Author: Ami

Model Behavior

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The 34th Annual Fashion Show at Genesee Community College is called “Fata Morgana”. For my part in the fashion show, I am working back of the house, as well as modeling in Ami Cornell and Kylie Dunn’s scene titled “Festival Haze”. As part of my back stage duties, I am responsible for helping dress the models and memorizing the order of the scenes, as well as cleaning up the back stage and dressing room area and keeping everyone back stage silent during the show. As for my role as a model, I will be featured in the scene “Festival Haze”, which was inspired by summer festivals, such as “Coachella”. I am extremely excited to not only have been asked to model but to also have the opportunity to participate both behind the scenes and on stage. I am excited to get to see all of the different viewpoints of the show, on the stage and off.

I feel that this is a very important experience that I can use, as I pursue a career in fashion. This experience will be something that I can use on my resume and gives me insight on different aspects of the fashion world. I have modeled previously for still photography, and now I have the opportunity to gain experience in backstage production and what is involved, as well as being a model on the runway. I hope that with this experience I will become more confident and use what I will learn in the future to come.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Morgan Ripley.

GCC Creativity Conference

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Leonardo Da Vinci and creativity go hand-in-hand. Often when someone hears the name Da Vinci the first thing that comes to mind is his art, however he was much more than a brilliant painter. Leonardo Da Vinci was a scientist, an inventor, and a person who created things far beyond his time. It seems only suitable that the Creativity Conference at GCC falls on April 15th, Da Vinci’s Birthday.  There will be a Leonardo Da Vinci display set up in the library and cake will be served in honor of Da Vinci and the celebration of creativity!

This blog was contributed by Chelsey Breuilly.

Bare

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Its that time of year again! That’s right, the GCC 34th annual fashion show is right around the corner. I had the privilege of interning, and modeling for Alaina Shannon in her scene “Americana” in the 2014 GCC fashion show, Ethereal. I was able to get a taste of what it takes to participate in a fashion show. This year I am able to showcase my own fashion design skills. My scene is called “Bare by Jocelyn Eade”. Myself and my scene coordinator, Eunice GoEun Park, are excited to show what we’ve been working so hard on this year. I am grateful to have the opportunity to experience what it takes to produce a scene in a fashion show.

My main inspiration were colors we see in nature; the color palette is lavender, beige, black, and white. I grew up in the small town of Olean, New York which is just south of GCC. Growing up surrounded by nature has inspired me to put that into my clothing. For the Lavender pieces I was inspired by lavender fields, I love how peaceful they look. The beige pieces reminded me of fur, very soft and effortless. My black pieces were influenced by storms, a very sultry look. For my last color white, I was inspired by clouds. I want the audience to feel the inspiration when they see my clothes on the runway. Whether it’s the peaceful lavender, or light and airy clouds I want them to feel like they’re with nature. I’m looking forward to showcasing my designs in GCC’s fashion show “Fata Morgana” and to experience what it is like to be a designer in the fashion industry.

yoo.jpgThis blog was contributed by Fashion Design Student Jocelyn Eade.

T.LaShaé

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untitled (27 of 50)Tiffany Hill: outgoing, talented, strong, and beautiful are all words that have been commonly used to describe me as I was growing up, until now. As a child I had two dreams, the first was to
become a first grade teacher and the second was to be a fashion designer in New York. Unfortunately as a child I had already defeated myself because I decided to strive to become a teacher, constantly telling myself that becoming a designer
would be competitive and too difficult. As I got older, there was just something about fashion that I could not stay away from. Every time someone would see me they would ask, “Are you a model?” or they would tell me, “You need to be in fashion school”. Hearing people say these things made me dig deeper into finding out what was my actual dream and purpose. Now, as a proud student at GCC I can definitely say that I am following my dream and purpose as an upcoming designer working towards producing my own clothing line.

With this dream I have many visions, my clothing line being one. My logo was recently designed by someone who is like a family member to me, Justin Smith. He designed a logo that best fits me. The T stands for Tiffany and LaShaé is my middle name. T.LaShaé to me is classy, sophisticated and represents high fashion.

In this year’s Spring 2015 fashion show, I have the honor of bringing my scene to life on the runway. The name of my scene is Minuit Désert, which is in French, translating to midnight desert. I have such an amazing team that I am working with. My Co-Producer is Chiho Nakayama, my intern is Shantina Brewer, hair will be styled by Cosmetologist Mary Valenti, make-up will be by Professional MUA Monti Mccoy, and my Dressers are Hailey Rizzo and Matthew Wagner. Lastly, I am very thankful to be working with a jewelry company, Na’kaylas Jewelry Box, which is helping bring our vision to life with the beautiful pieces that will be incorporated within our scene. Minuit Désert by T.LaShaé is bringing life and something different to the runway, we cannot wait to see you all at the fashion show!

This blog was contributed by Fashion Design Student Tiffany Hill.

3 Summer Festivals You NEED to Experience This Summer!

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Music, food, entertainment, and good times with friends is something almost all of us agree on! The summer time is perfect for enjoying all four. Growing up in the area, I have had a lot of time getting to experience different summer festivals, well known, and up-and-coming ones. This post has my top three favorites that I think everyone would enjoy! Check them out and have a great time trying something new or going back to an old favorite!

1.) Festival: Music is Art

Where: Delaware Park, Buffalo

When: September 12th 2015

Untitled.jpgWhat Is It?: “Music is Art is dedicated to exploring and reshaping music’s cultural, social, and educational impact on our community – supported by a variety of programs and events.  It is a not-for-profit, federal organization founded in 2003 by Goo Goo Dolls bassist and Buffalo resident, Robby Takac. Music is Art is proud to enrich our community with access to music. It is their hope to encourage people to find their musical voice, think about how music touches their lives, and most importantly think about the fact that…music is art.”

Why Go?: The Music is Art festival is like nothing I have ever been to before, all types of music are played live from 9am until late into the evening. Not only is there everything from country to alternative music there are all sorts of performers, artists, and local celebrities. The festival is held right in Delaware Park on the water, there is so much food, music, and friends to enjoy!

2.) Festival: Elmwood Art Festival

Where: Elmwood Ave, Buffalo

When: August 29th – 30th

Untitled1.jpgWhat Is It?: The Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts mission is to foster growth in, and awareness of, Western New York’s artistic and cultural treasures and improve the fabric of our unique urban environment. Their goals for this event include:

  • To give regional artists, crafts people, musicians, arts organizations and community groups a family-oriented venue in which to present their work, and to help foster the creation and growth of these grassroots enterprises.
  • Create a children’s festival that celebrates and educates through the Arts. Offering hands-on art projects, some collaborative, that bring together children of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
  • Commission and fund public art, tree plantings, and other beautification projects.
  • Highlight the richness of the Elmwood Village stores, restaurants, and people.

Why Go?: Vendors, tattoos, food, and drinks is what this festival is all about! Over a mile of homemade crafts, local tattoo artists, food, and drinks for every one to enjoy! While you get to visit over 1,000 of local vendors you can experience all the beauty and individuality that Buffalo has to offer!

3.) Festival: Buffalo Wing Fest

Where: Coca-Cola Field, Buffalo

When: Sept 5th and 6th

What: Over 100 different flavors of chicken wings from restaurants throughout the country. Live music and contests including the U.S. Chicken Wing Eating Championships.

Untitled2.jpgWhy Go?: One simple fee and all the chicken wings you could possibly eat? What better reason do you need to go to this event?! If you don’t like hot chicken wings, don’t worry there are plenty of other options for you to try! Walk around the baseball stadium, listen to music, try some wings and enjoy the music! This is one of the area’s most well attended events and is a lot of fun!

This blog was contributed by Hospitality & Tourism Student Alexandra Audsley.

Transcendence

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My name is Sara Elliott and I am currently a sophomore in the Fashion Merchandising program at Genesee Community College. I am extremely excited and proud to be a part of such a successful program, and feel privileged that I will soon join the ranks of other fashion graduates from GCC. This year marks the 34th year that GCC has hosted the largest fashion show in western NY and my role in this years show titled Fata Morgana is Front of the house committee as well as have a scene with Fashion design student Angelique Porey titled Transcendence. So, in Great representation of Fata Morgana come experience the ultimate transcendence from human to creature in our own interpretation of a superior mirage.

Join us Saturday April 25th for Fata Morgana: Genesee Community College’s 34th annual fashion show. Tickets are $5 pre-sale and $7 at the door. Show times are at 3pm & 7pm.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Sara Elliott.

Oasis

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Anyone who has a scene for this years fashion show can tell you that there are some good days and some not so good ones. Making progress by contracting your hair and makeup artists, securing models, buying fabric, or even finishing a dress are things that happen on a good day. Having a scene entails a ton of hard work that not everyone may realize.

11051511_10206351818418441_79517740_n (1)My scene is called Oasis. I was inspired by Arabic fashions and culture, you will see this through the use of flowing fabrics and my intricate use of detail. My scene will consist of fourteen evening gowns. As of now, I have purchased all of my fabrics and have a few dresses in progress. GCC student Kana Tatsumi will be creating jewelry for my scene as well. Her brand is “Jenny Minette”; be sure to check out her jewelry line on Facebook!

11050962_10206351818858452_929050979_n (1) I have contracted all of my models, and I am excited to share that 2014’s National American Miss New York winner, Olenka Masny, will be modeling for my scene! She is an experienced model who has walked in many fashion shows and I am very excited to work with her.

I am also excited to write that I have contracted very talented hair and makeup artists for the show. Amanda Marsala is an extremely talented makeup artist from the Western NY area. You can check out her Instagram @almarsala , you won’t be disappointed! My hair artist’s name is David Gerard. He did the hair for my scene “Glorious” last year and did a fabulous job; I am thrilled to work with him again this year!

So many great things are happening for me so far and I am quickly developing a strong team for this year’s fashion show. I know that there will be some bumps along the way, but in the end when the models walk down the runway it will be all worth it!

This blog was contributed by Entrepreneurship Student Abby Wilcox.

