Just Accepted Merchandise Marketing Student Wants to Own a Department Store

Full Name: Mariya Dondonyan

Age: 17

Year: Senior

Hometown: Van Nuys

Major: Merchandise Marketing

FIDM Campus and Start Date: Los Angeles Campus, July 2012

Admissions Advisor: Kristen Chocek

Tell us a bit about yourself. Fashion brings me the most happiness; reading about it in magazines, watching fashion shows, and most of all wearing beautiful clothes truly make my day better. Fashion is a big part of my life and I cannot go a day without reading an article on style.com, or watching the latest collections from my favorite designers who include: Karl Lagerfeld, Elie Saab, Bill Gaytten, Yves Saint Laurent, Marchesa, and Rachel Zoe.

The best part about watching these shows is that I have learned what styles I like and fit my personality best and watching the collections is where I draw my inspiration and how I incorporate it into my closet and everyday wardrobe.  

What are your proudest accomplishments so far? One of my proudest accomplishments is gaining acceptance to FIDM and recognizing I am on the right path to becoming what I have dreamed about my whole life, which is to be successful in the fashion industry and own my own department store. It's rewarding and exciting knowing that I am making the right decisions and setting myself up for success, and attending Fashion Merchandising School at FIDM only makes me one step closer to achieving my goals and having my dreams come true. 

What made FIDM right for you? FIDM grabbed my attention the second I heard about it, and after learning about their different majors and choosing one that was right for me, I knew it was the best school for me. The campus makes me feel comfortable and safe, but at the same time it presents a challenge where I have to do my best to be the best and it's a challenge I'm more than ready to face and that's what I love about FIDM.

Describe your entrance project. My entrance project consisted of pieces from Chanel Fall 2011 RTW and Marchesa Spring 2011 RTW. I stuck with the theme of the Little Black Dress and incorporated small details from the original pieces to create something I would wear in an LBD. I designed a sample clothing line for Barneys New York and described the target market and price ranges. 

What are your career goals? My goal in life is to own my own department store like Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Saks, or Henri Bendel. I want to showcase top designers with a wide array of top quality merchandise. My stores will appeal to shoppers looking for chic, youthful clothing, who are interested in cutting edge fashion and be able to afford the expensive price tags.

What do you expect to learn at FIDM? I hope to learn the necessary and fundamental tools that will help me to succeed in the industry in order to gain more knowledge through experience. I want to fully understand the importance of professionalism, effective communication, research, and creative and critical reasoning for achieving my goals in this diversified industry.