Tag Archives: designers

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

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

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

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

 

Florence, Italy at Your Hands!

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

Fashion News Sources

In an industry that is ever-changing, sometimes at speeds that are hard to imagine, it can be hard to keep up to date with information. It is a question that I constantly have running through my head, “where do people get their information and how do they find these sources?” I have asked some of my peers and professors how they get their information, and I have used them myself to see how these sources were. I am going to start a series of posts regarding fashion news sources. As a Production Management student, I will take a keen interest in business-news sources but will try my best to cover sources that everyone will be able to use. 

Fashion News Sources: #1

Business of Fashion

This is probably my favorite source of industry information. Updated daily, it gives readers all of the who’s who and what’s what of the fashion industry. With short and concise articles that don’t have any useless filler copy, this is a great source to get a solid understanding of whats going on in the industry on many levels. From foreign business structures to luxury brand business strategies, it doesn’t miss much. It even has a weekly recap in case you don’t tend to read daily where it summarizes all the articles that were published over the week. FIT students even get a free BoF Professional account thanks to TopShop, which gives you unlimited access to articles, access to exclusive articles, and access to the iPhone app.

What’s Next For a Fashion Student After FIT

Hello!

I decided to interview Mari a recent fashion design graduate. I thought her point of views were really interesting and she had some great advice that I thought could help a lot of future/current students at FIT.

  1. Why did you pick fashion design? I took classes and worked at a fashion design studio in Seattle for about 6 years. I always knew I wanted to do something artistic, and I really loved how hands on fashion design was. Which made it really easy when picking out schools.
  2. How did you pick FIT? The teacher at my studio went to FIT. When I visited different schools, the students and teachers at FIT really inspired me and strengthened my decision to pick FIT. Being that FIT was in New York was a huge bonus too.
  3. Did FIT meet your expectations? For the most part it did. In the technical aspect of making clothes, I found it challenging and my skills improved tremendously. Coming from a fine arts background, I hoped that the classes would of been more creative. But for an overall education, FIT gave me great knowledge about the industry and also great connections.
  4. What’s next for you now? I decided that costume design is something I really enjoy and want to pursue in. So now I’m looking for jobs in costume. I’m also keeping my options open, because I love activewear, so maybe something in that direction too is something I’m considering.
  5. Has FIT helped you choose this new direction? Yes, I would of never thought of costume design as an industry. FIT showed me that costume design is a possible career option. It also gave me a good base to get me there in terms of skills, connections and the ability to create a concept from start to finish.
  6. What did you think of the Art Concentration? It was a really intense program, but something I really wanted to do. There was a lot of drawing and coming up with concepts, which I feel are really important skills to have in this industry. I loved that at the end of the program, I came out with a great portfolio, that I am really proud of and feel confident showing at interviews.
  7. Do you have any advice for future/current fashion design students? Take advantage of the teachers and the advice and knowledge they have. They know what they’re talking about and have great connections in the industry. Don’t take yourself too seriously, enjoy the freedom to be creative. And most importantly be confident in your ideas!

If you want to check out Mari’s work maristudio.us 

Zorya

My Met Gala Experience

Hello!

I just want to start by saying that you should all take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, because you never know what else might come from it. Although sometimes it might not seem as glamours as you’ve imagined, you never know what you might gain from it. Being at FIT you are exposed to and offered so many great opportunities to take part in and be involved in events you’ve dreamed about attending.

I’m mentioning this, because on Sunday and Monday I had the amazing opportunity to work at the Met Gala, a job I got through FIT. I got to work with the event planner to set up the event and have a sneak peak before anyone else at what the Met Gala was going to look like inside. Although it wasn’t easy work, being able to work in the same room where Anna Wintour was, made it easier:P That being said, I thought I was going to do my job and then be sent home, but then the event planners offered me another job to work at the Cipriani where Condé Nast was having an event. And from that I got offered to be part of another event this weekend, which I was a little hesitant about accepting at first, because of finals coming up. But then I remembered that it’s a once in a life time opportunity and who knows what might come from it. A lot of people told me that I shouldn’t say yes to everything, but to be honest, us as students aren’t in a position yet to start being picky about what we want and don’t want to do. We have to have as much experience as we can, good and bad. Because that’s how we grow and learn from them.

From one job I got through FIT, two others came from it and who knows maybe more. That’s why I really recommend you be involved and open to jobs and any opportunities FIT offers you, because FIT have some great connections and who knows what else might come from some not so glamorous jobs. You never know what kind of surprises life has in store for you!

xoxo

Zorya