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Fawziyya Sugai

On April 29th, we had a guest speaker come to the studio for our last study tour of the semester and her name is Fawziyya Sugai. Fawziyya attended Boston University and she graduated with her bachelors degree in international management and marketing. In the beginning of her career, she worked at TJX where she was a senior planner and allocations analyst. She was also getting paid a good amount of money while working at this job. After a few years of working at TJX, she decided to move to New York City with her sister and she attended Parsons while she was living there to gain skills in fashion design. At this time, Fawziyya was not making as much money as she used to, however, this was the happiest that she has ever been even if she doesn’t have a lot of money. She was happy because she was following a passion that she wanted to be apart of for a long time. 

Today, she owns a company called Gwell that was founded in October of 2018. Gwell is a wellness brand that offers plant based confections. She wants to provide high quality products and enhance the experience of her customers. Fawziyya was able to create her own brand due to all the skills she has gained over the years from previous experiences and jobs. For instance, she is skilled in sales, merchandising, finance, buying, planning, and production.

While Fawziyya Sugai was speaking to us about her journey, I learned that it is okay to follow the passions that you have even if you have to change your major or career path. I must be willing to take risks in order to do something that makes me happy. I must do things that makes me happy because i will enjoy doing it everyday even if I am going through a rough patch financially. I also must be willing to leave a career path or major in school in order to follow my next inspiration or passion.

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Borghese

On April 22nd, we visited Borghese which is a luxury cosmetic and skincare company. In addition to this, Borghese is a family name. Self care is very important to Borghese because it helps the spirit and soul of the body. Aleksandra Wasowska spoke to us about the company and she told us how a princess from Rome started the company many years ago. Princess Marcella had a passion for beauty products and due to that passion she created the Borghese brand with cosmetics and skincare products. Borghese’s products uses volcanic terrain in their masks because it has rich minerals and they also infuse water into their products because it helps bring hydration to the skin. In addition to this, they have been using mud masks since 1985. The mud masks are allergy tests, SLS free, talc free, and phthalate free. There are 4 different mud masks, which include moisturize, purify, calm, and brighten.

I enjoyed visiting the Borghese cosmetics company because I thought they provided good hospitality for us by providing water for us to drink and seating. In addition to this, they gave us free samples of their products, such as masks, creams, and eye sheet masks. I thought it was very nice of them to give us some of their products to try out.

This company plays a part in the fashion industry by beauty products have become very popular over the past couple of years because they have been many new lines that have been created. Fashion uses beauty products in photoshoots, runway shows, red carpet appearances, commercials, and many other places. In addition to this many influentials have partnered with many beauty companies because they enjoy using their products and they want their followers to try out these products as well. In addition to this, the promotions help the company reach a broad audience and it helps increase their profits due to their new customers.

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Morphew

On April 15th, we visited the Morphew showroom. Morphew is a good source to find one of a kind vintage clothing items. The brand finds dated clothing that comes from many parts of the world. The Morphew showroom also has a Morphew lab where they take dated pieces and reconstruct them into modernized garments. It is a place where the old meets the new by adjusting the fabric, silhouette, and other changes to the garment. I really enjoyed this visit because I thought it was very nice that they allowed us to try on some of their garments and take pictures in them. I have never experienced something like this before when visiting a showroom and I did not think many people would allow this.

While we were visiting Morphew, Dame Lori Sutherland showed us around the showroom and told us about the company. Dame Lori is a pleasure visionary, writer, influencer, model, and many other things. Lori is soul style inspired and she wants women to fell unique and powerful. Additionally, Lori offers custom soul style garments to designers, individuals, retailers, sales team, business owners, textile companies, and many other people in the fashion industry.

This company contributes to the fashion industry by In addition to this, there are famous celebrities that have purchased their one of a kind vintage clothing items. For example, Rihanna wore one of their vintage dresses in one of her newest Fenty Beauty advertisement. Rihanna also owns 2 of their pieces. Famous celebrities plays an important role for their business because they promote their business by wearing their clothing and it may cause other celebrities or other people to become interested in their company.

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Art Galleries and Comme Des Garcons

On April 8th, we visited multiple art galleries and the Comme Des Garcons store. The first gallery that visited was by Jai Aili and the gallery was called Combustion. I thought the paintings were very interesting and cohesive because i noticed that some of the paintings were somehow related to another painting. I noticed that there were either figures with fire on their heads, men with mask on his face, or electricity in majority of the paintings. The canvases of the art work varied in sizes, some paintings were small and other paintings covered the entire wall.

The second gallery was called In Her Image and it was a group Exhibition. Some of the artists that were represented in this gallery was Andy Golub, Ole Aakjaer, Alex Katz, and many other artists.  I thought this gallery was very interesting because I thought the paintings were pictures taken by a camera, however, when I walked closer to the canvas, I realized that it was a painting. The paintings in this gallery were very realistic and very detailed. I liked this gallery the most because they had different rooms that you could go into and there were different lights and artwork on the walls in each room. Additionally, I liked this gallery because they had sculptures of women that got out of the pool and they incorporated water droplets on their skin. I thought this was very different because I have never seen anything like that before. The third gallery that we visited was by various artists. I thought this gallery was very fun and playful because there was a lot of bright colors used in the artwork. I also noticed that there was a lot of Disney themed art work and emojis in this gallery.

