“Steeling” The Method

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

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

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

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

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 34^th 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.

Fata Morgana

With the fall semester coming to fruition, and the spring semester in our midst, planning for the annual fashion show has begun. This April, the annual fashion show at Genesee Community College will ring in its 34th year, and is expected to be the largest show yet! With that in mind, the Fashion students of GCC have curated a theme that will surely leave their audiences inspired. This year’s show will be entitled Fata Morgana. A Fata Morgana is defined as a rapidly changing and complex form of superior mirage/optical phenomenon that is seen in the narrow band right above the horizon.They determined Fata Morgana to be an excellent choice of theming for this year’s fashion show due to its timely mention in an issue of Women’s Wear Daily and the large presence of desert themes within the Spring 2015 clothing collections. The fashion students then related the idea of Fata Morgana to the cultural diversification of the widespread desert environments within the world, and a fashion show like no other was born. Fata Morgana, the 34th annual fashion show at Genesee Community College will occur Saturday, April 25th, 2015. Explore the hashtag #GCC34FM to stay up-to-date on all things Fata Morgana!

If you’re interested in modeling in the Fata Morgana fashion show, tryouts will occur Wednesday, February 4th in T102 from 12-3 PM and Thursday, February 5th in the Forum from 12:30-2:00 PM.

If modeling isn’t really your “thing” and you wish to contribute your skills to/attend the annual fashion show at GCC please contact Ami Cornell at acornel4@my.genesee.edu or Ariana Sneed at asneed@my.genesee.edu.

-Ami Cornell

A Window Into Giving thanks

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, many people will begin to consider what they are thankful for. For some, this may be the extra slice of pumpkin pie that they scarf down at the dinner table. I however would like to take this opportunity to state how thankful I am for everyone who has contributed to my success and well being at Genesee Community College thus far. If it were not for the careful guidance I have received from my professors, Professor Dudkowski and Professor Ehrhart, as well as from a variety of other faculty members at Genesee Community College, I would not be nearly as capable as I am today.

That being said, though Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks as the name suggests, some individuals view gathering for this holiday to be another instance in which a large family brawl may occur. These specific instances of family in-fighting at Thanksgiving dinner is what I drew my inspiration from for my latest window display at Charles Men’s Shop in Batavia. I came up with the concept of the display window acting as an actual window into a family home at Thanksgiving. I wanted it to appear as though that the men of the family had begun to fight just as the feast was beginning. I created a small table environment set with dinner utensils to give the Thanksgiving dinner feel, as well as decorated the window with Tulle fabric which acted as window curtains. I also dressed the mannequins in various stages of outerwear to suggest that a few of the men would be leaving shortly due to the fight. I had a lot of fun coming up with the concept of this window. I felt a little kooky creating such a descriptive back-story for a window display; however, Kristen and Don from Charles Men’s Shop informed me that the most successful window displays employ the same tactics.

I feel as though I’m developing a better understanding on how to create more successful displays through the use of color, balance, focal point, and even movement. I have also started attending a Visual Display class at GCC and have found that I am able to transfer many of the concepts I am learning directly into my displays at Charles Men’s Shop. I find that learning by doing inside and outside of the classroom at Genesee Community College is helping me to further my skills and better understand where I might be headed in the future.

A New Point Of View

Charles Men’s shop is a family owned and operated business that has been Batavia’s number one choice for fine men’s clothing since the store’s creation in 1947. The store has an excellent reputation within the local community, as well as within Genesee Community College. For these reasons, I was explicitly overjoyed when offered the opportunity to intern as a visual merchandising coordinator at Charles Men’s Shop. I considered this a great opportunity to improve my skills within designing window displays, as I am set to take the visual display class in the next eight-week session at GCC.

Maggie’s First Window Display at Charles Men’s Shop.

Before going into set up my first window display I had very little experience doing any task of this kind. I was terrified of failing or of letting anyone down. I researched hours-upon-hours, looking at different color palettes popular for fall menswear, as well as observing a variety of window displays online. I took advice from anywhere I could get it; I was told to find a theme or direction in order to make the execution of my vision easier. I also spoke to Maggie, a current freshman in the Fashion Business Merchandising program at GCC, and current visual merchandising intern at Charles Men’s Shop. Maggie had told me that her first window theme would center around indoor fall theming which she phrased as, “Antiqued fall elegance.” Maggie captured her vision perfectly within her window space.

I however took an alternate route. I executed a theme inspired by the outdoor beauty of fall and the sense of community it can create through local sporting events and other active interests. I received a plethora of support and guidance from the Men’s shop staff, Kristen and Don, as well as from my fashion professors, Professor Dudkowski and Professor Ehrhart. I was appreciative of any constructive criticism or suggestions they had for me, as I felt lost in this brand new world. I’m still finding my way when it comes to creating displays for Charles Men’s Shop; recently I took on the task of creating a table display as well.

My First Table Display at Charles Men’s Shop.

Though I find this job to be challenging, I am interested and excited to strengthen valuable and necessary skill-sets within myself. If it were not for the excellent professors and connections I have access to at Genesee Community College I may never had earned an opportunity of this caliber. I am incredibly grateful to have this chance to grow, and cannot wait to see where this opportunity takes me in the not-so-far future.

