'Tis the season to break out the jackets. The wind is whipping up and it's cold! Time to wrap up in a fur, faux that is. No need to hunt one down. We've done the work for you. Check out these styles from some of your favorite places to shop.
Porridge. It's not just relegated to Goldilocks anymore. It's FIDM alumna Laura Stang's spirited, soulful, feminine fashion line. We caught up with Laura (pictured above) to find out the secrets to her success. The proof is in the porridge, ahem, I mean pudding!
Name: Laura Stang
Grad Year: 2000
Major: Merchandise Marketing
Campus: Los Angeles
How did you get your first break and when did you launch?
I started by making these one-of-a-kind hand-dyed, hand-embroidered patchwork floral tank tops and selling at a boutique in Brentwood that I managed. From there, they became a fast hit. I launched Porridge in 2004.
Describe the general process you go through to design a piece of clothing.
The first piece of clothing was a true labor of love. I bought the blank tanks from American Apparel and then would dye them by hand in my kitchen in a glass salad bowl. From there they would hang dry in the house I was renting with 3 girlfriends. After the tees were dry I'd begin cutting petals out of vintage recycled clothing scraps and hand-embroidering them on the tanks. It was a process.
What do you love about your career as the owner and president of your own fashion line?
Every day is truly different and I'm constantly "on my toes."
What is the least glamorous aspect of your career?
Going to the dye house.
Describe a day in the life of someone who loves to wear Porridge.
It's a day of color and fun. Porridge is so cheerful you can't have a bad day when wearing the line.
Describe how you felt when you got your first editorial credit in a magazine?
It was awesome, almost like it wasn't real but at the same time it kept pushing me to get more edits and constantly evolve as a designer.
After running your own business, what is one major lesson learned and how did you learn it?
Don't grow too fast! Take your time and enjoy the process. It's never good when suddenly you're in over your head and feel more stressed than happy.
What is a common myth people have about fashion design?
That it's a glamorous job. Honestly, it's far grittier than people think.
What does it take to be successful?
Dedication and loving every aspect of what you do. Taking the good with the bad and being on top of every detail regarding how the business runs.
What are your long-term design goals?
To expand into doing more things print-related. I'm a textile girl at heart before a designer. Designing prints, patterns and colors are my favorite aspects of what I do daily.
You are a graduate of FIDM. How did you find out about FIDM and what went into your decision to go there?
It's local and reputable. I know I wanted to stay close to my family and FIDM is known to have a great fashion program.
How did you choose your major?
I wasn't sure about what aspect of the business I wanted to pursue so Merchandise Marketing was a great balance between business and design.
What was the best lesson you took away from FIDM?
Color Theory class and History of Costume.
What advice would you give someone who wanted to become a fashion designer?
Intern for a company and learn everything you can.
If you could collaborate with any designer in the world, who would it be and why?
Vera Neumann. She was the goddess of all things print-related and she blended art and fashion so well.
--Gigi Hooghkirk
-Adelle
FIDM Knitwear Design Student
LittleMisMatched is a company that specializes in making wacky, non-matching socks, flip-flops, pajamas, and more.
The socks above are an example: sold in a set of three, you can wear any two and be mismatched and totally coordinated at the same time!
Not a product for the faint of heart!
Right now, LittleMisMatched is running a contest to find their next big sock design.
The Grand Prize winner of the contest will receive $500, five packs of their winning socks, and his or her sock will go into production and be part of the collection on sale to the public!
Submissions will be accepted until February 11, 2009 at 6 p.m. EST.
To find out more about the Project Sock sock design contest and learn how to enter, click here. --Belissa
It's almost revolutionary to the world of artists, designers, crafters, and home sewers.
Now you can design your own fabric, anything you can dream up, and have it printed by Spoonflower.com for the reasonable price of $18 per yard, no minimum!
Your personal design is printed on quilting-weight cotton, your satisfaction is guaranteed, and the turnaround is fast. You can order a sample swatch for $5.
You could order enough for one pillow, one dress, or a line of handbags.
Plus, for sale at Spoonflower Fabric Shop on craft site Etsy.com are some of the Spoonflower fabric designs, or you could open your own Etsy store and sell your own fabric designs.
Truly imaginative, unusual fabric is hard to find at such a reasonable price, so Spoonflower is likely to be the next big thing for creative types.
If you've ever thought about becoming a professional Textile Designer, FIDM has programs in both Surface Design and Knit Design.--Belissa
"So you think you're smooth? Got the creative juices to design a
stylish t-shirt?"
