FIDM SF Student Ali Chiang is profiled in the June edition of Gentry. The 23-year-old started competing at age 11, and is now vying for a spot as an alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team. "With my dad, we share shooting, but with my mom, we share shopping," she tells the magazine. "I've always had a passion for business, and with shooting I've learned a lot about the outdoor apparel industry."
Full Name: Shannon Malone
Age: 25
Hometown: Ojai, CA
Previous College History: Graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California Santa Cruz
FIDM Major: Interior Design
FIDM Campus and Start Date: San Francisco, Fall 2012
Admissions Advisor: Laurie Wright
Tell us a bit about yourself. I love writing, photography, and of course interior design. I get to combine those three passions as a freelance writer and photographer for the home design website Houzz.com. I scout out interesting homes and homeowners, interview them about their home, their design process, decorating philosophy, etc.
photograph their home and then write a home tour along with the photos to be published on Houzz. It has been great, I've seen some amazing houses, and met some really great people in the design industry. I've done a few interior designers houses, some architects and builders, a color consultant, and home decor boutique owners.
Salt Lake City, Utah native Jill Sorensen is studying Film & TV Costume Design on the Los Angeles campus, and just finished working as an assistant costume designer on an AFI film called 113º.
"Officially I was the assistant costume designer and my classmate, Melissa Himawan, was the lead costume designer. I helped with prepping a few days before filming, and worked as a set costumer for a week during filming. The level of creativity and professionalism on this film was unsurpassable. The movie is set in space, in the future, while the space ship is breaking down. If that is not intense then I don't know what is. The costumes were fantastic and extremely well thought out. Most of the garments were hand-dyed by Melissa and adorned with custom-designed patches..."
Read the entire interview on FIDM's FashionClub.com.
Pictured: Christina Campos, Elizabeth Reidenbaugh, and Sung Cho-Rothe
Representatives from retail giant Nordstrom visited FIDM Orange County for an inspiring discussion about the company and the retail industry. Students learned some interesting facts about Nordstrom during the event. (For instance, did you know Nordstrom started as a shoe company in 1901?)
Sung-Cho Rothe, the Store Manager at the Nordstrom in Mission Viejo, spoke about her experience with the industry and gave great tips to the students about how to move up in a company like Nordstrom. Christina Campos, Store Manager at the Nordstrom Rack in Pasadena and FIDM Visual Communications Alumna, talked about how nice it is to work for a company like Nordstrom that promotes from within, as well as being able to switch brands. Recent Merchandise Marketing Grad Elizabeth Reidenbaugh who works for the Brass Plum brand at the Nordstrom in Mission Viejo also spoke at the event.
Nordstrom subsequently hired two FIDM Students to work on the company's social media, including Facebook. Speaking of social media: Social Media Manager Larry Del Santo was on hand to live tweet the Nordstrom visit @FIDM.
Film & TV Costume Design Student Alyssa Gudino was just awarded a prestigous paid summer internship in Costume Design with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. This internship is hailed as one of the top 10 in the country. In the four years that Film & TV Costume Design Students have been entering the national competition, FIDM has had finalists all four years and a winner three out of four years.
Name: Erin Gillespie
Age: 26
Hometown: Seward, Alaska
Previous College History: Two years of undergraduate study at Washington State University majoring in Kinesiology.
FIDM Major: Jewelry Design
FIDM Campus and Start Date: October in LA
Admissions Advisor: My advisor was Susan Pope who was absolutely amazing! From the moment we had our first meeting she went above and beyond assisting me in anything that I needed. She kept in constant contact with me and made the scary prospect of going back to school a lot less intimidating. I am so grateful for her and her willingness to help and encourage me in any way possible!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. I was born and raised in a small Alaskan town. Ever since I can remember I have had a passion for art, jewelry, and design. My fascination with rocks and gems came at an early age. My mom told me that she used to have to limit the amount of rocks I was allowed to bring home, otherwise, I would have brought the whole beach with me! I would spend hours walking the shoreline hunting for agate.
My mother did metal work when I was a child and observing her at her work bench was my first taste of form and the artistic process that goes into making jewelry. I used to go to my grandmother's house and play in her jewelry and sometimes sneak into my mother's room to peek inside her jewelry box, in awe of all the beautiful and sparkling items. It wasn't until about five years ago that I gave any thought to pursuing my passion.
