A Trip To Turin!

HELLO EVERYONE!

Today I’m going to share with all of you the experience of our weekend trip to Turin, Italy!

During our study abroad program we have a couple of academic trips, one of them for this semester was going to Turin. Turin is located a couple of hours by train from Florence.

As we arrived and walked the French-styles streets of Turin, from almost every spot, my eye was always caught by the most iconic symbol of this city, the Mole Antonelliana. Originally designed to be a synagogue, now hosts the Museo Nazionale Del Cinema. It is considered to be the tallest building in the world without steel reinforcement!

An outside picture of the Mole Antonelliana

We visited the Museo Nazionale del Cinema and being guided by our art history professor we experienced the evolution of film. With a maze-like and multi-level exhibition you are for sure not going to be bored. From pre-cinematographic optical devices, earlier and current film technologies, stage items from early Italian movies and interactive displays! After the tour we took an elevator that ran through the heart of the building all the way to the top. A breathtaking view of 360 degrees of the city was awaiting. This was definitely a highlight of the trip, with a view to the Italian Alps in the distance!

View of Turin from the top of the Mole Antonelliana

The next day, we visited The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, a Baroque-style Roman Catholic chapel connected to the Palazzo Royale. The chapel was constructed to house the Shroud of Turin, a religious relic

that many believe to be the burial shroud of Jesus. It’s history and architecture are beautiful and very inspiring!

Architecture of the Chapel of the Shroud of Turin

This trip was culturally rich and if you ever have the chance to study in Italy, I definitely suggest you add this lovely city to your travel itinerary!

Ciao, Maria

Production Management Semester 1 Review

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The Production Management major is a complex multifaceted program that can branch off and lead to many different job types in the industry. This can make it hard to understand what your time here at FIT could look like, so I’m going to start going over the courses in the major semester by semester and review and elaborate on them.

Semester 1 – Very rudimentary and foundational to your general understanding of basic fashion industry structure and procedures.

MG 108 – Apparel and Home Textile Products Manufacturing

This was my first ever class at FIT. I came into this school not knowing anything about businesses or how they are structured, or how the fashion industry even operates. This class taught me about all the different processes involved in the making of products and who is responsible for them. We also talked about one of the most important pieces of information in the production industry, a tech. pack, which is a detailing of what the product is made of and how to make it.

TS 115/TS 015 – Textiles for Production Management

Again, I didn’t know anything about apparel coming into FIT. This class gave me the foundational understanding of the different types of fabrics and how they are all made. We learned about the difference between woven and knit fabrics, the different types of each category, and we even got to see the machinery used to make these fabrics in person in the textile labs. We also learned about all the different types of fibers and materials that make up the fabric and the qualities of them. One of the coolest parts about this class was when we tested different fabrics in our textile lab to see if they would meet industry standards. FIT has a fully equipped textile testing lab with machinery that tests things from the strength, to the color fastness, and even the flammability of the fabric.

MG 153 – Excel for Business

This class helps students build one of the most commonly used skills in the production industry, Microsoft Excel. I use Excel every day at work to analyze and identify key information for our team, and this class helped me feel comfortable in taking responsibilities like this on. Professors use textbook and online material for students to reference in their homework and projects to help build relevant and comprehensive practice. You’ll learn how to format files, discover all sorts of formulas, and even learn about Pivot Tables. Excel has since become one of my favorite programs for organizing pretty much any type of information. It isn’t just for numbers, though it excels in that field. (I’m sorry I just had to).

Which class would you be most excited for in your first semester at FIT?

Fashion New Source Pt. 5

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Women’s Wear Daily

Since its inception in 1910, Women’s Wear Daily magazine has been a leading force in the apparel industry. As an informational staple, the magazine covers general topics such as: fashion, business, beauty, men’s, runway, and accessories. Each topic has several sub-topics. For example, a few that business is broken down into are: trade, HR, marketing, retail, and markets. From a business student’s perspective, WWD gives a really good big picture view in regards to long term strategies. This information can be vital for higher-ups and even for students like us. There are not many sources that have a section devoted solely towards mergers & acquisitions or markets. This is why I like Women’s Wear Daily, because it can give me information that is easy to access sources sometimes require a subscription for.

If you watched NYFW and wanted to look at the styles, WWD has a review of all different designers with an analysis on the lines and photos of the collection. Click here to see more

What to Think About Before Studying Abroad in Hong Kong

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I am over a month into my abroad program and I am having so much fun! Hong Kong is fantastic and there is always something to see or do.

Me, under one of the lantern-lined streets

Now that I have been here for a little bit, I have encountered some of the logistics involved with being here. What should you know before studying abroad in Hong Kong? I’ll cover some topics below!

Conversions
Get ready for the metric system! Hong Kong (like most of the world) uses meters kilos and Celsius. A quick trick: to get a ballpark number when converting C to Fahrenheit, double the number (for example 19c becomes 38) and add 30 (roughly 68 degrees Fahrenheit)!

Apply for Student MTR Card
The student MTR card is a huge saver, especially if you plan on exploring! The fare saves you 50% of the regular price, and the savings add up quickly as the MTR charges by how far you go, not a flat fare like the MTA does in New York City. Once you get your student ID from the school, you will be able to apply.

Figure Out Your Cash
Back home, I rarely use cash, however it is incredibly useful here! Most stores and food places do not take card, or if the do they take Octopus Card (the HK equivalent of a MetroCard, but much more useful), which has to be reloaded with cash. Make sure your bank has low fees for currency conversion, otherwise your money will quite literally be less valuable.

Transaction Free Cards
Make sure to do some research on a credit or debit card that does not have fees before you set off. 1-3% adds up, especially when you will be spending over four months in a country! Additionally, I would recommend researching what is commonly accepted where you are going. The card I use back home is basically useless here. I opened a new card specifically for my time abroad.

Get Ready for a Different Diet
Any time you travel, your eating habits and diet will change. Personally, I have noticed there aren’t many dishes that include cheese. Most dishes have a base of rice or noodles. In New York, I usually have a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, but I have yet to even see a bagel since I have arrived! I have switched to bread with peanut butter because that is what is available.

If you have any allergies, or are vegetarian/vegan, make sure to consider what food options you might have. While many people here speak English, guaranteeing a food is safe for you to eat might get lost in translation.

Language
Nearly everyone here speaks enough English that you will be able to communicate. However, it’s not a bad idea to get the Google Translate app. There is a function that allows you to scan text and translate within the app. This is great for signs around the dorms or for receipts, which tend to list out line items in Chinese!

These are the things that stood out to me the most so far, and if anything else arises I will be sure to update!

Best,
Sam

Florence, Italy at Your Hands!

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HELLO FELLOW TIGERS!!

My name is Maria, I have started my 4th semester in FIT. However, I started classes a little far away from campus. Where? In Florence, Italy! Now you may ask “what is she doing over there?” Well let me explain….

At FIT there are many options for studying abroad, it all depends on the major you are studying. As a fashion design student one of my options was to study in the “the cradle of the renaissance”, that is Florence, Italy. And so I chose this option for my second year of AAS.

You cannot imagine how excited I was to start my journey abroad. In the month of August (2018) I had my bags all packed and ready for what was coming. I heard great stories about my classmates’ experiences abroad and was ready to start my own.

Our host in Florence is Polimoda fashion institute right in the historic center. The main campus itself is a gem, with frescoed ceilings and walls, it sure takes you back in time. The design lab in Scandicci has everything you need for the realization of projects. Since the program admits a certain number of students, professors are by your side to assist you.

In the following blogs I will be going in deeper into my experiences during the last and this upcoming semester.

Ciao, Maria

A view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

Florence, Italy: A view from Piazzale Michelangelo