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  Growing up in Perth, Australia, Hannah Ciallella ’08 didn’t know anything about FIDM until her sister’s wedding. “She wore a dress from FIDM Alumna Monique Lhuillier,” explains Hannah, who had always been interested in fashion. “I had turned down an acceptance at Central St. Martins a few years back so it just felt right this time.” As the Online Editor for Genlux Magazine, Hannah’s responsibilities include sourcing and managing the website’s content, working on photo shoots when needed, pulling clothes, and working product shoots for upcoming issues. “FIDM was perfect for preparing me for what lay ahead,” she says. “The internships and the broad scope of work meant that I got a real understanding of what the fashion industry offered. It was my internship at Genlux, which I received through FIDM, that further validated my desire to work in magazines.”
Since Hannah is a “one man team” with the website, her job involves long hours and little downtime. “However, I absolutely love what I do, so it never feels like a job,” she notes. “Every day is different so I’m constantly challenged.” She loves the fact that her online role means that she can work anywhere in the world, from New York Fashion Week to a trip home to Australia. Hannah says she’s inspired by everything from her family and friends to other magazines, museums such as the Tate in London and artists like Mark Rothko. “My family is from the UK and Italy and they have always believed that travel is the best education,” adds Hannah, who pursues photography in her time off. “I believe that you never stop learning. The world is such a huge place and has so much to offer that I want to get more out of it.”
Visit http://www.genlux.com for more information.
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  On Merchandise Marketing Student Eiman Hamza’s first day of math, the only seat left in the classroom was next to Merchandise Product Development Student Michael Scarpellini ’07. “It all started then and there,” says Eiman, who fell in love with and later married Michael in 2009. Eiman and Michael are the entrepreneurs behind the successful chain of My Closet boutiques in Italy and the clothing line Happiness, which is composed of $10 Tees. “All of our boutiques are vertically integrated with our factory, so we are able to oversee production, design ourselves, and we have everything accessible to all of our boutiques,” Michael explains about his family-owned factory in Rimini, Italy. “We have very high turnover with fast production. We buy brands from showrooms as well.”
When it came time to talk about bringing the successful boutique Stateside, Michael was the one who thought of their friend Gabriela Valenzuela ’07, a FIDM Merchandise Product Development Grad who was also a bridesmaid of Eiman’s. “It will stay similar to the concept we have provided Italy, but we will push the Italian lifestyle much harder for LA,” Eiman explains about the store, expected to open this fall on Melrose Avenue. “We have learned that giving back to people what they have lost or what they never had is what we do best.” Gabriela, who has worked as an assistant designer in the past, was itching to open her own business. “I could not pass up this golden opportunity,” Gabriela says. “Once the store is all set I want to start designing my own line to be produced in Italy. I could not be any happier with the business I am opening or with the people I am opening it with.”
Eiman says that FIDM helped to pave the way for her success. “Every single class I have ever taken at FIDM has been put to use every single day since I graduated,” she says. “Michael and I talk about what we learned at FIDM while in the process of creating projects.” Gabriela adds that, “We were inspired, challenged, and educated by our instructors and fellow students at FIDM. I would say that Eiman, Michael, and I are the perfect example of this.”
Visit mycloset.it for more information!
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  When Suhaila Husain ’09 took a new job as a Pre-Production Developer and Design Assistant at Sea & Sun, LLC, she was thrilled to find two fellow FIDM Grads as her colleagues. The LA-based company is the official licensor of Ed Hardy and True Religion Swimwear. Alumna Angela Avanesyan ’08 serves as the company’s Designer while Fawn Arthur ’02 is Creative Director. Sea & Sun produces contemporary swimwear, beach towels, skin boards, and boogie boards.
Suhaila, who was born in Saudi Arabia, but was raised in Virginia, always wanted to attend fashion school so she enrolled at FIDM, majoring in Merchandise Product Development. The three Grads enjoy reaching business goals and sharing new experiences together. “They have a lot more experience than I do so I feel like they are great mentors and have taught me so much about the industry,” says Suhaila.