When we entered the Comme Des Garcons store, I thought the entry was very different because everything was made out of metal and there was a big glass door. I looked through the women’s wear mainly and I noticed that the garments had a lot of distressing and holes in the garments. My favorite garment that I saw in the store was a dress with overalls and the bottom of the dress was made from previously made jeans. Also, the jeans were in different washes. The only part that I did not like about the store is that i felt that the employees were watching my every move.

The art galleries contribute to the fashion industry by art galleries can be a place for inspiration for fashion designers or merchandisers. Art galleries can inspire fashion designers to create different patterns, motifs, color palettes, silhouettes, and many other factors. Art galleries can inspire a certain mood or message as well. 

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Fabric2Finish

On April 1st, we visited Fabric2finish. Fabric2finish was founded in 2006 by Jamie Koff. Jamie Koff went to George Washington University and she did not go to school for fashion, however, she is very interested in fashion. After she was finished with school, she moved to New York City. While she was in New York City, she worked at J. Crew, Tommy Hilfiger, and many other companies.

Fabric2finish provides many different services for designers that might not be able to afford hiring a team for their short term or long term projects. The services that the company provides includes fabric, design, product development, technical design, and production. For example, The company provides color and fabric trend direction based on the season the designer is designing for. Another example, is that the company creates very detailed tech packs to make the garments fit properly because the fit of the garment is the most important element of a garment.

While Jamie Koff was speaking to us about her career and her life, she gave very important advice to us. I learned that it is important to jump on jobs or opportunities that you want. It is important to send in your resume and cover letter to the company that you would like to be apart of. Additionally, it is very important to contact the manager or supervisor to ask if there are any positions available and that you are interested in apply. It is very important to do this because it shows that you are eager and that you have passion for the company. Also, if you do not jump on very important opportunities that you are passionate about, you will never meet your goals.

This company contributes to the fashion industry by it provides new and upcoming designers with many different services that they may need in one place. Many designers may not have enough money to hire people with certain skills needed to make their designs come to life. Fabric2finish provides the best quality of fabric, fit, sustainability, and many other factors for their customers.

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Create-A-Marker

On March 18th, we visited Create-A-Marker. Create-A-Marker was founded by Paul Cavazza and it is a family owned business. The business has been around since 1993. Create-A-Marker works with over 150 designers. They also work in many different departments such as women's, men’s, children's, intimates, dogs, horses, and many other departments. 

They work on 6 different program systems such as Gerber, Lectra, Optitex, Pad, Polygon, and TukaTex to create the marking. All of these systems complete the job that needs to be accomplished, however, one systems can do one thing that another system cannot do. In addition to this, fabric utilization is very important when creating markers because they must use at least 80% of the fabric so that only 20% of it is thrown away in the trash. For sizing, the size difference between a small, medium, large, and x-large is a 2 inch difference in the bust, waist, and hip. A typical size of a mannequin is a size 4, however, back in 1998 the typical size of a mannequin is a size 10. Another service that is provided by this business is pattern grading. Pattern grading involves increasing or decrease the size of a pattern to fit a certain size of a garment. The direction of a pattern may increase the cost of this service. For example, if a designer wants the pattern to go in one direction, the cost of this service will increase.

This company contributes to the fashion industry because this company provides designers in many different departments with services that they may not have enough resources or knowledge to do on their own. These designers can get many different services in one place. Additionally, they have another company that provides designers with paper or prints for their designs. Lastly, this company wants to utilize as much fabric as possible because they want to reduce the amount of wasted fabric that is produced during each service.  

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T-Project

On March 11th, 2019, we visited T-Project. The T-Project is associated with 20 different Italian factories and has been around for 11 years. The company provides American designers with a connection to craftsman, production teams, technicians, and materials made in Italy. In the New York location, there is a professional consulting and sales team that helps assist guests on finding the best materials needed for their creations. T-Project organizes their materials by year and season. 

T-Project also offers courses that allows people to learn about different technologies and techniques for the creation of different garments and accessories. For example, in New York City, there is a 5 day course that teaches people how to create a leather hand bag and it occurs twice a year.

There are two types of leather that they offer, they have a natural leather and a chrome leather. The natural leather can be made from plants which applies to sustainability and the earth. Te natural leather can also be made from animals such as calf, lamb, buffalo, or sheep. If the natural leather is oil based, it makes the leather more durable and the appearance does not change. The chrome leather is chemical based and it is more durable than the natural leather. Additionally, different types of textures can be applies to the surfaces of either types of leather. Besides leather, they also offer different types of fabric, zippers, studs, heels, chains, and many other materials.

