Monique Lhuillier Design Room Manager Maegan Wray Speaks on LA Campus
Alumna Maegan Wray, Design Room Manager at Monique Lhuillier Inc., visited the Los Angeles campus yesterday as a guest speaker for the Premiere Merchandise Product Development Group, an elite group of students who based on their GPA qualify to attend exclusive networking opportunities on campus.
Maegan first worked for Sue Wong as a Product Development Manager before she was recruited to work for Fashion Designer and FIDM Alumna Monique Lhuillier as an Embroidery Buyer. Within her first year she was promoted to Senior R&D Buyer and this week was promoted to Design Room Manager at their headquarters near the Fashion District, just a few miles away from FIDM.
With her she brought samples of three Monique Lhuillier gowns—one of which retails for $40K and weighed 15 pounds—in order for the students to examine the intricate, beautiful design and construction details up close.
Maegan, who graduated in 2014 with her Merchandise Product Development Professional Designation Degree, said the workload at FIDM is comparable to what you’ll experience in the fashion industry. She said, “It prepared me the most [for the industry].”
Tell us a little about yourself: After graduating from Michigan State University and beginning my career in business management, I felt I was missing something and wasn't happy with the work I was doing. I started to look in to the Professional Designation programs at FIDM and after being accepted, I decided to make the move across the country. I've been in California for almost five years and couldn't be happier.
Tell us about your position at Monique Lhuillier: I've been with Monique Lhuillier for a little over 2.5 years and I have just started a new role as the Design Room Manager. Some of my responsibilities include managing the sourcing and development of fabrics, trims, and embroideries, costing the collection, developing footwear and handbags, and keeping our schedule on track to meet deadlines. We have a strong team of really talented women and men and we have a lot of laughs together so it makes work fun!
How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? FIDM has so many great resources and learning tools available on campus but the most valuable aspect is definitely the workload. I remember feeling overwhelmed with the size, quantity, and details demanded in school projects, but it only prepared me for the fashion industry, which often times has stricter guidelines and less time to execute. I think the most beneficial part of the Merchandise Product Development program is that students are able to learn the full process from design conception to production. For example, although I don't work directly in patternmaking, my general knowledge of patterns is a crucial part of having materials developed properly. Hands-on experience is always important but having the basic knowledge to build from is really helpful.
Any advice for current FIDM Students? I have two pieces of advice, the first of which is to do as many internships as possible. I was working while I attended FIDM and wanted to focus on my grades, so I never interned. Graduating with a 4.0 GPA seemed impressive to a lot of people, but I couldn't land an interview because I didn't have industry experience. It took me about four months after graduation to get my first interview but I see now that I closed myself off from opportunities by not interning. My second piece of advice is to proof read and then proof read again. Whether it is a project for school, a resume for an interview, or a presentation for work, simple errors distract from your message. It's easy to miss something as simple as a spelling error but for an instructor, recruiter, or boss it might as well be highlighted in red. In fashion, everything is in the details and if you can't take the time to edit your work you can't claim to have an eye for detail.
What is your biggest goal right now? My biggest goal right now is to keep growing in my career. I love change so I'm constantly trying to learn new things. Partnering with other departments is always exciting because I get to gain new experience but also offer my skills to help us reach our goals together.
Categories: Merchandise Product Development Los Angeles Campus
