March 2022

With the emergence of COVID 19 and continued racial discrimination, the fashion industry’s ability to survive is hanging on by a thread. The values the fashion has set are being challenged and the call for inclusivity is slowly rising. With the fast model of fashion, companies and universities must ask themselves if they will make time and devote the resources to work to create new pathways for all.

The legacy of Christian Dior seems impossible to capture in one exhibit, but somehow this show was the perfect homage. Through the years Dior was alive, he inspired so many future generations to come and the effects of his designs are still seen today. Looking at the exhibit, it was wonderful to see how Florence Miller, the curator of Christian Dior: The Designer of Dreams, showcased not only him but the designers who came after.

Located near the garment district, Fox Unlimited, like M & S Schmalbergs, is one of the last few speciality stores of its kind. It is a fur cutting/production business that is run by two brothers and is used by a plethora of well known brands. If you see real fur on the runway, chances are that they helped in some way! They also just recently forayed into the home with a new collection they just released

Virtually joining us was Jamie Seiden from Nordstrom, who talked to us about digital merchandising and her journey through the company. We learned about her prior experience as a buyer, internships, and finally how she applied to over 50 jobs when graduating college to land at Nordstrom. She joined us on the first day of a new position that she just transferred to. It’s a testament to Nordstrom as they continue to work remotely and prioritize the health and safety of their workers!

Today we were joined by a Kohl’s Juniors designer who walked us through the company’s design process and structure. Kohl’s is a brand that focuses on finding value that appeals to the whole family. Due to this, there are many categories that Kohl’s, and often designers end up transferring to several different areas throughout their time at Kohl’s.

Located on 307 West 36th street, the New York Embroidery Studio is bustling with people creating specialized textiles for a wide range of companies. The shop works with brands to make custom textiles and their shop boasts numerous machines that our tour learned about.

amantha Mitchnick, a college recruiter from Ross Dress for Less, joined us for an in person presentation.Though this was the first time since covid that she had been in person, she breezed through the presentation like it was second nature. We learned about the store’s history and philosophy and what it would look like if we were to become buyers or planners at the company.

Though we arrived early to the Harry Potter New York store, there was already a line of eager fans waiting to get in. Just in the time we were in line, our tickets were already in the 90’s for how many were ahead of us. However, as soon as you entered you understood why!

Our study tour met in front of the Prada flagship store before venturing out to window shop the luxury market. As we walked through the area exploring the various displays, it was exciting to see the different aesthetics and creativity throughout. On our journey we stopped by Miu Miu which we would later find out is a branch off of Prada. It represents the fun feminine side that Mrs. Prada wanted to explore which is juxtaposed with the uniform aesthetic that Prada offers.

M & S Schmalberg at first glance does not look like your typical Garment District store. According to the owner and our tour guide whose family has run and made artificial flowers since 1916, the garment district used to operate a lot differently. Whole buildings were manufacturing or designing, allowing neat features like gas heating pad tabletops that were used to press and indent flowers to give them their intricate detail. The flowers themselves would be carted mainly around NY to other production houses to be used. Now, the business is one of the few fashion tenants in the building and gas has been removed completely. Instead, they have hydraulic presses and have retrofitted the molds to work with them.