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Question: How did you get your start in designing, and what was the motivation?
Answer: The first piece that I ever designed — and wore — was a strapless mini dress that I recall was excellent for twirling. The occasion was a middle school dinner dance, and I remember being the only girl in my class not allowed to buy a dress. Instead, my father insisted I design my own. And while I've been making clothing ever since, it was not until I came to NYU that I began to see a future for myself as a designer.
With a full course load and internship schedule, I started making dresses for myself purely out of necessity. My overbooked itinerary demanded ensembles that could take me from morning classes to my internship and out to dinner with friends — all with no outfit change required. The moment I'd exhausted a dress from heavy rotation in my weekly wardrobe my father would scoop up the samples to hang in his Haverford storefront. It took no time at all for his regular clientele of well-tailored men to start purchasing my designs for their wives and even less time for women to begin commissioning one-of-a-kind styles. Before I knew it I was a full-time student with an internship at Vogue and a rapidly growing business in design.
Q: How did your time at NYU influence your career now?
A: Being at Gallatin gave me the opportunity to dictate my education according to my passions. And with the independence that came from designing my own college experience also came an emphasis on learning how to navigate such freedoms. While I was taking classes and earning credits as an intern, I was also getting an education in the true meaning of responsibility. Gallatin not only encouraged me to decide for myself what kind of studies were important, but also how to curate each semester and determine my own schedule. What was key about my time at NYU is that I had to learn how to formulate plans, and even more importantly, how to execute and carry them out. As the president of my own company, not a day goes by that I don't access this skill set.
Q: What advice do you have for students who aspire to go into the fashion industry or become a designer themselves?
A: Whenever I'm asked this question I always recite the same word three times: intern, intern, intern. There are countless opportunities and niches within the fashion world to hone one's skills and learn his or her desired profession from the inside out. In fashion, I believe it's particularly important to work in all sectors of the industry. For instance, if you want to become a designer, spend time working in retail on a sales floor or intern with a department store buying office, a stylist and in a designer's operations department. Magazines are a wealth of knowledge, and publishing was actually where I got my real start in design. Public relations firms, marketing and branding agencies and factoring companies are all amazing places to learn about the business of fashion and how all of the moving parts of this industry are connected. Having a sense of the business in the round is the most important asset in excelling in your career.
Q: Where do you find inspiration?
A: In each collection I find a consistent source of inspiration in designing for the women who wear my clothes. With every line, I imagine where the coming months will take her — in her career, her travels, her friendships — constructing a wardrobe around her wants and needs for the upcoming season.
A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, April 5 print edition. Shannon Loughran is beauty & style editor. Email her at bstyle@nyunews.com.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Jim
Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group. A global management consulting firms specialized solely in helping organizations of all sizes in all industries catalyzing top line growth through strategic innovation and hypercompetition. Jim has over 25 years consulting experience in working with small, mid size and Fortune 1000 companies. He is a former U.S. Navy Seabee and grandfather of five. Jim is board president of a charter school located in Colorado Springs whose sole purpose is to prepare otherwise disadvantaged students more competitively for college. To arrange for Jim to speak at your next event or devise an effective hypercompetition strategy email or call us at 719-649-4118 for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter.
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