FIDM Magazine

FIDM Street Style: Photographer's Weekly Fave!

Danielle (Merchandise Product Development) tones down a lacy dress with a knotted denim shirt and vinage boots--Brilliant!

 See more Street Style on FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily Blog!

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

FIDM Students Attend a Conversation with Martin Scorsese and Private Screening of Hugo

LA Entertainment Set Design & Decoration Instructor Denny Dugally was able to share an incredible film experience with FIDM Production & Set Design Students: a private screening of Paramount Pictures and GK Films' Hugo, followed by a conversation with Director Martin Scorsese.

Hugo has received 11 Academy Award nominations including a Best Director nomination for Mr. Scorsese. In addition, Dugally had FIDM Students work as extras on the Lifetime Television show The Client List, where Dugally is the production designer.

Winners Announced for Cotton, Inc. Tree Draping Contest

Congratulations to the winners of the Cotton, Inc. Tree Draping Contest. Aileen Coyle, Thorunn Ivarsdottir, and Anna Hansen were awarded a total of $1500 for their winning design—a cotton dragon, in honor of the year of the dragon.

Held in Grand Hope Park on January 18, the contest challenged students in teams of three to creatively draped a tree with 6-8 yards of provided muslin. Prior to the competition students were offered a free cotton draping workshop at the Loft, and were given the opportunity to dye the fabric.

On the day of the competition, students were allowed to bring scissors, tape, rulers, pens, needles and thread, and anything anything else that fit into a 6” x 6” container provided by FIDM. The trees were randomly assigned to each group.

Points were awarded by a final judging panel made up of one industry representative and one staff representative, determining 50% of the total points. The other 50% was comprised of a viewers' choice vote. 

The contest was offered as part of the launch of the Cotton Club, a new club open to all FIDM Students.

Congratulations to all the students who entered the contest: Emily Powell, Bianca Brown, Josue Michicol, Nicole Guerboian, Ariel Carroll, Nina Escobedo, Sung Jung Hong, Sunmi Kim, Bokhee Kim, Breanna Broach, Alicia Czerwiec, Bernadette Lansing, Melissa Liu, Chasun Lee, Maria Plaza, Natasha Endrei, Catherine Belgiano, Elizabeth Zaragoza, Kara Pelletier, Brenna Pelletier, Amanda Hosler, Jordan Miller, Tammi Agasi, Alex Ramirez, Guadalupe Tlatenchi, Leo Juarez, Jaime Garcia, Erin Martini, Krista Osborne, and Erin Beaudoin.

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.

FIDM Street Style: Photographer's Weekly Fave!

Koalani, a Fashion Design Major, is kawaii-chic from head to toe!

See more Street Style on 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.

FIDM Student Featured in VOGUE ITALIA

Current FIDM Student Michael Kuluva, the fashion designer behind the women's label Tumbler & Tipsy, was just featured in VOGUE ITALIA (pictured). A professional figure skater who toured 40 countries, Michael launched his line in 2009, and has been featured in more than 100 publications and media.

"This cool and colorful collection is distinctive, but never repetitive," says Michael, who has nearly 10,000 Facebook fans and his Twitter accounts, @tumblerandtipsy and @michaelkuluva, and an active blog. "It is not just a line of clothing, it's a collection of art, it's an embodiment of chic fashion in the modern world and a representation of a lifestyle that's fun, bold, luxurious, and daring."