Sandy Gonzalez
Name: Sandy Gonzalez
Age: 18
Hometown: Dinuba, California
URL: http://www.abuelinthegoldenage.com or http://www.myspace.com/abuelinthegoldenage
FIDM Grad Year, Major, and Campus: 2011, Fashion Design, Los Angeles
Tell us a little about yourself: I grew up in the very small town of Dinuba, California where agriculture was about the only business to get into. I've wanted to be involved with fashion ever since I heard that my grandma never wore anything twice. I adored spending the night at her house and my aunt's, just so that I could watch them make their larger than life quilts. People have always thought of me as the go-to-girl for finishing art homework and hemming jeans. Living in Dinuba made life very simple, but hard to breakout into a career such as fashion, so at 14 I started to make custom totes and I sold them to the girls at my high school for $5. It first started when I put together a screening of the film
Invisible Children to which 7 people showed up, haha. I wanted to raise money for the organization so I started to sell them there. After that, I learned how to build websites from online tutorials and gained knowledge on how to start a business. Soon after,
www.abuelinthegoldenage.com was created and it's been quite a journey from there now leading to my second quarter here at FIDM Los Angeles.
Sites you must visit daily: I am always on the internet, of course there is the usual social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Modelmayhem.com, Tumblr, and Myspace. Other then those, I visit
Urbanoutfitters.com and
Space15twenty.com religiously as well as fashion blogs like
theuglyearring.com,
www.dirtyflaws.com,
thisolddress.blogspot.com, and
daydreamlily.com. And as much as I hate to admit it, I update
perezhilton.com every 2 seconds; it's my guilty pleasure.
Golden Shield Dress from Sandy's Abuel in the Golden Age Collection
What is an accomplishment you are most proud of: One of my proudest moments is when I sold my first item on my site abuelinthegoldenage.com. From that point on, it didn't matter to me if I sold another thing in my life, just that I knew there was one person out there who thought whatever I had to offer was worth the purchase. But I knew if there was one, there were bound to be more.
What are your short term career goals? Some short term career goals are to build on what I have so far and get a few more pieces in my online store. Also, to get an internship or job with another designer to get a feel for things other then what I have learned on my own.
Lost Boys
What inspires you? There are a number of things that inspire me, too many to count even. I have very eclectic taste when it comes to this stuff. It is no secret from looking at my online store that I am a big fan of the circus, though I have never been to one. I even promised myself if my career in fashion didn't workout, I would join the circus. But anything from the smell of fallen leaves on an afternoon walk to the hairstyles shown in the most recent Tim Burton film. It is forever changing, but I am inspired by old time movies like Sunset Boulevard, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Death of a Salesman, and even ones like The Lost Boys; old photos of my mom and dad, especially ones of my dad while he was in the Vietnam War; antique stores; music, yes music especially, actually very few know this, but the whole story behind my line was inspired by Panic at the Disco's album Pretty Odd. Most recently though, I've been inspired to create children's clothing based on the book and movie, Where the Wild Things Are. My niece and nephew Ava and Carter were my tests for this line, I knew that if they approved, then that's all that mattered.
Abuel in the Golden Age Broken Heart Tank
How did you know that FIDM was the right college for you? From the moment I stepped onto this campus with my mom and sister, I was overwhelmed. I had only read about this school online and then to suddenly be standing on the second floor waiting to see my admissions advisor Laura Gorham--it was the most surreal feeling in the world. But I think the moment I knew was after the tour of the school and meeting had ended and we were in our hotel room for the night... I just remember sitting on the hotel bed with my sister and thinking, "Man, they are all rooting for me. FIDM has to be the right choice." And thank goodness it has been so far or I wouldn't be having such an amazing time here in Los Angeles.
How and why did you choose your major? I knew that I wanted to major in
Fashion Design for a while, and when the different majors that fit my criteria were presented to me, Fashion Design still was the one that I was most sure about. I wanted to become better at design before I ventured off into anything else.
What do you expect to gain from attending FIDM? I hope and expect to gain insight on the fashion industry from the ins and outs. Already from attending FIDM for one quarter, I can honestly say I've learned so much and I can only imagine how much more knowledge I will have by the time graduation comes around.
What is your ultimate career goal after graduating from FIDM? My ultimate career goal is to open up an actual store where customers can come and experience Abuel in the Golden Age as it's meant to be experienced. Hopefully one store will lead to more but right now, I am content with it only being online.
What advice would you give to students looking to be accepted into FIDM? I would have to say to just go for it, give all you've got, and don't hold your true self back, because that is what is going to make you memorable.