Well, that's what you'll need to be the winner of this competition.
The winning design will become the official Sunkist Naturals t-shirt, and be used in promotional campaigns for the new line of high-end juices.
Entrants must incorporate the Sunkist Naturals® logo into the t-shirt design and must be at least 18 years old to enter.
You can submit your designs from now through December 31st, 2008. Winners will be announced on January 16th, 2009.
Read the online contest page here, and download the guidelines! --Belissa
Ann Veronica is the name of a woman and her company, which makes hand-silk-screened totes and other bags out of her workshop in Maine.
Ann decided to open her business when she went to replace a silk-screened tote she'd had for 26 years, and couldn't find anything similarly handmade and individualistic.
Using the silk-screening skills she'd learned from women artists in her high school art classes, she founded Ann Veronica and her bags have gained a huge following.
Now Ann is teaching silk-screening skills to young people in her community, so they can carry on the tradition and knowledge of silk-screening.
Silk-screening is not very hard to learn, and is a great talent to have. You can create individualized t-shirts and hoodies and put your mark on almost anything fabric or paper.
Look for a community class in your area to learn this practical and beautiful art. --Belissa
Textile Designer Jimin Park Weatherly absolutely loves her new job at the popular surf, skate, and sport brand Quiksilver. In our latest Style Scoop Interview, find out what inspires Jimin and get a look at this FIDM Grad's typical workday, which includes shopping for ideas and sketching with watercolors. (Who wouldn't love this?!) --Kim
Major: Textile Design
Job Title: Textile Designer, Quiksilver and Independent Designer, Fauna Shirts
What are some of your top sources of inspiration? There are many sources of inspiration for my work but California lifestyle is what inspires me the most. My fine art background also helps me to create designs from different points of view. I always hope that my love for animals, nature, and the beach will reflect in my work. Textile is very important in fashion, it starts the look in 2D before it is made into 3D garments. I strongly believe in my talent and I know I will never stop trying and learning.
Describe your typical day. It is always so different. First we have meetings to get ideas for the
season and then we start creating textile design in many different ways like watercolor, pen and ink, or computer. Lately I've been sketching a lot, but tomorrow I am thinking about stopping by at my favorite florist to get some flowers to see what inspiring designs I will come up with. On other days designers and artists will go to malls, vintage shops, art shows or museums to look for inspiration.
What are some of your greatest accomplishments? My recent greatest accomplishment was getting hired at Quiksilver last month. It will open up so many more opportunities for me to do art and design to share with more people on a larger scale. Also in 2006, I launched my own business called Fauna Shirts which made colorful t-shirts with fine art animal drawings on them and proceeds from the sales went to help wildlife conservation. This season ended and I am preparing for the next. I know this will be something that I will always be doing throughout my life.
How did you find out about your job: I was invited to go to a Career Expo at FIDM in Orange County. While I was there I met with a Human Resources representative from Quiksilver. She interviewed me and told me that she loved my work, but there were no current position open for me. But several months later when a Textile Designer position opened up, she remembered me from the FIDM Career Expo and offered me an interview with directors. The rest is history. I was very lucky!
What do you love most about your career? Creativity, fashion, a fast-paced environment, and being who I am! I love it.
What is the one skill you couldn't do your job without? Drawing and painting skills plus knowledge of the printing process.
Why did you choose FIDM? I was going to another college for fine art because of my love for drawing and painting, but I realized that I really wanted to apply my art to fashion so more people could enjoy it, unlike upscale fine art that very few people get to see. I chose Textile for my major and FIDM was one of the very few schools
that offered it. The Textile program at FIDM was great and I enjoyed all my classes.
How has FIDM helped you in your career? FIDM was an amazing opportunity for me. It gave me a new set of skills to translate my art into fashion! And the reputation of FIDM has consistently gotten me jobs. Doors open for FIDM Alumni.
Anything else you'd like to tell aspiring FIDM Grads? I am very proud of FIDM and I think everybody who is going there is very lucky. When they are out in the industry they should go the extra mile to prove how special FIDM Alumni really are.
These are my favorite new pants, $34.50 from Alloy.com.
This is the Lena Plaid Mini, also $34.50 from Delias.com 
(Are they the same plaid? Possibly! Yes or no, I'd wear them together.)
Delias.com also has a cool Tartan Comforter Cover from $23.99 - $33.99, depending on size.
Plaid is looking hipper than ever for Fall. --Belissa
