Alumni Spotlight Part I: Fashionistas ~ essaypremium

Kamis, 25 April 2013

Alumni Spotlight Part I: Fashionistas

April 25, 2013 Chloe + Isabel, fashion at Tulane, Lululemon, Nordstrom, Porter Lyons, Prada, Sweet Olivier, Tulane, tulane art No comments

Brand new feature of this blog comin' at ya today! After four years as an undergrad at Tulane and then eight as an admission staff member, I have met and interacted and befriended thousands of Tulane students. Tulane grads tend to go on to pretty cool jobs in the real world upon graduating so I thought it was about time to feature them in their various fields here in this blog. They aren't anyone particularity famous (yet) but these just happen to be my friends from college and students I have recruited all who are up to some pretty cool stuff.

First up- our alumni in the fashion industry! Tulane does not have a full major in fashion design, but many of our students will take design and art courses in the Newcomb Art Department and couple that with classes in marketing and management in our business school. We've got some great young alumni working in various capacities all over the world in the fashion industry both in big name brands and smaller start ups. Here are just a few of them that I happen to be good friends with!

Lauren Powel - class of 2005 - Designer, Lululemon. If you happen to follow me on Facebook, you know that I am a big fan of this company. I love their product and I even own stock in Lulu. I was super stoked for my good friend Lauren, who lived on Monroe 9 with me freshman year, when she was hired from Reebok as a designer for Lululemon. Lauren double majored in Marketing and Management from the Freeman School of Business with a minor in studio art. She then went along to get an accelerated womenswear design degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. I asked Lauren how Tulane helped her prepare for her job at Lululemon, and she said; "I can't imagine a better undergrad experience than what I had at Tulane. The people I met, the courses I took and the professors I had at Tulane definitely led me down the path to where I am today. Although I've always been artistic, I'm glad I have a background in business; it's definitely come in handy as a designer." Today, she's designs beautiful and functional clothing for yogis. She is one of two designers based in NYC and she splits her time designing out of a co-working space in SoHo (a workspace filled with a mix of young entrepreneurs) and traveling to Vancouver for fittings and design meetings all while practicing yoga as much as she can. Lauren hopes to one day design her own collection.

Here's Lauren when she was featured on a really trendy
fashion blog, one which is so trendy I dont even know about it.

Michelle Beatty - class of 2009- fashion designer and entrepreneur. Michelle is one of the most creatively talented women to come out of the Newcomb art department in the last few years. Whether it be painting, design, or fashion, Michelle has an incredible talent for it all. She was a studio art major with a focus on drawing and painting and now has created her own line of fashion called Sweet Olivier. She's been featured in the last three Fashion Week New Orleans'. New Orleans actually has a very strong fashion industry that is great for both established and budding designers. We have two fashion weeks, (Fashion Week NOLA and New Orleans Fashion Week) and have gained some great national recognition for our fashion industry. Michelle's work is starting to gain a strong following and she told me that Tulane helped her to realize her love for the arts and how to translate her creativity into real world markets; "I specialize in mostly custom designs that range from festival attire to evening gowns. My goal is to produce attire that makes women feel like the most beautiful and effortless versions of themselves."

Here's Michelle (on right) at the end of her 2013 FWNOLA show

Ashley Porter - class of 2008 - jewelry designer and entrepreneur. If you're looking for some incredibly creative and stunning stuff to add to your jewelry collection, you need to check out Porter Lyons. Their website describes it best: "Porter Lyons believes in preserving culture. A portion of all proceeds goes to a cause that protects a cultures fundamental identity. Porter Lyon's first collection is inspired by New Orleans and the Bayou, and part of the proceeds benefit wetland preservation." We just made this beautiful video all about Ashley last week, check it out here. Seriously. Go view that, and come back, you'll be glad you did. I'll wait. Her works is gorgeous and has become very popular in NOLA, NYC and SF. Ashley lived in my building for a while and we go to the same yoga studio, and when I e-mailed her about P-L last week, she said she "LOVES" designing jewelry and accessories, and that Tulane gave her the keys to succeed in this career. She even got a Masters in Finance at Tulane in 2009 so that she could adequately financially manage her fast growing business that she created on her own. You can see some great shots of Ashley's best works here.

Ashley at a recent launch party for a Porter Lyons line

Robyn Sills - class of 2006 - PR Manager for Prada. Some of our students get going on start ups in the fashion industry, some start their own, and some go straight to working for the powerhouses. Robyn, a good friend of mine from Tulane, has worked her way up to be a PR Manager at Prada, all before her 30th birthday. Robyn told me that Tulane helped her with her writing and public speaking skills and that the school helped "tremendously in my public speaking skills and confidence in front of large groups." Also, because of her Tulane connections, she was able to live in NYC for two summers during college and Tulane's network led her to her fashion industry internships. She still attends many Tulane alumni events in NYC and helps Tulane grads connect with various jobs in the NYC fashion industry.

Robyn, on left, does PR for Prada.

Arin Forstenzer- class of 2010 - sales merchandiser for Chloe & Isabel. Arin works in direct sales as a merchandiser for Chloe & Isabel, Inc., a New York based jewelry/e-commerce start-up.
As a merchandiser, she has the opportunity to run her own business through Chloe & Isabel. Arin told me that "my experiences at Tulane has helped me to develop my sales and marketing skills since I use various internet/social media marketing platforms and networks to expand my clientele." You can view her personal merchandising page here.

Samantha Fink - class of 2012 - Assistant Department Manager, Nordstrom. Sam landed a killer job in California right after gradating working for the iconic Nordstrom department stores. She says her major in Art History helped with her creative outlook, a skill set that she brings as a department manager at Nordstrom. She also told me that her Tulane degree helped her in management and communication skills. Not to mention she was able to gradate in only three and a half years! While she is fresh out of Tulane, don't be surprised to see her climbing up the Nordstrom rank very soon.

Sam in Nordstrom

So there you have it folks. For those of you out there thinking about a career in the fashion world, you'll be in good company with a Tulane degree. Just ask these girls!