How did you hear about FIDM? Which campus did you attend? I must have heard about FIDM from watching The Hills, well before I’d even considered a career in fashion. Though eventually, I guess I did follow in Lauren Conrad's footsteps, all the way to FIDM’s LA campus. I already had a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies, so I enrolled in the A.A. Professional Designation program, majoring in Merchandise Product Development.

 

How did you decide on this major? I wasn’t 100 percent sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, and was naturally drawn to the Merchandise Product Development major because of how multi-faceted it is. This is a degree that allows you to go any number of routes in the world of fashion, which is what I found to be most appealing about it. 

 

What were your fondest memories at FIDM? Any lessons that stand out? I have so many fond memories from my time at FIDM, but all the good friends I made and the cool and interesting people I met along the way would definitely be at the top of that list. One memory that really stands out is meeting Chris Tsuyuki, who was editor of WGSN at that time, when she came to talk to our Product Development group about her job in trend forecasting. Up to that point, I was really interested in the idea trend forecasting, but it was hearing about the day-to-day details of her job that really helped me decide to go that route; it was a really pivotal moment.  

 

I went to that meeting armed with a resume and made sure to introduce myself to Chris afterwards. That ultimately led to an amazing internship at WGSN, which then helped me land my dream job as a trend designer at GUESS. So while I learned a ton when I was at FIDM, one important takeaway was the necessity and importance of internships. A great internship not only looks impressive on your resume, but also gives you the experience necessary to really compete in the job market once you’ve graduated. I know that for me, having the right internship was absolutely integral to landing that first dream job. 

 

Tell us about swimwear brand, We Are HAH, where you worked with two fellow FIDM Grads. At the end of 2014, I was trying to figure out my next steps when I was approached by Sharleen Ernster, founder of We Are HAH, about a mysterious ‘top secret’ job opportunity. I was totally intrigued; I had worked on her team at GUESS, where she was the chief design officer, and so I knew that whatever she was cooking up was going to be amazing. I started working there, part-time at first, doing little projects that were mainly based around trend forecasting. A few weeks later, Grad Rebecca Bunker joined the team as designer, and when fellow Grad Kelsey Farrer came on board to do social media and marketing, our little team of five (which also included director of operations Jennifer Sorg) was complete. 

 

In about six months we’d shaped this idea into a full-fledged brand, and suddenly we were launching at Miami Swim Week, WWD was naming us the ‘brand to watch,’ and we were debuting our first collection on a Miami Catwalk, which WGSN then named their favorite of the weekend. The whole experience was very surreal, and I will never forget how amazing it felt to see all of that hard work pay off in such a huge and rewarding way. From that point on, things moved really quickly, and literally never stopped. I have to pinch myself when I think of all of the incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences I had while working at HAH. My part time job quickly turned into a full-time career that naturally grew and evolved over the four years that I worked there. 

 

We'd love to know about your role as Creative Director at Grëymantle Productions. Grëymantle Productions is a digital media/marketing/production company that produces, directs, shoots, edits, etc. creative video content and conceptualizes digital marketing strategies for brands. My husband, Max, founded the company in 2011, and I always thought it would be amazing to one-day be able to work with him. Then, at the end of last year, a huge opportunity arose that made us realize that our time had finally come. And I have my father-in-law, Sam Zien, otherwise known as TV chef/personality ‘Sam the Cooking Guy,’ to thank. He and Max partnered to take his content online, and over the past year they started to amass a substantial following on their YouTube cooking channel. It soon became obvious that they were going to have to expand, so I joined their creative team to help manage this growing YouTube channel and everything that’s associated with it. 

 

I feel beyond lucky to be able to say that I love almost everything about my new job, though one of my absolute favorite parts has been creating our brand, Make America Cook Again, a line of clothing and accessories that we launched at the end of November. This is really my baby, and I oversee every aspect of it, including: product design, website design, marketing, brand messaging, and the list goes on. With a name like ‘Make America Cook Again,’ we hoped to stir up some controversy and get people talking. But in fact, in this hyper-political world, ‘MACA’ is totally apolitical. I’m amazed that we have actually managed to start a movement that’s resonating with people everywhere (we’ve gotten orders from all over the world, including Canada, Germany, the U.K., and Australia). And I’m proud to say that our products are made to order, most pieces are made of 100 percent cotton, and 10 percent of profits go to Feeding America.  

 

How did FIDM help prepare you for your career? Of course all of the basic skills that we learned in class were very helpful, but I think equally, if not more important, were all of the people I met and connections I made as a result of being at FIDM. In fact, many of those relationships hugely impacted the trajectory of my career. I also think that FIDM’s workload helps prepare students for a career in fashion. The industry is so fast-paced; they say that ‘fashion never sleeps’ and that’s the absolute truth. As a student, I remember thinking that the sheer amount of work was sort of crazy, but now I think that it was helping to get us ready for the real world where the workload can be much much crazier.