“Steeling” The Method

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The atmosphere in the technology building lecture hall at Genesee Community College was buzzing with anticipation on Wednesday February 25th. The marketing and social media expert, as well as best selling author, David Steel brought in an extremely attentive audience that far exceeded the number of seats in the house. It seemed that people were eager to hear what Mr. Steel would be preaching: how to best use social media and marketing to truly benefit the user.

David Steel is the chief viral officer of Sneeze.it, a digital marketing agency, a division of The Steel Method. He is also the author of “The Care and Feeding of Highly Aggressive Sales People” and “Sneeze It–Don’t Just Say It Spray It.” His presentations have captivated audiences from New York to Nairobi, and most recently Russia.

Best selling author and marketing expert David Steel with GCC students Ariana Sneed and Ami Cornell

Best selling author and marketing expert David Steel with GCC students Ariana Sneed and Ami Cornell

I, along with fellow Fashion Merchandising student Ariana Sneed, had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Steel during his visit to Genesee Community College. Upon giving David Steel a short tour around campus we discovered that our school offered amenities that we may often take for granted. For one, David was left in awe of how clean our facilities were and complimented our maintenance staff many times throughout his visit. He also took notice of how friendly all of the faculty members of GCC were.

As far as keynote speakers go, David Steel comes highly recommended, and for good reason. He has a charismatic quality about him that is so genuine and intense that his audiences don’t just listen, they are hypnotized. He presents his audience members with the cold hard facts, and gives them the tools to achieve success by manipulating the seemingly rigid confines of social media and marketing.

One key aspect of David Steel’s presentation that seemed to resonate with the audience overall was idea that “Facebook is a marketer’s dream.” Businesses are able to use tools that Facebook has provided in order to find out their customer’s demographics through inputing their customer’s emails into the Facebook search bar. Mr. Steel even made reference to student and entrepreneur, Abby Wilcox’s budding cupcake business based out of Cooperstown, NY known as Coopcakes. He suggested that she could use this specific type of tool to market certain cupcake flavors to specific customers.

David Steel with President Sunser

David Steel with President Sunser

Perhaps the most influential statement I took away from David Steel’s presentation was, “the person who controls the conversation is the person who asks the questions.” I know for certain that everyone who has had the chance to hear Mr. Steel speak now knows how to ask the questions.

-Ami Cornell

Where It All Began

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The fashion-merchandising program at Genesee Community College has had a lasting effect on changing who I am for the better. It has helped me to develop an understanding of the business of fashion, and has showed me that there isn’t just one clear path to enter the field of fashion you want to join.

Before starting this program I was a shy, quiet student that didn’t want to share or say anything in front of others. I only had a small understanding of what it really meant to be a fashion merchandising major. Since then, things have changed. I have developed many skills with the help of all the teaching staff at Genesee community college. Professor Dudkowski and Professor Ehrhart especially assisted in my growth through teaching the “tricks of the trade” and the real-world applications of retail. One thing I’ll never forget about my time spent studying at GCC is all of Professor Dudkowski’s sayings; I may have laughed at what he was saying, but he says them because they work. Professor Dudkowksi and Professor Ehrhart are great professors that have helped me have a larger understanding of what it will be like to work in retail and helped put me on a successful career path. People may doubt this program’s success because of its rural location, but this small school makes sure you have all the information you may need if you plan to transfer on, and the teachers want you to succeed.

Through these two years I have gained a lot of confidence within myself, as well as in my studies. I believe that GCC has set me up with the skills I need to succeed, it is for this reason that I don’t plan to transfer to another college; I’m extremely excited and I feel ready to enter the retail business. I plan to succeed through putting use to what my professors taught me these past two years and to make a lasting positive impression in the professional field of retail.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Kylie Dunn.

BRI~JHN

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A Fashion Show, an event at which collections of newly designed clothing are modeled for an audience. “Fata Morgana,” the theme for this year ‘s 34th Annual fashion show at Genesee Community College, is set for April 25th, 2015. As a fashion Design Student, I will take part in the vogue show presenting my own scene. This will be my second year participating in the event; last year I was a model in another design student’s scene. Last year’s show was such an engaging experience for me that I decided to create a vision for my own exclusive line.

This year I will produce my own scene entitled, “BRI~JHN,” which is a collaboration of my name, “Brittany,” and my little sister’s name, “Jhnae”. My little sister also served as an inspiration for my ideas; her personality is a mix of cool and unique and she has a style similar to the Olsen Twins, Rita Ora, and the fashions of the 1970’s era. The concept of my scene is Bohemian Baja, which includes garments with flowy elements, fringe, and loose fitting clothing with spunk. The fabrics that will be featured in my scene are lace, cotton, and jacquard, which are the top picks for the looks I’m going for in my show. The color palette I will be using will feature neutral tones with a pop of color. An example of this would be a navy blue garment with a hot pink accessory to give it a unique quality.

The image I want my audience to capture from my collection is “Dress Out Loud,” which is freedom of clothing, colors, and being true to you. I hope to have a successful show with my Design team. My goal is to show the world what “Beebe” has to offer, a fresh unique sense of self, and style.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Design Student Brittany Breedlove.