Fashion Students Graduate to the Real World

May 24, 2004

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How do you make the transition from fashion student to real-world, honest-to-goodness fashion designer? "A Head for Fashion, a Hand for Tiny Stitches" profiles a pair of apparel design students in their senior year, poised to make their way into the industry. The article begins with them preparing for their senior show/critique (or "Crit" as they call it) and covers their work and background, including their internship experiences:

"Both students interned in New York over the winter... [Rachel] Koestenblatt spent two months at Betsey Johnson. 'Rachel fit in very well,' says Pamela Thompson, head designer for Betsey Johnson. 'She was like a sponge. She had the right attitude: She was polite, but she also knew how to have fun, which is what Betsey's clothes are all about.' Koestenblatt brightens when she describes the internship. 'I was right at Betsey's elbow. They trusted me to do a lot of things. I did layouts, drawings, fittings, and I helped backstage at her show.'

Internships are an incredibly important stepping stone for any design career -- there's nothing in the classroom that can truly compare to first-hand experience in a practical setting.

This is definitely an article worth reading if you're an aspiring fashion designer -- you'll get a good (and hopefully inspiring) look at what it takes to be successful in this demanding vocation.

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