FIDM IMPD Students Are Off to Hong Kong

It's quite an exciting year for FIDM’s International Manufacturing and Product Development (IMPD) students. The Advanced Study program teaches students about all phases of the product development cycle from the initial concept and design to technical design, global sourcing, costing, production and marketing to the consumer. Every year they collaborate with an exciting brand for their final collections. This year’s collaboration is big - really big. The FIDM IMPD Class of 2017 were paired with…..NIKE! Not only were they able to visit Nike’s HQ, but they were also able to visit Europe for trend research. Next on their list is their visit to Asia next month. We had the chance to interview a few IMPD students in order to get their perspective on this next adventure. Keep scrolling for more.

1. What part of the Asia trip are you most looking forward to?

Sydney Jensvold: “I should say that I am most looking forward to the business meetings we will be having with executives of various companies that will provide me with valuable information and be a great opportunity for networking ... But what I am really most looking forward to is hanging out on rooftop bars with my fellow IMPD students. They have become some of my best friends over the past 5 months of us working together and I know experiencing this city for the first time with them will be something that I remember for the rest of my life.”

Sarah Hallal: “I am most looking forward to visiting the factories and seeing true production in action! I also have never been to Asia so I'm super excited to experience the culture and interact among the locals.”

2. What do you hope to learn/gain from this experience?

Zoya Sultan: “I hope to gain new connections in the industry through this trip and to become more cultured. I also want to learn the proper business conduct in Asia, since a majority of apparel production takes place in China.”

Sydney Jensvold: “What I hope to gain most from this experience is a better understanding of the reality of the fashion industry’s manufacturing process. I believe that there is somewhat of a disconnect between designers/product developers based in the US and manufacturing that is done overseas. At such a pivotal time in this industry where there is a real push for sustainability and corporate responsibility I think it is extremely important for me to see factories in Asia for myself, as I am getting ready to graduate and enter the workplace.”

3. In regards to what you will learn in Asia, how will it compare to the Europe trip IMPD took in September?

Sarah Hallal: “The purpose of the Asia trip is take all of the knowledge we've gained about production as a whole, and be able to apply it to an in-person occurrence. From sourcing to packaging, to import/export regulations, distribution, labeling requirements and compliance. The Asia trip is putting the last few pieces into the puzzle. The IMPD European trip was more for inspiration and trend affirmation from our initial thoughts and design direction we predicted together as a team as well as to learn about the specific craft each fashion capital has the advantage in.”

4. Describe the current dynamic between all of the IMPD students. How has traveling helped you to create a stronger bond?

Zoya Sultan: “We love each other and have become a family. Especially through our traveling, we always stick together and love sight seeing. We have had great memories from Paris and look forward to making more in Hong Kong. As we all say, ‘We will succeed!’”

Sarah Hallal: “Our dynamic is like a family. Everyone has become so special to me and I love how we all bring something unique to the table. It's almost too much fun sometimes.Traveling and working together so frequently has helped us get to know each person's top strengths and weaknesses. We are able to bounce off of each other’s ideas to create an ultimate concept. Like a family, we always check in to make sure no one falls behind; we can laugh and make fun of each other; and be blunt if we don't agree on something, because really, in the end, we only want the best for one another.”

5. How will this trip help you better prepare for the final IMPD exhibition?

Sydney Jensvold: “Moving forward with the IMPD program we will be focusing a lot on production. Going to Asia and visiting factories there will give us real world experience that will help us complete our upcoming assignments in those areas.”

Sarah Hallal: “This trip will better prepare us for our exhibition because we will be able to speak off our experience as an advancement in the industry. We will be able to source any additional materials we may need to add to our products, and tell a story to how production today is being handled overseas; what initiatives are being taken to better the process and our environment.”