Author: Jbailez

GCC to FIT

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This past weekend, I was accepted into my dream school, FIT. FIT, the Fashion Institute of Technology, is a State University of New York (SUNY) college of art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. I have wanted to attend FIT since I was a kid. The school offered me the ability to combine my two loves: art and business.  I believe the time I have spent at Genesee Community College is the reason why I was able to get into FIT.

I started my studies here, at GCC, for a variety of reasons. Community college presents a truly remarkable opportunity to enter higher education. With the cost of tuition at an all-time high, I turned to Genesee Community College to save money for a year and a half, and then transfer to FIT. I attended a small high school, which had small class sizes and GCC offers the smaller class sizes that I was used to. Smaller class sizes allows for more personalized instruction which was so important to me. GCC also has one of the only fashion merchandising associate programs in the country. I really wanted to go to school for fashion merchandising and GCC was the perfect place for me to continue my education and save money.

GCC has been an incredible place for me to start. I was able to participate in a variety of events, such as the Scholar’s Symposium, the Buffalo Niagara Sales and Marketing Day, the 35h Annual Fashion Show, and so much more. I have had professors who have taught and pushed me to strive for excellence inside and outside of the classroom. I have had the wonderful opportunity to have Professor Dudkowski as my mentor for this past year and a half. He is full of wonderful quotes (“It takes guts to leave the ruts”) and he is always there no matter what to help you succeed. I have made some of the most amazing friends here at GCC. These are friends who continually surprise and inspire me every day.  I am thankful for these friends, professors, and GCC employees who have made my Genesee Community College experience a great one.

 

I will be attending FIT, in January, for Advertising and Marketing Communications.

An American Dreamer: Tommy Hilfiger

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While on the annual GCC fashion trip to NYC we were able to meet with alumni, Connor deGuehery, from Tommy Hilfiger.  We were able to look at the Tommy Hilfiger store, on 5th Ave, find out what really goes on behind the scenes of planning and putting together each floor.

In our fashion buying class, we got the opportunity to watch a video of Tommy Hilfiger being interviewed and introducing us to his book, An American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion and Business.   Tommy informed everyone of how he started out struggling in high school with his grades and concentrating on schoolwork, but transformed into a  hardworking, successful ,businessman. Fashion is his purpose for the world.

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Some of the highlights that stood out to me from this video were that the company is in the process of adding new technologies within the business and they are quickly changing the rules of the fashion world. They now are working with a new concept where you can buy their clothing with a touch of the screen in the store. You are able to get that quick, and efficient order while still getting that shopping experience that allows you to touch and try on the pieces. This allows the customer to purchase an item, but walk away hands-free!  Also, for the first time in fashion history, the Tommy Hilfiger company is looking to change the whole fashion calendar. They are taking the newest designs on the runway, and selling them instantly, no more waiting! This concept is called See Now, Buy Now.This could potentially be a whole new approach for brands. I think it will positively impact the fashion industry in that more people will want to buy the product, increasing sales.

Tommy Hilfiger also grew up in a small town right near GCC and the  town, Batavia NY. He grew up and had his first small boutique in Elmira, NY; just under two hours away from our college. It would be a honor to have Tommy come back to Western New York and speak with all our fashion students. That would be such a memorable experience for our college and every fashion student. We are constantly keeping up with the latest news within the Tommy Hilfiger company, as we have alumni a part of it, and are very interested in this ever growing company!

This blog post was written by Kourtney Shearer

 

 

NYC Visual Diary Day 3

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Greetings from NYC! We leave to go back to Batavia tomorrow morning, but today we had a delightful day in the city. Our first stop of the day was the opportunity to visit LIM college. Our second meeting of the day was with GCC Alum, Samantha, at her place of business, Brandlink Communications. It was wonderful to connect with Samantha and to see how far she has come since attending GCC. This evening we were guests of David Zyla at the National Arts Club to see a presentation on  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The presentation was spectacular and informative. In the coming weeks, I will be posting more in depth on each of the wonderful places we were able to visit. All of us in the GCC fashion program want to thank the individuals who were willing to take time out of their day to meet with us. We cannot thank you enough.  Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @trendy.gcc, on Twitter, @trendygcc, and on Snapchat, @trendygcc.

NYC Visual Diary Day 2

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Hello everyone! Day 2 in New York City started off right with a visit to the Gitman Brothers Showroom. After Gitman Brothers, we headed to the Tommy Hilfiger flagship store, on 5th Ave, to have a tour of the store from GCC Fashion Program Alum, Connor. Following Tommy, we headed to the fashion forecasting giant, The Doneger Group. It was an amazing day and in the coming weeks I will be posting more in depth on each of the wonderful places we were able to visit. All of us in the GCC fashion program want to thank the individuals who were willing to take time out of their day to meet with us. We cannot thank you enough.  Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @trendy.gcc, on Twitter, @trendygcc, and on Snapchat, @trendygcc.

NYC Visual Diary Day 1

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Hello from NYC! Today, Professor Dudkowski and Professor Ehrhart’s Fashion Business students embarked on the annual trip to NYC. We left Batavia at 7:30 am and arrived at our hotel in NYC at 2:30 pm. After we arrived at our hotel, we had the opportunity to go off on our own and explore the city. I had the opportunity, along with fellow students, Kourtney Shearer and Mariah Paddock, to visit with GCC Fashion Program Alum, Hailey Rizzo. We were able to interview Hailey for our Instagram account so be sure to check it out. It was a fabulous day and we have more adventures tomorrow

If you want to follow our adventures, check out our Instagram , @trendy.gcc, and our Twitter , @trendygcc.

Dalia’s Delightful Donations

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A wedding dress symbolizes new beginnings and I want to be the individual who makes that new beginning happen.  My name is Kourtney Shearer and I am a Fashion Business student currently in my second year here at GCC. Bridal is something that has always stood out to me in the fashion world and I plan on working in the bridal industry when I finish my schooling. I love the fact that a wedding dress has so much meaning on a day  people say, is one of the most magical and significant days of your life. I believe in helping people find their dream dress, the dress they have been dreaming about since they were little. Seeing the happiness on their face and the awe from the family is something so special and I would feel honored to witness something so special. With that being said, I am going to be the scene coordinator for the wedding scene in this years annual fashion show.

A few weeks ago, we were given gorgeous gowns from Dalia’s bridal, in Snyder, NY. These dresses are going to be used in this year’s fashion show, which will be seen by over 1,600 people! I am overjoyed that we get to use these incredible dresses. We got to go through all the dresses and I was able to select an amazing assortment for my scene in the show. Everyone enjoyed looking at all the styles and fabrics used to make all these dresses. We can’t thank Dalia’s enough for giving use these unique gowns.

With the dresses that aren’t going to be used in the wedding scene, our fashion design students will create new designs and pieces. As students just starting out in the fashion design world, these projects are such a great step in the right direction. It allows us to become inspired and create new, never before seen items and collections. The opportunities this company has given us is such an honor and we can’t wait for you all to see what we have in store for you on April 29th.

 

Stay tuned for recreated items and pictures from the wedding scene in April!
Kourtney Shearer

 

Fashion for All

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The fashion program is gearing up for the upcoming fashion show, Fashion is… on April 30th and we would like to showcase what individuals who are not in the fashion program think fashion is. I asked people what they thought fashion is and these were their responses:

Fashion is personality. A portrayal of a person even if you conform or stand out. It describes how you feel and how you choose to present yourself. -Olivia B.

Fashion is personality. -Annie H.

Fashion is clothing, but an extravagant piece or garment. It is not something you see everyday. Fashion is a statement piece. -Jovany J.

Fashion is expression. -Evie C.

Fashion is interpretive. -Bridget C.

Fashion is crocs, sweatpants, and some Bills gear. – Corey L.

Fashion is a person’s thought shown through material. -Grace K.

Fashion is culture. -Monica V.

Fashion is the way you dress yourself and how you present yourself. -Payton C.

Check back in the following weeks to see more updates on the fashion show and to see the unique definitions of what fashion is.

 

A Brownie Surprise!

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This blog post was written by the spectacular, Katelyn Trowse.

On Friday December, 4th 2015, the Advertising class that Professor Mr. Dudkowski teaches had quite a scrumptious surprise for their last day. John Sherman, a brilliant and hardworking student at Genesee Community College surprised his entire class with a Hershey’s Hot Chocolate Brownie Holiday Special from Pizza Hut. Also, he went above and beyond setting up drinks, cups, plates, forks, and special coupons specifically for the amazing food and desserts Pizza Hut has to offer. It was phenomenal and everyone was thrilled! Not only is John a student, but he is also the manager at Pizza Hut in Batavia, NY. Todd Fanron who is the general manager, was kind enough to make a special delivery of the goodies before class even started that morning. In conclusion, Mr. Dudkoswki and the entire Advertising class wanted to give a huge thank you and shout-out to John Sherman, Todd Fanron and of course Pizza Hut, for making their last class memorable.

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#GCCfashionis

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We announced the theme, Fashion is…, for 35th Annual GCC Fashion Show just two weeks ago and already we are in work mode on the fashion show! Each student in the fashion program was asked what they think Fashion is… and we had them write it down. The amazing, Lauren Countryman, took those notes and created a video to show just some of the many words and phrases that can be used to showcase what Fashion is…

We are asking you, the public, to tweet or post what you think Fashion is… using  #GCCfashionis Also you can email Lauren or myself and tell us what you think Fashion is… and why. Your thoughts on what Fashion is… will be featured in the monthly blog posts showcasing what fashion means to individuals outside the fashion program. You can email us at:

lcountry@my.genesee.edu

jbaile21@my.genesee.edu

A Non-traditional Student and a Veteran

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This blog post was written by Steven Bussard

            I am a “non- traditional” student (someone going to college that is over the age of 23 according to the GCC website) and a Veteran of the U.S. Army.  I tried college before in the 80’s, but never finished due to personal reasons.  I bounced around from job to job and state to state not really having a direction in my life. I never really appreciated the clout a college education holds until after transitioning out of the military. I had a very well-paying job in Florida, which I loved, at a simulations company, but when it came time for layoffs it was the people that had certificates or degrees that kept their jobs.  So now I am doing what I should have done so many years ago.

I am a son of a U.S. Navy Veteran.  I was born on a Navy base in Bermuda, and then my family was transferred to Norfolk, Virginia where I grew up.  For those of you who do not know the Norfolk or Virginia Beach area is one of the top ten cities with the most military installations in the U.S. My life was going in the wrong direction for quite a long time and I needed a stable environment so I joined the U.S. Army Military Police Corp at 27 years old.  It was during the Gulf War in 1991, but I never got a chance to go to Iraq because 4 days prior to my first day of basic training the Iraqis gave up.   I suppose they heard I was joining (just kidding).  After basic training I was stationed in Camp Darby, Italy which is just outside of Pisa.  I spent 3 years there and whenever I could I traveled Europe because I may never get this chance to do it later in life.  I honeymooned in Paris, France (and the people are not as rude as other Americans would like you to think), spent time in Germany, Hungary, Austria.

Through this time in the Army I learned more about respect and a sense of duty. You start to understand what role the veterans that came before you had to go through, I am sure some of those experiences were worse than mine.  There is a strong sense of brother/sisterhood in the Army and in the other services that is hard to explain to someone that has never been in the military.  I knew when I was in trouble my military brothers/sisters had my back.  I would imagine that is why once we transition out of the military we tend to gravitate toward other veterans because we know that that trust is still there, a feeling we sometimes cannot get from our own families.  That is also why we are so patriotic and respectful to all veterans from WWII, Vietnam, to now.  Even though you did not serve with that veteran the sense of gratitude and brotherhood is still there.  You see we just picked up the torch where they left off.  I like this little ode written by an unknown author “A Veteran Is Someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America’ for an amount of ‘up to and including their life.’” That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it. I don’t know what happened to this country since the end of WWII but the respect we should give to all veterans has declined.  To many, Veterans Day is just another holiday or a day off.  It is a day to honor those who have served their country the living and the dead. I for one will never forget that our veterans fight for our freedom every day.  Not just the ones on the front line, but all who have served.  For me, every day is a day for honoring our vets.