The Student Perspective: FMD students travel to NYC for Tenacity Talks

A group of fashion merchandising and design students traveled to New York City earlier this semester as part of the Tenacity Talks program with Harlem’s Fashion Row. Here are some of their reflections (edited for length and content):

Meeting an Aggie alum at Tiffany’s

Fashion program professor Devona Dixon with a Tiffany & Co. bag and box during the program’s recent trip to New York City.

This immersive and educational experience was a complete whirlwind full of memories that have become some of the shining highlights of this program thus far. I was also a little nervous for the trip because, while this was not my first time in New York City, it was my first time experiencing being on an airplane. As a group, we toured LIM (Fashion Academy) and it was amazing to be able to see how a top fashion college operated and all the accommodations they provided for their students. …At Tiffany and Co’s flagship store, we got to see the amazing gemstone and diamond pieces. We o got to try on some pieces as well and saw some historical pieces from designers that have collaborated with the company in the past. We also got to see the master engravers’ workspace and take pictures with the new Lock collection.

The activity that impacted me the most was the lunch and panel discussion, because it allowed me to mingle and become personal with individuals that I otherwise would never have gotten the opportunity to meet. The panel was extremely informative and beneficial because it allowed me to gain invaluable insight into how Tiffany and Co. is invested into employing people who I can relate to. The panelist gave some great advice about how to navigate being a Black woman in the corporate space, how to balance work life balance and how their different backgrounds helped develop the soft skills needed to effectively do their jobs. The panel was extremely diverse in their life experiences, how they entered into the fashion industry, and how they are trying to effect change in their respective departments. It was also amazing to hear that such a reputable company such as Tiffany and Co. is creating an amazing working environment and culture for their employees.  I  got to speak with Brittany Chang, global talent acquisition recruiter. It was amazing to connect to someone who was so similar to me. She is an Aggie alumni and is close to my age, so it was an invaluable experience getting to chat to her about her experience at the company thus far and how she has adjusted coming from the collegiate space into the corporate world.

–By Victoria Caldwell

From Nintendo jewelry to the real thing

It is not often that someone receives an all-expense paid trip to New York City. Growing up watching fashion shows such as Project Runway or America’s Next Top Model made me want to go, and I am so appreciative of this opportunity. This was my first time traveling to a big city by myself, and it was such a great trip that it boosted my confidence about moving to such a big city. Tiffany & Co. is a luxury brand; I love the fact that they made us feel welcome and gave us high-clientele treatment. They were so open and seemed to enjoy our trip as much as we did.

Our flagship store visit was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Our Breakfast at Tiffany’s moment made me even more excited for the rest of our time with Tiffany & Co. Later finding out that we had eaten breakfast in the same spot that (Tiffany’s representatives)  consult with Beyonce was an added bonus. The tour was so thorough, our tour guide was so knowledgeable about the brand and the origin of the pieces, designs, cuts, and shapes. I could tell that she enjoyed her job and was still as fascinated with the information as she was the day, she learned it. The flagship store was gorgeous. The jewelry was the star of the show. I never understood the saying “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” until this trip.

When I was younger, I had a jewelry design game that I loved on my Nintendo. Being at Tiffany & Co. reminded me of that, and how much I enjoyed jewelry design. While jewelry is an accessory, it has the ability to make you feel the same amazing emotions as a great piece of clothing. That is one of my biggest goals in fashion: to make people feel good, and jewelry design is now a part of that realm for me. This experience has changed my view of the luxury industry tremendously.

–By Yakira Chapman

Conquering new experiences

I was very nervous about traveling to New York because it is such a big city and I consider my hometown small. The first Tenacity Talk with Ms. Daniels changed any feelings of nervousness and “imposter’s syndrome” I may have had. I remember her saying that if we were nervous about trying new things we should research and try it at least once. After hearing this I was thinking that the trip with the school was the perfect opportunity to try this out. After visiting, I am very glad for the experience.

Visiting the (Tiffany’s) Jewelry Design and Innovation Workshop gave us the chance to see how work is typically done there. We got to see their design process of an idea or sketch to a prototype that’s printed in house. I also enjoyed having lunch at Tiffany’s and hearing the panelists speak about their jobs. Listening to their journeys was enjoyable for me because each of their journeys was different from each other, but they all ended up at Tiffany & Co.

These activities were beneficial to me because they were something that I had never experienced before. Also, hearing everyone talking about their jobs was nice because they were very genuine and could see they enjoyed their jobs. These activities have positively affected me because I was able to see people that look like me doing things I never thought of. The experiences also helped me network and hear the experiences of people of color in luxury. My views of the industry have changed because in the beginning I thought that everything would be very strict and serious. After visiting, I have realized that it is not as strict but still very serious. I say this because everyone is held at a high standard and expected to perform at that level, which is understandable.

–By Myles Graves