FIDM Magazine

Visual Communications Students Take Study Tour to NYC

Last week, a group of FIDM Visual Communications Students took a Study Tour to New York City, which included visits to showrooms and retail flagships. VMSD Magazine wrote an article about their appointment with Saks Fifth Avenue's Senior VP of Visual Merchandising and Store Design Harry Cunningham (a FIDM Advisory Board member) and his team, at the famed flagship store.

"The panel – which included Matt Reed, vp, visual merchandising; Richard Fosdick, director/visual for women’s, men’s, kids and home; and Adam Carmichael, director of store design (who was also named the PAVE Rising Star 2011 two day earlier) – was extremely hospitable and open with the students. They shared their career paths, missteps and advice for getting a dream job."

Read the entire article here.

IMPD Students Arrive in Paris: Day 1

Each year students in FIDM's International Manufacturing & Product Development advanced study program travel to fashion and manufacturing hotspots around the globe as they produce a line of clothing while being mentored by their professors and one of FIDM's incredible industry partners. Student Hallie Fisher will be posting daily updates about the trip on her student blog. Don't miss it!

FIDM Students Visit Florence, London, Paris & Rome for Annual FIDM European Study Tour

Elisabeth Varela, a Graphic Design Student at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, is one of 19 Students who traveled to Florence, London, Paris, and Rome from March 24 through April 4 for the annual FIDM European Study Tour. Each year FIDM Students, escorted by instructors and administrators, have the opportunity to participate in specialized study tours to major cities known for fashion and design. Read about the students' experience, as told by Elisabeth below:

 

March 26 - We did a lot of sight seeing! We saw famous places like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame. Then we saw a lot of the fashion streets where designers such as Dior and Chanel have shops.

March 27 - We took the Eurostar into London, [which] so far was my favorite part of the trip. We saw the London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abby (where Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married). We saw the London Eye, Big Ben and Saint Paul's Cathedral. Later, we went shopping and had afternoon tea at Selfridges.

March 28 - This morning we went to see a man who owns a family-owned company that make hand made silk flowers. They were absolutely gorgeous! Designers such as Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Dior and more come to him to make flowers for their couture clothing, accessories and store front windows.

March 29 - Earlier today we went to see a woman who is a costume designer. She has a major collection of clothing from vintage all the way to current, used in french movies as well as American movies. Later we went to see Versailles. That was really fun as well. The palace was gorgeous because it has been recently restored with gold paint. Inside we saw the hall of mirrors, the queen and king bedrooms, and few other highlights inside the palace.

March 31 - Today's appointment was to a handmade paper maker, and a handmade mask maker. We also had a lot of free time so we mainly took the time to do some shopping and eat gelato.

April 1 - So far today we had a walking tour of Florence and are learning a little about the history of the city. We saw Michelangelo's David inside the Galleria dell'Accademia . This morning we had a private cooking class with an Italian chef inside her home. We learned how to make brushetta, gnocchi and tiramisu. It all tasted so good (for a bunch of college students)!

Sounds like the European Study Tour was an amazing trip and opportunity for these students! 

 

Students Meet Temptu Founder On Day 4 of NYC Beauty Study Tour

Day 4 of the NY Beauty Study brought students face to face with Samantha Mandor, Founder of Temptu. She gave a presentation on their Airbrush Makeup System—from concept to in-store—and talked about the importance of pursuing your idea with persistence. If you believe in something, you can absolutely bring it to fruition. Their product is doing phenomenal in sales, despite the current tough economy.

Next on the itinerary was Avon, who gave a fabulous presentation on marketing and brand image. They talked about how you market a product that was launched so many years ago and still keep it fresh and appealing to the market today. They shared that they're focusing hugely on anti-aging. Some of the ingredients they're using are more advanced than that in some of the most expensive skincare creams.

Then everyone was treated to shopping in the Avon Employee Store, where everything was 50% off!

Lime Crime was the third appointment of Day 4, where students met with the owner, Doe Deere, a 20-something from Russia. She loves bright colors. And when she couldn't find any highly pigmented lipsticks and eyeshadows on the market to suit her, she started her own company. (Read her story here.)

She talked to the students about how you can do whatever you put your mind to. There were times when she found herself sitting in her living room putting stickers on lipsticks, packaging products, and shipping them out herself. Now her products are sold in the high-end boutique SPACE.NK.apothecary.

