FIDM Magazine

Just Accepted Merchandise Marketing Student is a World-Class Gymnast

Full Name: Liselle Kitchens

Age: 19

Hometown: San Ramon, CA

FIDM Major: Merchandise Marketing

FIDM Campus and Start Date: San Francisco, Spring; Los Angeles, Fall.

Admissions Advisor: Gina Garcia

Tell us a bit about yourself. I am a very enthusiastic individual who truly loves the fashion industry. As a shopping addict, I'm a sucker for a cute pair of shoes. I am always a hard worker with a positive attitude and strive for my goals. For the past 11 years of my life, Acrobatic Gymnastics has been my passion. I have dedicated most of my life to this sport and I am very excited to close that door and open a new one at FIDM.

What are your proudest accomplishments so far? I've been competing in Acrobatic Gymnastics, nationally and internationally, for 11 years. At an elite level, I placed 8th at the 2010 World Age Group Championships in Poland. I have also competed in Russia, Great Britain, and Switzerland. All have these competitions and travels have given me amazing memories and accomplishments. Getting into FIDM was also an amazing accomplishment.

What made FIDM right for you? FIDM just felt "right!" It is the perfect place to push myself in the right direction and toward the fashion industry. I knew during my first visit that FIDM would bring out my creativity and give me the knowledge to succeed in my career.

Describe your entrance project. Originally, I thought I wanted to major in Visual Communications. For my window display project, I put together outfits for a winter-themed Urban Outfitters. For my indoor display, I showed off a coat from Express. And for my circle, square, triangle project, I put together this collage of Jeffery Campbell Lita boots of all the different patterns and colors the shoe comes in. When I went in for my acceptance interview, my projects reflected my product-driven charisma. So, I then decided to switch to Merchandise Marketing.

What are your career goals? I want to be a fashion buyer for a well-known company or even a personal shopper. I am a shopping addict and would love to get paid to do it.

What do you expect to learn at FIDM? I expect to learn the ins and outs of the fashion industry. With my major being Merchandise Marketing, I am excited to learn about my love for the "product" and take steps toward my career. I am excited to be learning from such a prestigious school with teachers who actively work in the industry.

Follow Liselle on Twitter @LiselleK

Just Accepted Visual Communications Student is a Senior at Seton Hall University

Just Accepted Visual Communications Student Whitney Wood is an Orange County native who is currently a senior at Seton Hall University, where she played basketball for three years. She hopes to be an entertainment journalist or stylist after attending FIDM.

"I feel that FIDM will push me creatively in ways that no other university can. I believe that FIDM will help me accomplish my goals and aspirations. I know people who graduated from FIDM and have nothing but wonderful things to say."

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

Just Accepted Fashion Design Student Interns With Zandra Rhodes

Just Accepted Fashion Design Student Ally Greven is currently interning for the famed designer Zandra Rhodes at her Solana Beach studio.

"FIDM Los Angeles is where I need to be to pursue my dreams and career of being a designer and/or stylist. I've known for forever that I've wanted to go to FIDM for college, and after years of investigating, I really saw how FIDM helps their students with their goals and that really won me over."

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

Just Accepted Merchandise Marketing Student Co-Owns OC Boutique

Just Accepted Merchandise Marketing Student Kailee Hardy is only 17, but she already co-owns The Dress Exchange, a prom and pageant consignment boutique, with her mom. She hopes to pursue a career as a buyer and wouldn't mind being a future Miss America.

"Ever since my freshman year of high school, I knew that I was going to have a career in an industry that expressed creativity. I excelled in my art classes and instantly found my niche. I love that FIDM not only has a pretty pink interior, but that they are so accepting of your background and understand that the fashion industry is for anyone who has an eye for it. Another quality that sets FIDM apart from any other school is that there is nothing else like it! It really is the Harvard of fashion and is a perfect fit for me!"

Read the entire story on FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

Just Accepted Visual Communications Student Wants to Design Window Displays

Just Accepted Visual Communications Student already has a B.A. from UCLA, studied at Parsons and abroad in Florence, and has run her own calligraphy business for the last two years. She hopes to one day create window displays for retail giants such as Barneys New York or Louis Vuitton.

"In college I had interned with Event Planners, Fashion Stylists, and UCLA's Marketing Department as well as studied Art and Fashion History and Fine Art while studying abroad my Junior year in Florence, Italy. It wasn't until I came across FIDM's Visual Communications major that everything just "clicked" and I knew this was the career path for me. The field combines all of my creative interests and I couldn't be more excited!"

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

Just Accepted Graphic Design Student Wants to Own Design Agency

Just Accepted Graphic Design Student Erika Kelly will start pursuing her dreams this summer at the Orange County campus. The high school senior, who has already designed a logo for her church and created a magazine as part of her entrance project, was an instant fan of FIDM.

"The welcoming atmosphere at FIDM is what made FIDM right for me. I enjoy working in a place where I feel welcome instead of intimidated. I expect FIDM to help me get out of my shell and help me speak in front of a large crowd. I also expect to learn how to improve my skills with Photoshop and drawing designs."

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

Just Accepted Merchandise Product Development Student Wants to be an Entrepreneur

Just Accepted Merchandise Product Development Student Brianna Myers is a Victorville, California native who is editor-in-chief of her high school's yearbook. She hopes to one day own her own business and is excited to pursue her childhood dream of working in the fashion industry.

"I am a bit of a quirky girl. I enjoy combining things that normally don’t belong together and trying to make them work. I have a “never say die” attitude mixed with a bit of a “que sera sera” attitude. I enjoy nature and technology too, even though they’re not my strong points. I enjoy the arts more than anything in the world and can’t imagine a happier life than one lived in the pursuit of dreams and fantasies."

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

Visual Communications Student Wants to be a Creative Director

Junior high school student Regan Gillotte hopes to one day work as a Visual or Creative Director for a company that she loves. After seeing FIDM Instructor Ron Pastucha's work for a recent Locale OC magazine photo shoot, Regan solidified her decision to be student at FIDM. The San Clemente resident will attend the Orange County campus in 2013, studying Visual Communications.

" The environment at FIDM seemed a perfect fit from my first visit. I have never seen a school so dedicated to helping its students succeed. FIDM is the only school I found with  the perfect educational tools to help me succeed in this industry."

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

 

Just Accepted Interior Design Student Wants to Design Movie Sets and Homes

Mansfield, Texas native Madelaine Southerland is excited to move to Los Angeles and study Interior Design in hopes of a career designing movie sets and homes.

"My proudest accomplishment so far is getting accepted into FIDM! FIDM is right for me because it will give me an insight of how the industry actually works."

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.

Recently Accepted Student Creates Gown for Charity Auction

Recently accepted Merchandise Product Development student Linhda Phan is off to a strong start in her first quarter at FIDM. The honor student’s evening gown design was shown at a downtown LA charity event where it raised $500 for scholarships.

"I landed my first fashion show from a listing on the FIDM portal—by far my greatest accomplishment. My final design, "Baby Vamp," was in NEWH LA's Puttin' On the Ritz Fashion Show on December 10, 2011 at Cicada Restaurant in downtown LA, where hospitality design firms auctioned the gowns. The event’s proceeds all went to a scholarship foundation. I was so proud to see our model walk in the show and to know that the gown was auctioned off for $500."

Read the entire interview at FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog.