Fashion

Learning by doing is the mantra of GCC’s Fashion Program. Follow along as our students coordinate the annual GCC Fashion Show!

Buffalo David Bitton

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Buffalo David Bitton is a denim company that hails from Montreal, Canada.  While visiting the big apple, our fashion students had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Diane Alexander, the head of public relations in the New York branch of Buffalo (not to be confused with the nearby city of Buffalo). Upon entering the building, we were greeted by Diane with a big cup of coffee in one hand and a big smile on her face. Her first words were “I’m not a morning person” and yet she was the most excitable and perky person that spoke to us. Diane was one of my favorite speakers on the trip, she not only spoke of her job description but she also got the students involved in her presentation. It was a very lively interactive experience, especially for being so early in the morning.

A handful of Diane’s responsibilities, as the head of PR, consist of placing products in magazines, social media, television and movies. Diane explained it’s not only print ads and commercials used for publicity; it’s also acquiring celebrities to wear the merchandise. This form of advertising can be more effective as it is subtle and feeds into the readers’ subconscious. If celebrities are wearing Buffalo David Bitton merchandise, it could be showcased multiple times rather than featured in one ad a customer may overlook. However to every good there is an evil. If a celebrity begins to down spiral (like Brittany shaving her head – type of down spiral), and is wearing the product, it could be damaging to the company’s image, therefore select celebrities are invited to wear the product and others are not.

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Diane also announced that Buffalo is rapidly approaching the grand opening their first store in NYC, which will be located in Soho.  Buffalo not only has a great brand name (obviously being from Buffalo, I am a proud Buffalonian), but the products are a great quality and are fabulous trendy styles. We had the opportunity to behold “the closet” while being at Buffalo, it was a room bursting with merchandise and it was amazing. The fall line was so trendy but in the most sophisticated method possible. During the whole presentation Diane spoke of these skull pants, the first image that came to mind was a black jean with corny white skulls all over it. While in “the closet” I beheld the skull pants and they were unbelievable. The pants featured tonal skulls that looked almost like a brocade pattern; it was only when you examined it long enough that you could see the skulls within the pattern.

Buffalo David Bitton is a remarkable company with a talented head of PR. Genesee cannot thank Diane enough for spending time teaching us about the industry. Diane had the patience to meet with our fashion students for the second year in a row. Once again it was an outstanding presentation that the students will never forget, especially for someone who said “I’m not a morning person.”

Noted Fashion Historian, John Tiffany to Speak at GCC

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Genesee Community College is offering an outstanding opportunity for those interested in fashion and strategic marketing to hear first-hand accounts of what goes on behind the runway curtains when John Tiffany delivers a lecture on Wednesday, October 24, 2012.

Tiffany is an author, lecturer and fashion historian with unrivaled insights from the glamorous and high-stakes world of fashion. His expertise comes from learning first-hand about the iconic events that propel fashion onto the center stage from Eleanor Lambert, the legendary publicist, credited with putting American fashion on the world stage. Tiffany’s book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here details her passion for promoting designers she considered truly gifted, including Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan and Christian Dior, and how her efforts catapulted them into the fashion stratosphere. Lambert raised the visibility of the industry by creating Fashion Week, the Coty Awards, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the CFDA Awards, and the International Best-Dressed List. She was also instrumental in launching the Museum of Modern Art, the American Art Dealers Association, the National Council on the Arts, and the precursor to what is now Sotheby’s USA.

Eleanor Lambert and John A. Tiffany

With more than 20 years of experience in the fashion industry, Tiffany will discuss event production, strategic marketing and public relations. His lecture will take place in room T119 of the Conable Technology Building on the Batavia campus at 1:30 p.m. on October 24 and is free and open to the public.

“John Tiffany is a brilliant storyteller and an authority on his mentor, Eleanor Lambert, commonly referred to as The Empress of Fashion,” said Jessie Barth, a member of GCC’s fashion advisory committee. “John’s great gift is in the spirited telling of the history of American fashion through the life of the pioneering woman who fashioned it into an industry, and we are very fortunate to be able to host his visit!”

Returning from NYC

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Returning back to GCC is a culture shock after having been in NYC for the past few days. From the hustle and bustle of mid-town to the quite rolling fields of Batavia is quite the change. For many of GCC’s fashion students, New York City will be the intended destination at some point in their near futures as it is one of the world’s fashion heartlands. The last few days have definitely helped in our quest to get there, by further deepening our understanding of how the fashion industry works from an insider’s perspective.