Dermalogica was the last order of business.  Students were treated to a tour of their training facility.

According to FIDM Beauty Industry Merchandising & Marketing Director Julianne Pfister, every student who participated in the study tour said the trip exceeded their expectations.

NYC Beauty Study Tour Leads to Job For FIDM Alumna

Jacqueline Haupt did her homework before she set out on the New York Beauty Study Tour in 2007. She researched the companies on the itinerary and prepared well thought out questions to ask the presenters. It paid off. She made quite an impression on Intercos—a major manufacturer of beauty products—and one of the executives remembered her when a position opened up just six months later. She's now the Assistant Manager of Sales & Marketing at Intercos in NY and addressed the FIDM Students on the most recent NY Beauty Study Tour.

"FIDM helped to build a strong understanding of marketing, which is very relevant to my work. FIDM also helped me to build very strong visual presentation skills which is crucial."

Read the entire interview with Jacqueline Haupt on FIDM's FashionClub.com Daily.

Students Meet CEO of Fusion Beauty On Day 3 of NYC Beauty Study Tour

Students were treated to meeting the CEO of Fusion Beauty, Caroline Pieper-Vogt, on Day 3 of the New York Beauty Study Tour. The CEO gave an absolutely inspirational presentation on how she turned Fusion Beauty around when the company had been struggling to survive.

One of the things she shared with the students was her successful negotiation with Sephora to get Fusion Beauty back on their shelves.

Next on the itinerary was Intercos, a major manufacturer of beauty products for companies such as Smashbox, Too Faced, and Urban Decay. The students were given a tour of the Intercos showroom with samples of pressed powders, eye shadows, and lip pencils on display.

FIDM Alumna Jacqueline Haupt now works at Intercos in NY as the Assistant Manager of Sales & Marketing. She participated in the New York Beauty Study Tour in June '07. One of the Intercos executives said that Jacqueline Haupt stood out in her mind on that particular study tour because she asked so many questions. Jacqueline approached her directly after the presentation that day and expressed interest in working there, so when a position opened up six months later, she got the call. And in January '08, after a successful interview, Jacqueline was hired and moved her life to NYC!

The students also learned about trending—how Intercos gets their inspiration and how that translates into beauty products and packaging.

The day wrapped up with a CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) event at the Harmonie Club, in which the students were treated to a talk by Bobbi Brown!

Read about Day 1 and Day 2 of the NYC Beauty Study Tour.

Scholarship Finalists Travel to Cotton, Incorporated Headquarters in North Carolina

Fifteen FIDM Students recently traveled to Cotton, Incorporated headquarters in Cary, North Carolina as finalists in two scholarship competitions sponsored by the company, which focuses on building the market for cotton through research and promotion.

Participants in the “Demands of Denim” competition were challenged to create a denim design using fashion-forward finishing and dyeing techniques. Over a period of six months, the participants attended workshops to expand their knowledge of denim--from the marketplace and trend forecasting, to construction, fit, dyeing and finishing techniques.

Students who participated in the “Original Surface Embellishment & Visual Effects on Cotton” competition were challenged to create or use a cotton fabric and apply an innovative surface technique that could be adapted into a completed product. Students were educated in a variety of dyeing techniques such as tie-dye, shibori, discharge and embellishment techniques such as embroidery, fabric surface manipulation, felting, macramé, and crochet.

“The unique [part] of the trip was greater interaction between industry professionals and the students. Since most of the participants were new to industry, we were awestruck by the facilities and infrastructure which goes into converting raw cottons through yarn process, fabrications and converting design into final product,” said FIDM Graphic Design Student and "Demands of Denim" finalist Sivakumar Swaminathan. “The visit was not only informative but also a strong motivational factor for all the participants to indulge in the creative field of fashion business without any preoccupations.”

Congratulations to all of the Cotton, Incorporated scholarship competition finalists, and good luck in the final round. We'll announce the winners to both schollarship competitons at the end of the month. Watch this space for details.

Students Visit Major Fragrance House On Day 2 of NYC Beauty Study Tour

Day 2 of the New York City Beauty Study Tour began at Givaudan, a fragrance house that creates most of the scents for the major players in the industry. The focus of their presentation was on 2011 fragrance trends. They said they actually have a group of people go out into the rainforest and South African deserts and gather different things that they think would be good to use as a scent.

