Author Archives: Henry

Runway 27 Presents Artistry

FIT is home to 60+ student clubs, one of which is Runway 27. Runway 27 host student organized fashion shows every year. The club allows students to experience the vast roles involved in putting on a show, such as the role of merchandisers, designers, models, photographers, general business management, advertising and P.R. The shows always follow a theme, and this year they are presenting their annual show “Artistry”.

Runway 27 was established in 2013 and has been putting on shows ever since. The Runway 27 website shows all previous sponsors that have supported the annual shows and all active team members. The Runway 27 Instagram page keeps followers up to date with any events and covers a behind the scenes experience of all club activity, along with posting artsy photo shoot teasers. If you won’t be able to make it to the Artistry show this Thursday, Nov. 21, then make sure to watch the show through the live stream set up. Details are on the Runway 27 website’s homepage.

Self Worth

As I start my search for full-time employment, I am faced with the task of pitching myself to companies in hopes that they will hire me. I am “selling” my skills and abilities to these brands, hoping that they will “buy” them. A sales pitch is always better when there is genuine belief behind it, which makes it hard when you doubt your ability or worth.

I compare myself to my fellow classmates quite a lot. Regardless of their impressive track records and great personalities, I have a track record of my own and my unique personality. A resume can only show whether you are able to execute a job’s responsibilities, which in all honestly is a teachable thing. People learn how to do their job better every day, even higher ups an business owners. Your resume helps you get your foot in the door, but your personality and personal connection with the people at the company is what really secures your spot.

In psychology, there is this thing called the Dunning-Kruger effect, which is where is you can’t objectively assess your cognitive ability. Basically, the less you really know, the more you think you know, and vice versa. This generally means that if you have a low perception of your ability, then you are probably better off then you really think.

You have to remember that you are a valid and worthy person. You might doubt yourself from time to time and that is natural, but you shouldn’t put yourself down if you can help it. You have your own set of strengths and weaknesses and while they might not match up with other peoples, that doesn’t mean they aren’t valid or good.

How do you keep your spirits and self-perception up?

Senioritis – Dealing With It

As we are nearing the end of the semester with only one month left of school, I am falling into the classic “senioritis” tendencies. This entire semester I have let my time and work management skills slip and it has had its consequences. I have not been keeping track of what projects are due or when their deadlines are, and I have been doing the homework just to get it done, not to learn from it. This is really unfortunate because if I take a step back, I can see that I am in a really exciting part of my time at FIT and I am not allowing myself to enjoy it.

This is a time when I should be pulling together all of the skills I’ve learned here at FIT and to practice them at their full potential. Instead, I’ve had this mindset that I am “done” with my academics and that I am ready to enter the industry full-time. While it might be true that I am ready and able to work full-time, it doesn’t mean that I should brush aside my schooling.

The first 3 years at FIT taught me all of the technical knowledge that I need to know, but this last year is about putting that knowledge to use. It is about how well you understand the information and how well you can put it into effect. It is also aimed at a managerial role, so this is a year where I can look past where I’ll be when I enter the work force and project myself to a higher position. This allows for a rare chance that I probably won’t have for several years where I can get in a managerial mindset and play out how certain decision affect a company and the work that ensues for the teams that I will be a part of in the real world.

I lost my source of motivation because I thought I had reached the end goal, but I still have lessons to learn in my last year. I need to change my thinking to allow for growth from my remaining classes, because it would truly be a shame if I or anyone went through their last year and wasted it.

 

Have you ever experienced “senioritis”? How did you deal with it?

Alternative Thanksgiving Plans in NYC

Now that Halloween has passed, we are onto the next holiday…Thanksgiving! I myself am not from the East coast and can rarely go home for the holidays, so here are some things you can do to celebrate the festivities while away from home and family.

FIT Residential Life Thanksgiving Feast

Res-life always hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for students that stay in the city for the holiday. Take advantage of a free meal and hang out with friends on campus.

Thanksgiving Day Parade

This Nov. 28th will be the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade celebration. Come celebrate an iconic and historic NYC event along with the rest of the city either in person or live on TV. If you want, you can go the night before to watch the balloons get inflated as well.

Bryant Park’s Winter Village

Bryant Park is a wonderful place to stroll through and take a look at all the holiday gift and food shops. This is a great place to look out for that perfect present or to get a cheap bite. There is also the the skate rink which as free admissions but costs $20 to rent skates. It gets cold on the ice so make sure to bring gloves and a jacket.

Friends-giving

Gather a group of friends to have a home cooked (or ordered out) “family” meal. You can make it a potluck to make the menu easier on whoever is hosting, but make sure to contribute something to the group.

(Window) Shop around on black Friday

There are so many online and in store deals to take advantage of. Check off all your Christmas list items or just peruse. You can also stop by the famous Macy’s window displays at Herald Square along your way.

Volunteer with New York Cares

New York Cares is the largest volunteer network in NYC that has opportunities in all 5 boroughs. It requires a quick and simple orientation but after that you are free to sign up for as many volunteer opportunities as you’d like, spanning from gardening to child and senior care to tax prep.

Explore the changing season at Central Park

Get a breath of fresh air at one of the many parks around NYC. Central Park will be showcasing the full force of Autumn with its beautiful foliage. Grab a bite to eat and walk around to one of the many locations in CP, such as the skate rinks, the CP zoo, the boat launches, or the Bethesda fountain.

Visit a Zoo

Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and Central Park Zoo are all open the day of Thanksgiving. Tickets for all three locations are $13 (unfortunately they do not offer a student discount). View animals such as exotic birds, sea lions, red pandas, grizzly bears, and snow leopards.

Sustainability Awareness Week – Patagonia Worn Wear

FIT’s Sustainability Awareness Week Quick Summary

Here at FIT we dedicate a week every semester to the sustainability of our industry with the sustainability council and club leading the way for events and panel discussions.

I stopped by the Patagonia Worn Wear pop-up to learn a little more about what they do and their journey. Their FIT setup consisted of three sewing machines (one industrial brother machine and two home machines), sewers tools, and a big box of trims and notions. The repair technicians mended several different types of damages such as broken zippers and buttons, busted seams, and patching holes. Patagonia owns the largest repair facility in the US located in Reno, Nevada, which is even more astounding when you realize that they only repair Patagonia products.

Patagonia’s Worn Wear wagon

The Worn Wear team even consisted of an FIT alumn, a TDM (Textiles Development and Marketing) graduate, who is with the materials innovation team at Patagonia. She spoke with me about the Patagonia branch “Tin Shed” which is a corporate venture capitalist fund they use to invest in environmentally and socially responsible start-up companies which they use to further their corporate mission!

What aspects of sustainability are you interested in?