Earlier this month, around 40 graduating students and faculty gathered at San Diego's Rock Bottom Brewery Downtown to celebrate in style. "The Graduation Dinner was a huge success," said FIDM San Diego Student Activities Coordinator Krystel S. Tien. "The students really enjoyed having one last night with their classmates and faculty before their graduation."
Study Fashion Designing and Fashion Merchandising at FIDM!
Instructor Kathleen Jaben's Marketing and Brand Development class at FIDM OC was recently treated to a visit from Harveys founder Dana Harvey and the company's marketing director Malia O'Brian. "I was so impressed by the company story, how Dana and his wife started by making one handbag in their garage on a whim, and it's turned into an international product," said student Megan Ilertsen. "I would aspire to have the same level of insight and passion for my product and brand that Harveys does."
On the same day, students also listened to The Age of Engage author and marketing strategist Denise Shiffman speak about social media. She spoke about more productive and positive ways that social media can effect one's life, including posting resumes and networking with professionals.
Photos by FIDM Student William Griffith
Learn more about Fashion Merchandising.
Project Runway breakout star and FIDM Instructor Nick Verreos stars in a series of videos on MSN Style Studio. The first segment, Catching Up with Nick, fills us in on what the designer's been up to lately, and then Nick Chats with Victoria's Secret Angel Marisa Miller about swimwear trends for summer. Nick will be featured throughout the summer as part of the MSN Studio Style Glam Squad.
Nick has been a favorite instructor at FIDM for over four years, teaching classes in three different departments: Apparel Manufacturing Management, Merchandise Product Development, and Fashion Design.
Learn more about majors and programs that focus on Fashion Designing and Fashion Merchandising at FIDM.edu.
"Dancing With the Stars" co-host Samantha Harris recently donned a crimson red silk strapless gown with a pleated bust and asymmetrical gathered side (along with cute pockets) from NIKOLAKI, Alumni and Instructor Nick Verreos' label. Nick was in the audience thanks to an invitation from Samantha's stylist and fellow "Runway" alum Kit Scarbo.
In the same week, judge Carrie Ann Inaba looked gorgeous in a NIKOLAKI turquoise silk jersey draped Grecian-inspired gown from the spring 2009 collection. Nick and his partner David didn't know she would wear the dress until they saw it on the air.
Carrie Ann Inaba Photo Courtesy of: ABC/KELSEY MCNEAL
This year, the FIDM Museum & Galleries is a stop on the December Los Angeles Downtown Art Walk on Thursday, December 11th, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Busses will take shoppers from the main area of the Art Walk (all info is on the Art Walk site) to FIDM and bring them back again.
Of course, you can come directly to FIDM and buy "Art To Wear" from two faculty artists and two alumni artists.
The artists participating at the FIDM Museum & Galleries are:
The Art Walk takes place monthly every second Tuesday, but this is the only time you can come to The FIDM Musuem & Galleries and view and purchase the work of FIDM Faculty and Grads.
Directions to the FIDM Museum & Galleries, on the FIDM Los Angeles Campus, are here.--Belissa
In a continuing celebration of FIDM's Interior Design Program, today we're posting Part II of an interview with Interior Design Department Chair Dina Morgan, who is herself a working professional Interior Designer as well as an instructor in the department.
Dina is also a Graduate of FIDM's Interior Design Program, so she knows the program from all sides.
Ever-busy and in constant demand, Dina was kind enough to make time for us to connect with her about FIDM and Interior Design.
Why FIDM for Interior Design?
We are located among the most geographically-rich design communities. The arts abound! Students have the opportunity to be immersed in the arts--specifically for their majors or to use the arts as jumping-off points for inspiration.
Architecture and interiors play heavily in the day-to-day life of the communities in which we interface.
Design centers are in easy proximity to each campus. The West Coast rivals the East Coast as a launching pad for hot new cutting-edge design.
We are very serious about educating our students to meet the expectations of the industry. Our goal is to provide a strong technical foundation, training students in what it means to be a Designer, not just an Interior Designer and to deal with skill sets appropriate to an Interior Designer's job description.
What makes FIDM's Interior Design Program so special?
We have the opportunity as a close-knit college to collaborate with other disciplines. Our "Chairing Styles" project is an innovative approach to having three majors "talk" to each other:
Textiles, Fashion Design, and Interior Design collaborate to produce a one-of-a-kind upholstered chair with a matching outfit out of the same fabric. Students have the opportunity to work together and
quickly realize that each discipline shares common elements.
What are some projects the FIDM Interior Design Students have participated in outside the classroom?