One of the interesting things they pointed out to the students was that the fragrance industry looks not only to the fashion and beauty industries for color and aesthetic trends, but to the automotive industry as well! So they attend fashion shows, color cosmetic tradeshows, and automobile shows for research. The lines of a new car model could translate into the shape of a perfume bottle, for example.

The second and final appointment of Day 2 was with Marina Maher Communications, a well-established publicity company in the beauty industry. Their clients include CoverGirl, Clairol, Herbal Essences, Secret, Aussie, and Head & Shoulders. They talked about product placement in terms of social media marketing versus the traditional avenues with magazines.

Check back for Day 3 of the NY Beauty Study Tour. Read about Day 1.

Beauty Students Head to New York for Study Tour

Each year, students in FIDM's Beauty Industry Merchandising & Marketing Program participate in a week long Study Tour to New York City to meet with executives from some of the best companies in the beauty industry. This year, it was a full schedule with companies ranging from Bumble and bumble and L'Oreal to Intercos and Givaudan. With five days of back-to-back meetings and presentations, the students really get to experience the fast-paced environment of the beauty industry in New York!

DAY 1

Bumble and bumble was the first meeting of the day, led by FIDM Alumna Suzanne Machesky. In fact, she participated in this very same FIDM Beauty Study Tour just four years ago. Now a Regional Business Consultant for Bumble and bumble, she recommends approaching your career with an open mind. She entered the work force thinking she wanted to be in product development or marketing, but she's now in the sales department and absolutely LOVES it. She's one of their top sales people!

Bumble and bumble's Suzanne Machesky (in orange dress on far right) presenting to the students

She also wanted to impress upon the students the importance of networking. It's how she got her job at Bumble and bumble. (Read her interview.) She said it’s all about tenacity and follow up, and making sure that if you want something, you absolutely can get it as long as you are dedicated and focused.

Next, the students headed to L'Oreal where they were treated to a fabulous presentation on brand image by Tennille Kopiasz, Assistant VP of Marketing for Giorgio Armani Cosmetics.

The final meeting on Day 1 was with Arcade Marketing. Major players in the beauty industry hire Arcade to create scent strips and ways to package makeup samples as magazine inserts. They shared with the students the idea that in order to keep things fresh, they have brainstorming meetings to come up with new ideas. They recommend keeping paper and pencil with you at all times because you never know when an idea will come to you.

Arcade Marketing presentation

Check back for Day 2 of the NY Beauty Study Tour.

Students Dine with FIDM President On Paris Study Tour

DAY 6

An EXTREMLY warm Sunday with out air conditioning turned delightful because our group was invited to Fouquets for the President’s lunch.  The restaurant is located on the Champs Elysées where all the action is happening.  A celebrity favorite, this restaraunt has attracted Chaplin, Chevalier, Dietrich, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Jackie Onassis so we knew we were in good company. To read more about the restaurant go to: Fouquets

  As soon as we got to our table we were treated like royalty. Ms. Hohberg, the president of FIDM, provided us with delicious treats from the famous Hediard. A well-known gourmet food store that is renowned for delicious foods, teas, spices, cookies, chocolate and anything you could want to enhance your waistline.  They are well known for their beautiful merchandising.  For more information visit: haute gastronomie.

Our Table setting when we arrived with special gift bag, FIDM menu and delicious Fouquet’s candle

Not long into our meal we spotted from our table the reason why Paris is called the City of Love.

The lunch was priceless and no one left with an empty stomach, hand or heart. Here is the evidence and the happy faces.

 

Some of us were adventurous and tried snails.  We were informed that if you are going to try them for the first time, this is the place.  The general consensus was that as long as you didn’t really look at what they look like, they taste pretty good.  Tons of garlic and butter is very helpful for the taste buds as well. 

But the highlight of the meal was when they rolled out the tray of ice-cream sundays.  Every student was astonished that deserts could look that delicious.  Some of the tables ordered one of each so as to get the full spectrum.  These pictures don’t to the deserts justice but you get the idea: 

We definitely enjoyed:

The restaurant décor and street traffic for people watching.

On behalf of the students, many thanks to Ms. Hohberg who provided us an amazing and unforgettable meal.  From there we walked around the Champs Elesées to see the sights but the heat of the day and our full bellies sapped our energy for anymore tourist ramblings. We headed to the hotel to get ready for a night on the town.

--Hallie Fisher, San Francisco, Merchandise Product Development Student