On behalf of all of the students who attended, we would like to sincerely thank Mr. Rick Dudkowski, Ms. Donna Ehrhart and Mr. Jerry Kozlowski for accompanying and enabling us to experience this amazing field trip. An extra special thank you goes to Mr. D who worked tirelessly, using his NYC connections, to get us into some of the amazing and highly respected businesses within the fashion industry.

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We would also like to thank the fashion businesses and presenters who delivered insightful talks, presentations and demonstrations about their experiences, knowledge and life within the industry.

Over the next couple of weeks, myself and Samantha will be blogging in more depth about what we did, and learned from this incredible fashion field trip.

Post Provided By: Jamie & Samantha 

The Journey to NYC

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It was a very early morning wake up call for all the eager fashion students attending GCC’s annual fashion trip to NYC. With a bus full of groggy students, we embarked on our grueling seven hour journey to our fashion Mecca. Accompanying us to the big apple is Mr. Rick Dudkowski, our fashion business professor, Mr. Jerry Kozlowski, the dean of the BEST center, and Ms. Donna Ehrhart, our design professor, who is currently embarking on a journey to find the perfect dressy raincoat.

Lori, our delightful bus driver, did an excellent job at getting us to the city in a safe and timely manner. As we approached our hotel, we encountered the usual hussel and bussel of the city. Lori, with her outstanding bus driving skills, managed to parallel park the bus while avoiding chaotic NYC traffic. I will never again complain about having to parallel my tiny Subaru after watching Lori preform this nearly impossible task. My hats off to Lori.

After exiting the bus, it was exciting to hear the “ooo’s” and “ahhhs” from new students. Entering NYC can have quite the impact on students. They can either embrace the craziness or it can overwhelm them. I am interested to see which students will take a liking to the big city and which prefer to stay in suburbia. After check in, we were allotted the evening to enjoy on our own. Jamie, my fellow fashion blogger, and I explored time square, made a couple trips to Starbucks and took advantage of the discounted theater tickets from TKTS. Avenue Q was the most hilarious musical I have ever seen. It was as if someone took Sesame Street and made into an adult comedy. If you are ever in the mood for some adult humor that is the musical to see.

On the journey back to the hotel I got to embrace one of my favorite parts of the city. The fact that no matter what time it is there is always life in the city. Where else can you sit and relax in the middle of a park at night and see as clear as day? After an eventful evening, tomorrow begins the business side of our fashion trip. We begin our day bright and early with the Buffalo David Bitton showroom, continuing on to Fairchild Publication, and ending with the incredible Doneger Group.

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Post Provided By: Samantha & Jamie

New York Fashion Trip 2012

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The fashion majors of GCC are about to venture on an exciting, yet educational trip to the big apple, where much is to be learned from within one of fashion’s most influential cities. During our four day excursion we will tour and engage with a cross section of the fashion industry including:

  • The beautiful, new Buffalo David Bitton showrooms.
  • Fashion publishing house, Fairchild Publication.
  • The Doneger Group which is the fashion industry’s leading source of global trend intelligence focused merchandising direction, expert analysis of the retail business and comprehensive market information.
  • The merchandiser at luxury manufacturer and retailer, S. Rothchild & Company.
  • Fashion education institute, LIM college.

This fashion trip also allows students the freedom to explore the diverse and beautiful island of Manhattan which encompasses some of the most uniquely merchandised and exclusive retail stores in the world.

NYC can be overwhelming at times, especially if you are not used to the big city lifestyle. Here are a few tips and suggestions for this trip:

  • Stay in groups, preferably three or more and always be aware of your surroundings.
  • Pick up a map which is available at the hotel.
  • Carry as little cash as possible, plastic is fantastic.
  • Pack comfortable, but stylish, footwear for exploring the city.
  • Search out smaller boutique stores, don’t just visit the bigger versions of stores you can find in your local mall.
  • Buy musical theater tickets on the day of the show for up to a 50% discount at TKTS Discount Booth in Times Square.
  • Be careful and aware when using your phone in public, pop into a store if possible.

On the subject of mobile phones, here are some cool apps for exploring NYC:

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