New Interview With FIDM Visual Communications Student Ryan Pinter

Visual Communications Student Ryan Pinter has loved fashion since he was a young boy and after coming to FIDM "something just clicked." Read our interview with Ryan to learn more about his accomplishments, favorite designers, and how he chose his major!

Age:  20

Hometown: Pleasant Hill, CA

Tell us a little about yourself: I’m a Bay Area native. I’ve known that I wanted to work in fashion since the second grade when I told my teacher that when I grew up, I was going to work for Giorgio Armani.

What is one of your proudest accomplishments? While I was taking Marketing Events at FIDM, I was assigned to provide gift bags for our school event. Since I didn’t have a budget, I had to basically ask for handouts. In the end, I successfully negotiated over 100 gift bags to be donated by Aveda and Ghirardelli. It all turned out brilliantly.

Favorite designer: There are and were so many greats, it’s hard to choose. Hubert de Givenchy is probably my favorite designer of all time, however I love what Alber Elbaz has done for Lanvin as well. I love Thomas Pink and Marc Jacobs because they actually understand that tall men (like me) can be thin as well.

Trend/item you're loving right now: I love the utility jacket for Spring! It started as a trend for men back in Fall 2009, and now it’s showing up in women’s Spring 2010 collections. That’s when you know a trend is really good -- when it can cross the lines of gender in the same year and people still think it’s great.

Who is your style icon and why? For men, it’s Clark Gable (who single-handedly made it fashionable for men not to wear an undershirt), and Cary Grant, who epitomized classic Hollywood -- nobody wore a suit like Cary Grant. For women, it’s got to be Jacqueline Kennedy. She gave this country class and changed the way American women look at fashion. 

What is the most beloved item in your wardrobe? I love my black trench coat by Burberry Prorsum. I waited so long before I finally stopped growing and then I bought it.  I love how universal it is. I can wear it with my super-basic Levi’s and a sweater from H&M and it instantly boosts the outfit.

How did you know that FIDM was the right college for you? I knew that I didn’t want to go to a conventional college – or rather, one that made me take science classes.  But once I got into my second quarter, and I took the class Trends: Past, Present and Future with my Instructor Marsha Silberstein, something just clicked.  It has been four quarters since and there has never been a dull moment. I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

How did you choose your major? I’ve always been a visual person and someone who has always appreciated fashion design as an art form, rather than something you just put on your back.  So, when I first came to FIDM, my Admissions Advisor and I talked about Visual Communications and it just seemed perfect. It was creative, fashion based, and I got to build projects with my hands.