Fashion Design & Merchandising News

[Ninewest Designers]

On Friday, October 2, 2015, 38 fashion design and fashion merchandising students led by Professors Holly Lentz-Schiller and Leslie Simpson went on an educational field trip to New York City for the day.  The purpose of the trip was to expose students to the fashion field in New York City.  The following three fashion industry sites were visited along with the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.  The group had a few hours of free time where we explored retailers, fabric shops, museums and tourist sites in New York City.

Nine West Group:  We visited their showroom and design department in the corporate office.  The President of Nine West along with the Director of Merchandising, ...Learn More

Red Prairie Press is an independent, hand printed apparel shop, founded by Rachel Bone in 2006. The line celebrates clothing and accessories that support sustainability and ethical manufacturing.

The clothing is screen printed by hand in a studio in Baltimore, MD using non-toxic water based inks, which do not require chemicals for cleanup. 

I met Rachel Bone several years ago at Magic Market Week, a major tradeshow for the fashion industry, held in Las Vegas every spring and fall.  Rachel had a booth there selling her screen printed apparel to retail store buyers from all over the world. I noticed the sign 'Made in Baltimore, MD' and introduced myself and shared experiences in the apparel business.

It was exciting to have her demonstrate her screen-printing technique to my Textiles class last week.  All students took the opportunity to try out the screen-printing technique and printed on their own t-shirt in class.