taliafiscantenycstudytour

[taliafiscantenycstudytour]

This week we had a virtual guest speaker who works as a marketing project manager for Nordstrom. Hautelook was a website that had flash sales and Nordstrom Rack was later launched as a sister site. Hautelook reached one billion in sales in just eight years. Jamie spoke a lot about her role at Nordstrom and she said that she can work on 15 projects at once at some points. Nordstrom Rack has opened many new stores in the last two years. She explained that projects usually start about a month before they are launched. Jamie made an emphasis that due dates are very critical because launch dates cannot just be pushed back, she made it clear that due dates are set and are very important. Something I learned that I did not know before was that men’s shoes are very difficult to choose and differentiate, so she is able to use her fashion merchandising background and buying background to help guide the marketing team. 

Jamie explained that she had merchandised for a while and she decided to move over to marketing in order to experience more in the company and be a new fresh perspective on the projects. 

During this study tour, I learned a lot more about the merchandising and marketing side of fashion that I did not know before. I am a design major so this is the most I have learned about Merchandising and the job opportunities within that side of the industry. Overall I thought this was beneficial to learn about and realize how many career options that there are. It was interesting to learn that even in a creative field you can have a career working from home. 

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Today we went to the Coterie show. This show displays all the collections and accessories available for buyers to come and choose from. The show featured contemporary designers from all over the world which allows for up and coming designers to become more well known as well as predict trends.

It was very interesting to look at all of the clothing and see the different styles. I noticed there was a heavy use of printed fabrics, so I wonder if that will be an upcoming trend that sticks around for a while. I spoke with one designer in specific who was very kind and generous. She has her own brand called Mrs. Mama Bear. Her line is an athletic line, but the clothes are designed to look like fabrics such as denim. She is originally from Texas and works back and forth between NYC and Texas. She was very kind and interested in what we are learning as young design students. We spoke about CLO3D with her for a while and she showed us some new things we did not know you could do on the software. She gave us a hoodie and a tote bag for free which both are excellent quality and it was very generous and kind for her to give those to us.

Overall it was a good experience and I thought it was beneficial to look at all the clothing and become inspired for my own work and research as a designer.

[taliafiscantenycstudytour]

Today we visited New York City Embroidery Studio. I have never heard of the company before, so I learned a lot on this visit. This is a full service surface design studio that offers more capabilities than any other factory in New York City. The factory works locally as well as overseas. Although many places offer embroidery and such things similar, the possibilities are endless at NYES. They not only offer all sorts of stitches for embroidery, but there is also 3d printing, beading, and embellishing, etc. The factory is always looking for a new way to stay relevant and find new ways to be creative and offer something that no other factory can. This factory also only produces in the USA, so everything is sourced within our country.

As we went through the tour we learned many things about the different machines. The rack of vintage machines that can be seen in the photo above all still work and are actually used quite frequently for different projects, as the tour guide explained. With many of the machines that are stored on the shelves, there was swatches under the presser foot of what exactly the machine did. We also got to look through many swatch books and headers of samples that were previously done.

It was interesting to look all through to see all the certain things being done. They made an emphasis that sometimes they are just assisting with one piece of a whole garment, such as embroidery for the lining of a jacket or just a panel. Then the lining or panel would be given back to the company so that it could be sewn into the final garment. I do not know much about embroidery but I learned more about it today and also thought it was very interesting to learn about all of the designers and brands they work with such as Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, etc. Overall, I learned a lot from the tour and I am happy to know more about this factory in case I decide to incorporate these techniques in my collections.

[taliafiscantenycstudytour]

Today we went to the Museum of Broadway. It all began with the first Broadway performance in New York City in 1732. The museum offers a behind the scenes look at the planning for the shows such as costume sketches, fabric swatches, blue prints, and props. I had never been to the Museum of Broadway before today, and I also did not. know much about Broadway. I learned a lot on our study tour today that I did not know before.

The Museum was set up with rooms and each room represented a certain famous broadway show. I did not know most of the shows personally, but I did enjoy looking at all the real vintage props that were actually used on the sets. The most interesting thing to look at was the costumes in my opinion. Some of the costumes that we saw were over 100 years old, which I thought was so incredible! Because of my love for fashion of course I was most interfered in the costumes and their intricate details. Next to the costumes there was often times fashion sketches of the costumes with swatches.

It was a very interesting tour and something new for me to learn about. We listened to many passionate workers give us a further dive into the shows and show us some hidden easter eggs we may not have seen without them! Overall it was a very interesting tour where I learned so much that I did not know.

[taliafiscantenycstudytour]

Today we attended M&S Schmalberg, a floral fabric factory. The factory is a family owned business and originally opened in 1916. All of the flowers, still to this day are hand made in New York City. The business is now a fourth generation family business. When it had begun, there were many similar of its kind producing flowers in the garment district, but today it is the last one to remain with its production in America.

I had never heard of M&S Schmalberg before the tour, but as the tour began he spoke about many projects and celebrity collaborations the business had done and then I was able to realize I have seen their work many times. It was very interesting to learn about how tedious and technical it is to produce the beautiful flowers that are seen in the images above. We were lucky enough to be able to walk through the entire factory and were given an example how a flower is made. He mentioned the fabrics must first be starched, and then they must dry. He first began by using an outline, similar to a cookie cutter, and he then applied pressure to it so that it would cut through the multiple layers of the fabric. Then he heated the imprints and pressed the fabric flower into the imprints. After that the flower could then go on and be assembled based on a specific design or style. It was very interesting to be able to see the behind the scenes of a factory, and it was very cool to see all the machinery and how it all works.

The owner had spoken with us about all the many reasons people contact them to get flowers made. Fashion of course, but also for weddings, home decor, crafts, and many more. I thought it was very interesting he had mentioned that clients can mail them things such as wedding dresses, baby blankets, and other sentimental belongings, and they can have them turned into flowers that can be worn or used for decoration. Overall, I had a great time learning about this factory and I purchased a flower of my own to take home.

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Today I attended Dover Street Market for the first time. Dover Street Market originally opened in London in 2004, and later expanded and opened more stores such as the NYC location. The store seems to give off an energy that it is not just about the clothing, but it is about the feeling and mood that it can give off, and this is shown strongly in the decorations and sets. Carrying the top designers; such as, Rick Owens, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Maison Margiela, and Comme des Garcons, as well as many more; it is an extraordinary place for inspiration. I was informed it is a popular location for trend forecasting in the fashion industry, and I can certainly see why!

There were several different employees who spoke with us about the store. The employees each told us what the theme of their floor was such as menswear, streetwear, supreme, women's wear, shoes, etc. I learned about many new designers that I have not known of previously, such as, Shushu Tong. The stunning white floral embellished dress was a Shushu Tong design that I absolutely adored. One thing I learned is that due to it being between seasons, in order to prepare for the new season arrivals the old seasons were marked down between 50-60% off. The employees emphasized how rare it is to have such large sales on these designer pieces. I learned that they have certain launch days for new pieces and collections and on those days the line to get into the store can sometimes be wrapped around the block. Another thing I learned that the employees had pointed out was smaller details we may have not noticed before, for example the exposed thick stitched on the Margiela outerwear, and the handmade quality of the y2k inspired designer.

I would describe Dover Street Market as a retail museum. Although it is a clothing store that can be shopped from, it feels as though you are walking in a museum because of how decorated and perfected each collection's presentation is. I think the decorations, color, and unique ways to display the clothing racks and mannequins made this such an incredible and inspiring experience.