Coming Soon: #GCCINNYC

In less than a week I will be accompanying the fashion students of Genesee Community College, as well as anyone else interested in expanding the horizons of their knowledge of the fashion business, to one of the largest fashion capitals in the world, New York City. This annual trip to NYC has become a rite of passage for many of the fashion students at GCC, and for good reason. Professor Dudkowski and Professor Ehrhart, the resident Fashion Business program professors, are networking experts. Both of them have a never-ending list of contacts that spans continents, ensuring that each yearly trip to NYC is filled with unique and once-in-a-lifetime experiences in the fashion world. This trip is no exception. After spending a fun-filled day solo in the city on Wendesday October 8th, we will all rise early on Thursday morning in order to visit the John Varvatos showrooms. John Varvatos is an American contemporary menswear designer. He was the recipient of the CFDA: Menswear Designer of the Year award in both 2001 and 2005, he was also the winner of the Perry Ellis Award for menswear in 2000, and in 2007 he was named the designer of the year by GQ. This type of visit should not be experienced lightly, very few people get to step foot into this showroom, let alone tour it. We will then have the opportunity to visit Buffalo David Bitton Showrooms and receive a tour by PR Director, Diane Alexander.

Last spring students in the fashion program at GCC received a box of clothing from Buffalo David Bitton’s Spring 2014 line.

As many readers of the GCC blog may remember, the college has a special relationship with Buffalo David Bitton. Last year students studying in the GCC fashion program were sent items from the new Buffalo David Bitton spring 2014 line in order to be used in the 33^rd Annual fashion show, Ethereal, at Genesee Community College. The Buffalo David Bitton company launched in Canada in 1985 as a womenswear and menswear label and now sells to prestigious stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales. Their product line has been endorsed by a variety of A-list celebrities including Christina Aguilera, Halle Berry, and Brad Pitt, just to name a few. After we experience the rare opportunity of browsing these showrooms, the Fashion Business Merchandising students will split from the Fashion Design students. The Fashion Design students will visit Mood designer fabrics, the number-one shopping destination for fashion fabric in the world; Mood is now a household name amongst anyone on the hunt for high quality fabrics due to the popular reality TV show, Project Runway. At this point the fashion business merchandising students will visit The Doneger Group, the fashion industry’s leading source of global trend intelligence, focused merchandising direction, expert analysis of the retail business, and comprehensive market information.

Anthony M. Urmey of LIM speaking to fashion students

On the morning of Friday, October 10^th, everyone on the trip will have the opportunity to visit LIM and meet with Mr. Anthony Urmey, Admissions and Transfer Services Counselor. Urmey visited GCC last spring in order to inform prospective students who were hoping to transfer to LIM about financial aid and scholarship programs. We will also have the chance to hear two GCC alumni speak at this event.

David Zyla speaking at GCC

Later that evening Emmy Award-winning stylist, Best-Selling author, and recent GCC keynote speaker, David Zyla, will be hosting a Fashion Speak Friday event on the topic of men’s neckties. The head haberdashery designer of Ralph Lauren along with the 90’s necktie giant, Gene Meyer, will be at this event as well. This will be a great chance for all students to network with influential people working in fashion; design students will also have the opportunity to sketch models after the show.

Saturday, October 11^th, will conclude the trip, and begin our journey home to GCC. We will all return with a superior understanding and appreciation of the fashion business that we can apply to our individual programs of study, and ultimately assist us in the production of the 34^th annual fashion show at Genesee Community College.

Be on the lookout for updates from the resident bloggers of the trip, and view instant updates on Twitter and Instagram under the hashtag #GCCINNYC .

Emmy Winning Stylist Coming to GCC

Ever wonder what color red looks best on you? David Zyla can help you know. Don’t miss a chance to hear the Emmy-winning stylist and author speak at Genesee Community College on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. in Room T102 of the Conable Technology Building on the GCC Batavia campus. His talk is part of The Fall Fashion Speakers Series at GCC. Zyla will be available for press interviews and photographs 30 minutes prior to his presentation in the Rosalie “Roz” Steiner Art Gallery in the Genesee Center for the Arts.

Zyla believes “every person has the right to feel empowered and look fantastic.” He helps people discover their individual palette of flattering colors found by looking at tones in the eyes, hair and skin. “By honoring and wearing these colors…we not only illuminate ourselves, but we build the confidence needed to attract love, enhance our power, restore our energy, make a lasting impression and show the world who we really are,” he writes on his website, www.davidzyla.com.

Zyla started out in fashion design, launching his own Seventh Avenue label at the age of 22. In 2001, ABC hired him to reinvigorate the visual quality of daytime television. He was head costume designer for General Hospital, Port Charles and All My Children for which he received an Emmy Award in 2010 for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design. He has also designed for commercials and film as well as Broadway shows and regional theatre productions. He has worked with well-known personalities, including Susan Lucci, Carol Burnett, Tom Hanks and Hillary Clinton.

Zyla is the author of “The Color of Style” and “Color Your Style.” His new book “How to Win at Shopping” is due out in January.

