The Department of Design and Merchandising renewed a beloved department tradition by hosting a trip to New York City this spring. Students majoring in apparel and merchandising or interior architecture and design enrolled in the study tour spring course spent the semester learning about the history of the city, and traveled to the city over spring break. For students, the trip served as an opportunity to see the industry firsthand and start building connections for future internships or job opportunities. Alumni who live and work in the city connected with faculty and students.
As a part of the study tour, the group attended some events together and also created smaller group activities aligned with the areas of study for apparel and merchandising or interior architecture and design.
Apparel and merchandising
Coach with Giovonni Carter (’19) and Michael Niedermeyer (’19)
Apparel and merchandising students visited with Giovonni Carter and Michael Niedermeyer, recent graduates from the program currently working as an assistant handbag designer and product development coordinator, respectively, at Coach in New York City. Students toured the Coach archives, a humidity-controlled space similar to a museum, where they keep a version of every style of bag produced by the iconic hand-crafted fashion leather goods brand. The students also spent time in the Coach atelier where they learned about the different materials that go into bag construction.
Students enjoyed their time with Carter so much, the department invited him to serve as a judge for the Department of Design and Merchandising Fashion Show – City Strut: The Sidewalk is Your Catwalk in May.
Sorel with Abbey Hume (’14)
The apparel and merchandising students also visited Abbey (Traylor) Hume (’14), an account executive at Sorel. Hume is based in the company’s Boston office but traveled to the New York City showroom to meet with current students Hume has previously visited the Department of Design and Merchandising for panel discussions as part of the Emerging Leaders event hosted by the department. The students loved at the sneak peek of Sorel’s upcoming footwear designs and assortment variety releasing in the next year.
M&S Schmalberg is a historic custom fabric flower shop, creating flowers for couture designs and celebrities for more than a century. The students met with Adam Brand, a part of the long-time family business, and learned about the process of creating custom fabric flowers for garments and fashion events.
Interior architecture and design
Bohn Architecture and Design with Chris Martinez (’10)
Interior architecture and design students met CSU alumnus Chris Martinez (’10) to learn about his experience working for Bohn Architecture and Design, a commercial and residential design firm in New York City. The students loved seeing inside the office – especially getting the sense of the workplace culture, inclusive of office dogs. “Seeing these firms in person makes me excited about the possibilities we have with our degree,” said Shiwa Rishsefid, a student on the tour. “(It was) awesome to see alumni working successfully in a New York firm because they were once in our shoes.”
Students toured the stone warehouse at BAS Stone yard. They walked through rows of stone slabs with materials such as limestone, various marbles, quartzites, granites, and more. Marta and Monika, part of the team at BAS Stone, provided the students with a ‘Stone 101’ crash course to help them better understand the stone materials available to them in design work.
Students toured the historic P.E. Guerin Foundry in the West Village. As a part of this tour, the students witnessed a live bronze casting and were able to see how architectural and decorative hardware elements get made. This included the full process from patternmaking, to casting, to finishing.
Connecting with alumni
One of the most enriching parts of the trip for students and faculty was the opportunity to connect with alumni from the department living and working in New York City. In addition to the alumni hosts at tour sites, the department hosted an alumni social hour which connected current and former students of the department to discuss the transition from student to professional.
If you are a graduate of the Department of Design and Merchandising, please stay in touch! The Department of Design and Merchandising would love to connect with you.
The Department of Design and Merchandising is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