This company contributes to the fashion industry because it allows designers to network with many production teams, craftsman, and technicians from out of the country. It also allows designers to gain access to many materials that they may need from out of the country. This company is important because they offer courses to allow designers to learn different techniques and skills needed to create different garments. There are not a lot of places that offer courses for people to gain more knowledge and experience from.

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Curate

On February 25th, we visited the Curate International Collection. Curate is a trade show that show cased 50 different designers that are from different parts of the world. The trade show wanted to create a space where can people can explore different collection like an art gallery setting. The trade show was hosted inNew York for a few days in February.

As I was walking around the trade show, I was able to speak with a few designers and I was able to learn about their designs and brand. For example, there was a brand called Monies. Monies is a brand from Denmark and it was created by a women and man that fell in love and wanted to create beautiful jewelry. All of the jewelry is made from natural resources, it is covered with gold, silver, wood, and other materials. If it was not made from natural resources, it is made from foil. Another example of a brand that was represented at the trade show was Michaela Malin. She is from Australia and her brand has been around for about 20 years. She designs and creates garments.

The Curate trade show contribute to the fashion industry because it allows designers and brands from out of the United States to show case their creations and designs. It gives us the ability to network with various designers and get an understanding of the brands and designers. It gives us the opportunity to buy one of a ind garments from different designers from around the world.

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Onyii Brown

Our guest speaker on February 11, 2019, was Onyii Brown. Onyii was born in Nigeria and she came to the United Staes when she was 3 years old. She talked about how she created her own business.

Onyii said that she was always a fashion lover but she did not know how to get into this career. Her parents wanted her to be successful and she decided to major in computer science. As time went on, she dropped her major and started taking fashion classes without her parents knowing. After college, she got married, moved to Texas, and began growing her family. While in Texas, she worked in finance. In 2008 the finance market crashed and Onyii and her husband both lost their jobs. They struggled financially, until working out of her garage, Onyii came up with an idea to create a wrap skirt. These wrap skirts were sold to her friends. She then opened her own online store and people started to buy her clothes instantly. Onyii never sketched her designs, additionally, Onyii’s company is successful due to her many partnerships that promoted her company. She does now want to grow too fast because it will be hard to keep up wot customer demands.

She did not have a lot of knowledge about the fashion industry. She decided to attend a community college to get the skills that she needed. Laster on, she attended the Fashion Institute of technology (F.I.T) Program that taught designers living in New York City, all of the design skills needed to become successful. The school offered a chance to win $150,000 prize, Onyii came very close to winning the prize. When she left the program she had a business plan.

Onyii’s target customer are educated women, who travel the world, stand out, are adventurous, and wants to be different. She wanted to create garments that her customers could wear with sneakers or heels. She also wanted to be able to tailor for her customers and meet their needs.

From today’s visit, I learned some very valuable advice and wise words from Onyii Bown. I learned that it is okay to change your mind about your career path if you feel more passionate about another career. It is okay to change your mind several times while working towards a career that you are passionate about, that makes you happy and will make you successful and proud. I am still young, I have time to figure out my career path. Also, I learned that a love and passion for your career is what makes you work harder and gives you the push to keep going.

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KadyBloom

On February 4th, 2019, Kady Dalrymple, our guest speaker was in the studio to talk to us about her career path and how she got to where she is today. Kady is from a small town in New Jersey that only has one stop light. During her senior year of high school, she had to figure out what career path she wanted to take. The only options she had to choose from was either a teacher, doctor, or secretary. However, she was not interested in those career paths, she was very interested in fashion. Kady did not attend college but she would come into New York City on Tuesdays. While she was in the city, she liked to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue and she was offered an opportunity to work there and she accepted the offer. However, she had to start her new job on Monday, which meant thay she had to move into the city. Luckily, she had a friend that lived in the city and they both contributed to paying the rent for the studio where they lived. She had to walk an hour each way to get to work because she could not afford to ride the subway. It costs 35 cents to ride the subway and she did not make enough money to pay for rent. food. and the subway. During her career at Saks Fifth Avenue, she got 13 promotions to become a buyer and she would change store locations every 6 months. She was very successful at being a buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue. She also worked at Express and DKNY.

Later on, she did not want to work for the company she was working for because she wanted to use her creative ability to create her own brand. Kady created a brand called KadyBloom. KadyBloom was created to help women enhance their confidence and to believe in their personal beauty. Kady created a one of a kind handmade Fascinators for women to wear to any occasion. There are a few categories of Fascinators that are made, such as bridal, duchess, diva, fairy, and many other Fascinators. The prices of each Fascinator varies depending on which category and the accessories that goes on the Fascinator. After Kady’s visit to the studio, I realized that life is too short and if i am not feeling confident about my career choice, it is okay to switch. I learned that it is best to follow your gut feeling and your first instinct that you may have. There are plenty of opportunities in the fashion industry and when i find them i must find a way to get involved

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M&S Schmalberg