got to see a lot of different designers and their collections. First I saw mostly jewelry, which I thought was really cool and not like anything you would see at a regular store. My favorite jewelry collection was by Monies. My favorite thing about Monies was how large and extravagant most of the pieces were. The one that really stuck out to me was a large gold and black spiked chocker/collar like necklace. All of the pieces in the collection were statement pieces and very bold. My favorite clothing designer there was Jihyun Kim for S’MM. I really loved this collection because it had a lot of black and white garments and pops of color. The silhouettes of the dresses and coats looked like they came right off the NYFW runway. For the colorful garments she used neon pink and neon blue. I normally wouldn’t be attracted to clothing with such bright neons like that, but I really wanted some of them. They use neoprene and scuba as their main fabrics which helped create their unique silhouettes.

I think Curate makes a big contribution to the fashion industry by bringing designers from all over the world to New York and showing consumers new concepts. Fashion is always changing and we need something and someone new so often, so I think it’s really interesting to see something fresh in the industry. This experience can help me in the future if I decided to go down the career path of become a buyer. Going to trade shows is a common duty of being a buyer and being able to have a taste of that experience can help prepare me for that.

On Monday, Onyii Brown came and spoke to us about her clothing brand Onyii & Company. She founded her company in 2013 in Houston, Texas. Her career as a designer started with making wrap skirts for her friends. This extended into Onyii having her own Etsy store with these skirts. Later on she started selling on zuva.com and was featured in British Vogue, Martha Stewart, Refinery29 and Essence. She structured her business as an in-home trunkshow and it turned out to be very successful. Her customers are women from ages 25-55, who is also educated and adventurous. They are also diverse and cultural women. Onyii”s best sellers are the basics, even though most of her products are prints. Her inspiration for her prints come from African influences. The skirt she showed us during her visit was reversible, which is rarely seen now in fashion. The best way she helps her brand is by listening to her customers’ complaints. For an example, she told us customers complained about tight armholes, so she fixed them and now has satisfied customers. Social media advertising and online ads are very important to her brand and attract a lot of new customers.

Onyii Brown contributes greatly in the fashion industry in my opinion. I think her brand is very unique and stands out on its own. She doesn’t follow the basic trends that is seen at every other store and sticks to her own. She knows her customers very well and is willing to put the time and effort into fixing whatever problems they need. I enjoy that her brand is mostly prints that are creative and not seen anywhere else. Onyii sticks to what sells in her brand, like the classic wrap skirt. I might use this experience in my future career by sticking to my own ideas even if they aren’t what’s trending or what everyone else is doing. It’s brave to be stand out and be creatively different than others and this could teach me to be more brave as well.

Today Katy Dalrymple, the owner and creator of Katy Bloom, came to speak with us about her adventurous career in the fashion industry. She started out as a buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue and did a lot of traveling for Saks and moved every 6 months. After Saks, she worked for Anne Klein and taught them how to properly buy fabric and use the most of their resources. Katy learned a lot about manufacturing at this job. She received the job at Anne Klein because Donna Karan was fired to start her own brand. Katy also had a merchandising position at Perry Ellis for one year. After that, she became the second person on board for DKNY and later on was recruited as fashion director at Express. In 2008, Katy tried to turn around Fashion Bug, but it didn’t work out and is now closed. She was later recruited for Avenue and after that started her own business creating original and one-of-a-kind fascinators. Katy was inspired by Alexander McQueen and started making fascinators when she found an old headband and flowers and decided to put them together. She is also a flower designer that provides fresh flowers for parties, homes, and weddings.

I really enjoyed listening to Katy talk to us about her career. One really important retail tactic she told us was, “It’s about where the store is,” as in location rather than what’s in the store. It is still important to have good merchandise, but good location is everything. She also mentioned how creativity comes from your gut feeling and not thinking too hard with your head. She said to follow what you think will make you happiest instead of sticking with the plan in your head or overthinking a situation. She brought some of her fascinators and allowed us to try them on, which I thought was really cool. They were all so extravagant and original. I really enjoyed how her business came to be just from her experimenting with some leftover materials for her own self joy. Trying them on was a cool experience because I actually was in kind of a better mood than I was. Not that I was in a bad mood, but they made me excited.

Katy Dalrymple contributed a lot to the fashion industry. She was the fashion director for Express for many years and is responsible for it being so successful today. Her contribution to Anne Klein was also huge by showing them proper buying and manufacturing skills. Katy’s own fascinator business contributes to the fashion industry by being a one-of-a-kind designer. Fascinators are a huge trend in the United Kingdom and bringing them to America is a unique idea and concept. I might use this experience in my future career by going with my gut rather than with my head. Sometimes great things happen that aren’t planned and they are the best decisions in life. Doing what makes me happy should be the main priority rather than sticking to a guideline of how my career should be someday.