Fashion Department Takes Annual Trip to NYC
9 full hours was plenty of time for the Bay State College Fashion Department to get a lot done in NYC. The Fashion Department students spent October 24th visiting designer and production companies like Nanette Lepore’s Studio and Rootstein Mannequin’s Suppliers.
Nanette Lepore’s assistants spent time the group, explaining how their clothing production process works (from designs, to textile, to the Gerber, to pattern drafting and production). The designer strives to have it done all “in house” in New York City, which is impressive in today’s fashion business world.
One of our Bay State Merchandising student’s was prepared with a resume to hand to Nanette Lepore’s assistants, and was granted an interview for an internship.
The Rootstein’s tour was impressive because of their ability to fabricate truly realistic mannequins. These mannequins were placed within themed displays in an abstract way that is not typically seen in merchandising, all leading to large amounts of inspiration!
The students also visited “Mood” the three story textile store made famous by “Project Runway." The students were able to source their fabrics for future designs and were inspired by the textures and colors of the newer textiles coming into the market. They even got to meet “Swatch” the company dog, who is a good friend of Tim Gunn.
The students continued on to FIT where they saw two fashion exhibits, “Exposed” (History of Lingerie) and “Dance & Fashion” (exemplifying two great works of art coming together).
“I was blown away by the amount of inspiration and information we got out of this trip,” said merchandising student Dimanne Mota. ”We learn this material in class, but it was exciting to see it all used in such a professional way.”