New Month, New Market

Over the summer, I was completing my hours in the MyMichelle division at Kellwood Company, a place that designs, manufactuers, and markets a variety of brands to big box department stores such as JcPennys, Kohls, etc. I was able to see the full cycle of a line and now that August is  over, everyone is preparing for next month's market. This month, as I was helping the assistants put together techpacks to send overseas ( it's basically an instruction manual for making every single thing possible in the garmet ex. lace and fabric, straight down to the color and size of a button ), I was watching the designers start to sketch and meet with each other for designs for the next line.

So now as the August line closes, I'll be doing even more, since I have more experience. The good news is the MyMichelle dept. manager saw me working one day on a sad cardboard board box and Im now getting my own desk! #movingonup

The sign in front of the company

I will be working for this department in the girls dresses and sportswear.

My sad cardboard "desk"

My super cool badge that totally makes up for a cardboard desk.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1.  I plan to interview David Silva, head designer of MyMichelle sportswear. I feel that his experience and knowledge of the industry will give me a deeper look at the steps of merchandising clothes.

2.  - What is the most stressful part about making a line of clothes?
     - What are the steps to making a garment? A line?

Blog 3 : Topic Choice and Working EQ

1.  Fashion/ Retail Merchandising

2. What is the most important aspect of making, buying, and promoting clothing to make it appeal to the customer?

Summer Mentorship Component

1. Senior Mentorship Hours Log

2. Fatima Rodriguez (recently resigned) and David Silva

             Kellwood Company: 626-934-4111

3.   - When do the garmets actually come out in stores?

       - What's the most difficult part of making a clothing item?

       - What's the best part of the month-long process of making a line?

       - During the preline meeting, what are they (the MyMichelle reps) looking for?

4. I gained the behind the scenes knowledge of what actually goes into making a garmet. Now when I go shopping, I don't just look at the outside anymore, I look at the color choices, the trims, and the construction. After measuring an exact length of trim and watching fabric be died to the designer's exact wants, I feel like I know how much effort and thought was put into a single item.

5.  Retail/Fashion Merchandising. I've always loved this topic and getting to volunteer gave me first-hand experience and showed me how fast-paced, fun, and exciting the industry really is. 

Blog 1 - Senior Presentations 5/14

1. What presentations did you see?

•  Social Work for the Abused - Deborah Martinez
• Cosmetology - Emily Vysma
• Criminology - Analysa Gallegos
• International Business - Sabrina Colin
• Teaching First Grade - Xena Perez
• EMT(First Aid) - Jeremy  Ethridge
• Personality Disorders - Kimberly Gallardo
• HLE Officer - Devanna Terry
• Surfing - Garret Soapes
• Bakery - Beladona Ontiveros
• Culinary Arts - Madisyn Delgado
• Cancer Advocacy - Brianna Sigala
• Coffee Shop Management - Brandon Rodriguez
• Cal Poly PST - Ana Landeros

2. What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project?

• Is it better to have more than one mentor?
• What is the independent component?
• Is there any other major projects besides Model Assembly and Senior Project?

3. What was the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

• You can tell that the only thing that the presenting senior is focusing on is the time. Throughout the presentations, some would get visibly frustrated and start rambling because they needed more time and at the end, when they find out they made time, they would celebrate with their friends because "They were graduating!"

4. What topic are you considering doing and why?

• I really want to go into the fashion industry, so I want to further my interest in it by doing my senior project on it. I feel that this will help me get ahead career-wise because this will give me the hands-on experience I need.

5. What are you doing for your summer mentorship?

• I have emailed several people in the visual department in Macy's and I am currently in touch with a warehouse in the City of Industry.