FIDM's Interior Design department has participated for the last two years in "Tables of Ten," a dining event tied into the "Avenues of Art and Design" in June. Our "Chairing Styles" students have had the opportunity to design the table top through the designs they have created for their chairs.
At FIDM, we interface within the community. The project we are working on with the Boys & Girls Club of Venice has given the Interior Design students a greater understanding of how design affects children and adults within a group environment.
What do FIDM Interior Design Students get out of participating in outside community projects?
Working with clients and presenting design concepts to individuals who will be functioning within the space is the type of experience most students do not get to have, but they get it here at FIDM.
At FIDM, we try to provide situations for exposure within the classroom with mentoring by industry professionals dealing with these situations as part of their daily design practice.
The Roosevelt Lofts project provided a more independent opportunity for students within the Advanced Study Program in Interior Design.
FIDM's Interior Design department participates in special projects that will benefit the community.
What are some of the other projects FIDM Interior Design Students have contributed to?
Within the past few years, we have completed the design and the specification of materials for the Main Reception area, ICU Waiting area, and the Emergency Room Waiting area at The San Gabriel Community Hospital.
We have completed the design and specification of the Art Room at The Boys and Girls Club of Venice, and we are starting another project with them in the upcoming Fall 2008 Quarter. We will also be working
with an Oncology Center in Beverly Hills.
What is FIDM's goal in having students participate in outside projects?
Our goal with these projects is to provide exposure for the student to areas of specialization, i.e. health care and community-based spaces. It also creates a working environment comparable to the experience they would encounter within the industry as a professional, but with the ability to work as a team and be mentored by an instructor.
Stay tuned for Parts III and IV of Dina's interview! --Belissa
October is Interior Design month on FIDM Magazine. So of course we wanted to introduce to you the head of FIDM's Interior Design Program, Dina Morgan. We caught up with her on one of her typically busy days …
What made you get involved in the field of Interior Design?
My mother was a Fashion Designer who redirected her talent to remodeling and Interior Design.
I am a graduate of the University of Southern California and also of FIDM. I know FIDM’s Interior Design department from both sides!
(Board 1 of Commercial Thesis Project, above, by FIDM Student Rebecca Steiner)
Dina’s Design Practice:
I do maintain an Interior Design practice, albeit small and based on time constraints and the ability to
meet the needs of a client.
I work in the Pasadena, California area, which is quite traditional.
The projects that I am involved with tend to be residential, small-scale commercial, and retail.
As a Designer, my goal is to respect the age and structure of a building with an interior reflecting the sensibility of the period and the technology of the present moving forward.
In addition we have a retail store, called Dina & Partners, in South Pasadena through which we liquidate
the contents of residential households. Antique, vintage, and gently-used items fill the store.
(Board 2 of Commercial Thesis Project, above, by FIDM Student Rebecca Steiner)
How Dina Became an Interior Designer:
I established my initial Interior Design business through the Pasadena Showcase House of Design.
As a FIDM student I had worked on the Refreshment Area, which was an annual project/class offered as
an elective course in the Interior Design major.
A successful project for many years, it is no longer offered as a class, but students interested in
participating have the opportunity to participate with individual designers.
Annually, FIDM Graduates are represented throughout the House, displaying their skills and abilities. It is
a more personal experience for those students who want to pursue residential design as a career path.
(Board 3 of Commercial Thesis Project, above, by FIDM Student Rebecca Steiner)
Dina's Design Philosophy:
Our goal within FIDM’s Interior Design program is to build a foundation for each student to enable them
to think like and become Designers first, Interior Designers second.
If they learn to think as a Designer, they can literally design anything. With a developed sensitivity and
exposure to the global world, students have the opportunity to tackle projects that are all-encompassing. 
(Student boards from Portfolio Review, above)
As Dina says, "The possibilities are endless!"
Stay tuned for parts II, III, and IV of Dina's interview!
Popular FIDM Instructor, FIDM Graduate, and Fashion Designer Nick Verreos of T.V.'s Project Runway fame, appeared on CBS's The Early Show. Click here to watch the video clip on Nick's blog. For more on Nick's career including images of his gowns, click here. --Kim
Freelance Graphic Designer and FIDM Instructor Cameron Tiede, well-known for his hugely popular line of hip collectible vinyl toys, will be showing two pieces at the "Everything but the Kitschen Sink" group show March 7-30. Find out more about Cameron Tiede in Faculty Stories. (Pictured: Thermal Hullabaloo by Cameron Tiede)--Kim
Project Runway is now filmed at FIDM. Go behind-the-scenes! 