Angela, who recently participated in FIDM’s Alice in Wonderland fashion show where she designed a Mad Hatter-inspired dress, says, “It’s awesome we are all graduates, but from different years. We take everything we’ve learned and mash it together.” She says the best part of her job is seeing the sketch come to life, whether in a fashion show, store window, or seeing someone wearing her designs on the beach.
Ohio native Fawn comes from a family of sewers. “They did it for fun, from my prom dress to custom Barbie clothes,” she says. “It’s in my blood.” The Fashion Design Grad sees her designs at “most every pool party” she attends and has her plate full with fittings, design meetings, vendor relations, production issues, and monitoring the sample room. “We are all super creative and work well together,” she says of Suhaila and Angela. “We have experienced different things at FIDM so we have a lot to talk about.”
Pictured from left to right: Suhaila Husain, Angela Avanesyan, and Fawn Arthur
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  Born and raised near Silicon Valley in Atherton, California, Kendra Nicholas ’09 always loved decorating her room as a child. “I was lucky to have a mother who felt similar as I,” she explains. “She would let me help with all types of projects, including decorating my oldest sister’s room while she was away at college when I was nine.” While she loved art and design, Kendra found herself majoring in sociology and policy studies at UCLA and intended to go to law school. But after studying for the LSAT she realized that a change was in order. She began working in real estate for several years and reignited her passion for design. “I was much better at picking colors, fixtures, and tile,” says Kendra, who started a staging company over three years ago, before arriving at FIDM. “It was great learning about the construction side of Interior Design—the part where I was lacking.”
After graduating from FIDM, Kendra re-launched her company as PARC Interiors, a full-service firm, specializing in residential, retail, and restaurants. A recent project, the San Francisco bistro Marlowe, has enjoyed plenty of press thanks to Kendra’s use of reclaimed wood, Edison light bulbs, chalkboard art, and Carrera marble tops. She is also known for working on homes with families in mind (think storage spaces, spill-friendly fabrics, and special kid spaces). “I love working with items that clients already own and have special meaning to them,” she says. “So many people are working with small budgets these days and I don’t mind figuring out different ways of making their dream home happen.”
Kendra still offers clients staging and pre-sale home makeovers along with consulting services. She says that running her own firm is exhausting, but addictive at the same time. The San Francisco resident hopes to eventually open a retail store that features art, furniture, and accessories. “My inspiration is mixing organic natural woods with a touch of sparkle—rustic chic,” she adds. “I get inspired by talking to my clients, seeing how they live, and then changing how they live in the future. I ended up using that sociology degree after all!”
Visit parcinteriors.com.
Photos © ZOOM Photography
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  Growing up in San Luis Obispo, California, Theatre Costume Design Alumna Alicia Joy Rydings ’07 first fell in love with costumes as an actress. “I would end up costuming all of the plays that I performed in and eventually my love for costumes grew beyond my love of being on stage myself,” says Alicia, who is based in Los Angeles. “I ultimately chose FIDM for their 3rd year Theatre Costume Design Program.” Alicia first obtained her Fashion Design degree at FIDM, where she started doing costume design work free of charge on several LA Film School thesis short films (as a bonus that’s where she met her husband). Once she was in the 3rd year program, Alicia was able to intern at Center Theater Group’s costume shop.
Since graduating, Alicia has worked steadily as a costume designer on films such as the upcoming Fort McCoy, a WWII drama starring Eric Stoltz, A Nanny for Christmas with Emmanuelle Vaugier and Dean Cain, and the ABC Family movie, The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation. She recently finished working on the dark comedy film Son of Mourning, starring Heather Graham, Danny Glover, and Lorraine Bracco. “Another favorite is a post-apocalypse sci-fi film called Downstream,” she explains. “I could keep going because every project I have done has some fond memory attached.” As a freelance costume designer Alicia wears numerous hats, but her favorite aspect of the job is the collaborative nature of film. “I love that different departments work together to communicate a script in a visual and emotional way,” she says. “It’s so much fun to help actors enhance their characters through the clothes they wear.”
Visit www.aliciajoyrydings.com.
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