I started work as a makeup artist in a department store and started taking gemology classes through the Gemological Institute of America and obtained my Accredited Jewelry Professional certification. I liked my job, but I also knew that jewelry was where my heart was. About six months after moving to Orange County I met a girl who was a student at FIDM studying fashion. We started talking and I told her about my passion for jewelry and she suggested that I check out FIDM's program.
What are your proudest accomplishments so far? I am blessed and privileged to be able to be a daughter, sister, and friend to my family and many outstanding people I have met in my life. I take pride in my design work and included my portfolio in my entrance project as a supplement. I spent a summer commercial fishing in Alaska with my uncle, cousin, and my mother on the Miss Melody, a purse seining boat, owned by my uncle. I worked harder than I ever had and had a life experience that I will never forget.
Also, conquering my fear of failure and making the decision to apply to FIDM and being accepted as a student has been an amazing and joyful accomplishment. My whole family is very proud of me for following my dream because they see the passion I have for jewelry and the determination I have to be successful.
What made FIDM right for you? I love the specialized areas of study and the classes that are offered. I like that the course study for Jewelry Design not only includes hands-on bench work, but also history and computer aided design (CAD). I have been really impressed with the way the program is laid out and how it really covers all bases of study so that students are prepared and informed about the latest trends and technology currently used in the industry. I love the small class sizes too.
The instructors are active members in the industry and have a lot of experience. This was really attractive to me because I wanted a teacher who not only studied the area that they teach, but that has lived it as well, so they can relate to me as a student who wants to pursue jewelry after graduation. FIDM was right for me because they have an amazing reputation across the board.
Describe your entrance project. My entrance project drew direct inspiration from the summer that I spent commercial fishing. I was really nervous starting out on this project but as I progressed, it all just came naturally. The piece morphed in a beautiful statement necklace that held so much symbolism for me. My inspiration journal included pictures of my family, quotes, a card from my grandmother and elements from the ocean and of my Alaskan Native heritage.
What are your career goals? I hope to learn and take as much as I can with me into the practical workplace from my education at FIDM. I want to grow as an artist, designer, and as a female involved in the fast-paced jewelry industry of today. If I can design pieces that are symbolic, meaningful, and treasured to the wearer, I have achieved success. I want to create a business for myself and a name that represent beauty, passion, drive, and industry awareness.
What do you expect to learn at FIDM? I know that this experience will be a whirlwind of complete immersion into the field. I expect to learn all the different facets that go into being successful in the industry whether it's sales, design, fabrication, or marketing. There is such a diverse student population at FIDM that I know I won't only be learning from the course work as much as I will be learning from other students. FIDM is the total package that is going to ready me for a great future.
FIDM Interior Design Alumna Danielle Colding, a former professional modern dancer and Stanford grad, is a contestant on the new season of HGTV's Design Star, which premiered last night. The principal designer of the residential and commercial interior design firm Danielle Colding Design is inspired by her world travels and creates eclectic, but polished spaces.
Ashley Molina
Major: BS Business Management
Where did you go to school?
I had a year at San Francisco State in Biology.
How did you find FIDM?
I researched and found FIDM in SF. I signed up there and then switched to LA and earned my AA in Merchandise Marketing here in LA.
How did you choose a major?
I was working at Marc Jacobs in New York and LA so I knew I wanted the financial side of a high-end luxury company. Now I’m working at Barneys on Lanvin handbags.
What do you love about the major?
Everyone thinks if you go to FIDM you want to be a designer, but they don’t realize there is a very large business aspect to fashion. I am learning the language of business so I can move up.
Two FIDM Alumni have been featured in the article “Invasion of Beauty Bloggers” on LAWeekly.com. FIDM Graphic Design Alumna Bri Emery, author of the Blog Design Love Fest, and Interior Design Alumna Erika Brechtel, of brand styling studio Small Shop Studio, are both quoted in the article.
Regarding her experience at FIDM, Emery tells FIDMDigitalArts.com that FIDM's Instructors “pushed me to be creative, proactive, and gave me the tools to become a good freelancer!”
Read more about how Emery applies the Graphic Design/Branding skills that she learned at FIDM in her career as a freelance graphic designer on the FIDMDigitalArts.com Blog.
Mikael (right) with actor Eric Roberts (left)
"I am a proud FIDM Alumnus," says Theatre Costume Design Graduate Mikael Sharafyan, who just wrapped his fourth feature film as Costume Designer. "This latest film is titled Betrayal and stars Eric Roberts, Ric Young, Scott Schwartz, and Jack Topalian."
Keep up with Mikael on his Design by Sharafyan Facebook Page.
