Name: Catherine Belgiano
Campus: Los Angeles
Major: International
Manufacturing & Product Development
Hometown: Farmington Hills,
MI
What is one
of your proudest accomplishments? One of my
greatest accomplishments in the past year was being a part of and successfully completing the IMPD Program at FIDM, as well as being
promoted from intern to design assistant at Karen Kane Inc.
Tell us
about your experience in the IMPD Program: I was
chosen to design knit and woven tops for the toddler girls market. The target
consumer was a toddler girl, ages one to five, with the main purchaser being
her mother. Her mother: median age of 35 in the lower-middle class, married with one or more children.
What was
the biggest lesson you learned? Teamwork. Working with 12
other people for nine months can be very difficult at times, but in the end
it's about coming together, putting aside your differences, and utilizing each
other's strengths to produce the best results.
Tell us a
little about your traveling experience: Throughout the course of the IMPD Program we traveled to Paris, Milan, and Hong Kong. The trips were absolutely
amazing! We met with industry professionals on multiple occasions, from all
different backgrounds. We learned the different social norms of each culture by attending multiple types of meetings
from presentations to dinners in each country. This kind of experience will be
invaluable when applied to future business networking.
Tell us
about the Fall 2012 trends: Through extensive research we found that trends stretch
across the board to include corduroy for textiles, which will be like the new denim, and bordeaux
and bright orange for color. For the women's market, polka-dots are very
popular for print, as well as ditsy florals.
What
fashion sites/blogs do you love? A large
amount of trend research is done online. Some of my favorite sources are Refinery29, WWD (an amazing resource because is offers
fashion trend and industry news), Stylesight, The Man Repeller, StumbleUpon,
and not to forget popular sites such as Facebook and YouTube, great sources for identifying mass trends.
How did you
hear about FIDM and what made you decide to go here? I found FIDM
while searching fashion schools online. Honestly, the reason I considered FIDM
to begin with was because it was located in warm, sunny Southern California and
I couldn't wait to relocate! The reason that it became my first choice for
college was because of its streamlined curriculum that provides you with the skills needed to work in the industry. I am
very partial to the quarter system, it is fast paced, just like the fashion
industry itself. Also, because of the connections you make, there is a large
focus on networking, from the very first quarter. It is extremely important and
the people that FIDM can introduce you to is just unbelievable!
How did
you choose your major? When I
started FIDM I worked toward my associates in Fashion Design, after having
completed that I was yearning for more. I wanted to learn more about the
business aspect of the industry, so after researching I chose to apply for the
International Manufacturing & Product Development Program to continue my
education, really focusing on concept to consumer, how it's done, step by step.
What are
your career goals and how is FIDM helping you get there? In the future I'd like to get more into
the production side and be able to have a job that allows me to travel, most
likely to factories that we will be working with or for trend research on the
development side.
What advice
do you have for someone thinking about going to FIDM? Go for it!
FIDM can lead you to amazing opportunities. Take advantage of all the great
resources it can offer you!
Anything
else you'd like to share? Just that I love the IMPD Program
so much and I am sad that it is over. I'm so lucky to have been a part of it
and cherish all of the experiences that I have gained from it. I would
especially like to thank my 12 amazing classmates (whom I now call friends) and
the teachers/faculty involved for making it the best!