For further information, contact Donna Rae Sutherland, associate director of Marketing Communications at (585) 343-0055 x 6616 or dsutherland@genesee.edu.

Dress Form Contest

Those enrolled in the Fashion Design and Fashion Business programs at Genesee Community College were given the amazing opportunity to win dress forms donated to the school by PGM Dress Forms, the leading dress form manufacturer in the United States, based out of California. The winners of these dress forms are career-driven, hardworking students, who are also extremely talented designers at GCC. The dress forms will make a large impact on these three creative women, and surely help them to accomplish future career goals, which they hold dearly and consider with upmost seriousness.

Accomplished students Candace Cooper, Alaina Shannon, and Natalie Brown are the winners of the 2014 Dress Form Contest! All of the girls wrote entry essays entailing what they would do if they won a PGM dress form, and how this award would help to accomplish their career goals. Candace Cooper writes, “When Professor Ehrhart initially notified me of the amazing opportunity of the dress form competition, I was overly thrilled at the news! Being that I am a design student I would love to own a dress form. I’ve always wanted to invest into one, but looking online, the prices were a little intimidating with them ranging from $1,500 to $2,000.” Candace’s collection entitled “ÉCLAT” will be featured in the upcoming GCC 33rd Annual Fashion Show entitled Ethereal. Alaina addresses why she would love to win a PGM dress form and how it would help her to achieve her artistic vision. In her contest essay, she states that, “By winning a dress form I would be capable of anything. As an artist, often times I conjure up creativity at the most random and unexpected times as my mind begins to soar into a new and exciting realm. When I visualize an idea in my head, I feel the urgency to get right to work. I sketch my ideas, gather and cut fabric, and begin to layout the image that is in my head. However, tedious measurements, and the annoyance of making a human stand shivering cold for forty minutes while being draped and pinned is a nuisance. I often find myself wishing I could constantly have access to a dress form so that I could put my creative, crazy mind at ease.” Alaina’s designs will be featured in the upcoming GCC Fashion Show as well, in a scene entitled “Americana”. Natalie Brown envisions what it would be like to own a personal dress form in her contest essay; writing that, “If I had my own dress form, I could create my own design studio space in my room at my house. I currently have my very own sewing machine that I bought myself, so having my own dress form would complete my own personal working space.” Natalie Brown’s designs will also be featured in the upcoming GCC Ethereal Fashion Show. Her scene is called “Revival”, the featured clothing is previously owned and repurposed in order to be transformed from an old garment into a piece that is new and exciting. These dress forms are certainly in good hands; Congratulations Candace, Alaina, and Natalie, we can’t wait to see what amazing designs you all create for the upcoming fashion show and in the near future!

Also, on behalf of everyone in the fashion program at Genesee Community College I’d like to give a big thank you to PGM Dress Forms for donating three dress forms to these well-deserving girls, and to Professor Ehrhart and Professor Dudkowski for continuing to offer this amazing opportunity to GCC’s wonderfully talented design students.

-Ami Cornell

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Candace Cooper’s Resilient Ambition

The Fashion Design students at Genesee Community College are hard at work developing their clothing lines for the upcoming 33rd Annual Fashion show at GCC, entitled Ethereal. All of the scenes will feature pieces designed or reimagined by students at GCC; with their skills at work creativity is sure to ensue. Candace Cooper is one of the many students who is a part of this extremely challenging, yet rewarding creative process. With help from Arianna Snead, who is serving as Candace’s assistant and brand representative, Candace is creating a line that is unlike anything you have ever seen before. As the creator and designer of ÉCLAT XXIIV, an ‘up and coming fashion empire’, Candace is creating designs that are classic, with a chic and sophisticated approach, while simultaneously studying in the design program at GCC. Candace connects directly to the meaning of her brand, ÉCLAT, meaning “brilliant display or effect”, and XXIIV representing a significant date for her family and herself; the date on which her sister, Jakera, and her were adopted. Candace plans to continue pursuing her degree in Fashion in NYC next year; it is clear that she has high expectations for herself, Candace will not stop until she has achieved her goals and established her empire. Candace’s vigor for hard-work and constantly evolving and innovative designs are easily supported with evidence by simply stepping foot into the sewing room at GCC, she is a constant fixture there and a reminder of what it means to fight for your dream. Candace’s awe-inspired designs will strut the runway at Genesee Community College on Saturday, April 26th, 2014 with the assistance of Arianna Snead. Other happenings in the world of Candace Cooper include: an upcoming photo-shoot with a well-known photographer, news of her spring collection in April, and an anticipated website launch for ÉCLAT XXIIV next month as well. Most likely this will not be the last you hear of Candace Cooper, so keep an eye out for her designs at Fashion Week in a few years, for she is surely headed straight to the top.

-Ami Cornell

Genesee Community College Blog

1st hand experiences from GCC students!

Fashion

“Steeling” The Method

Where It All Began

BRI~JHN

Fata Morgana

A Window Into Giving thanks

A New Point Of View

Coming Soon: #GCCINNYC

Emmy Winning Stylist Coming to GCC

Dress Form Contest

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Candace Cooper’s Resilient Ambition

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share