Alumni
McGuire Denim Designer and Alumna Advises International Students To Chase Their Dreams
International student from Taipei, Ching Aria Hsiao (Yu-Ching) graduated in 2016 with her degree in Merchandise Product Development. McGuire Denim, a premium denim label headquartered in Los Angeles, brought her on as an intern a few months before graduation, hired her as an Assistant Designer, then promoted her to head up their womenswear department. This is her story.
Tell us a little about yourself: I grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. After graduating college, I worked in PR and marketing in the fashion/cosmetics/luxury industries for six years. Then in 2016, I decided to move to the US and follow my dream of becoming a designer, and applied to FIDM! During my second to last quarter at FIDM, I got an internship opportunity at McGuire Denim and was fortunate enough to be hired as an Assistant Designer at the end of the program. One and a half years has passed since I joined McGuire, and I’m now a designer and product developer in charge of our womenswear department.
Tell us about your position at McGuire Denim: On the design side, my responsibilities include designing styles, prints, and embroidery as well as creating and updating tech packs and line sheets. I also manage BOM to ensure costs/margins are within our targets as well as making sure product specs, quality, and timelines are met. In addition, I help with sourcing, ordering and tracking fabrics and trims with our domestic and overseas vendors.
What I love most about my job is that I get to wear many hats and challenge myself to learn something new every day. It never gets boring! Even though sometimes this is also the most difficult part about my job—being able to switch gears and prioritize tasks to make sure we still hit important deadlines.
What did you do in your McGuire internship and what did you gain from it? As an intern, I helped with sketching styles, embroidery design, hand-sewing trims and other design team tasks. I also coordinated photoshoots and helped with trend research and fabric organization. During the internship, the most important thing I learned was time management and basic operations process, which really helped me prepare for my position at McGuire.
Why did you choose FIDM? FIDM’s reputation as one of the best fashion schools in the country and the program choices were the main determining factors.
How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? Besides the basic industry knowledge and technical skills, FIDM has a great career network and a focus on teaching students how to build and maintain a career. I believe FIDM not only helped me get my foot in the door, it prepared me on how to be a valuable team member.
Do you have any advice for international students who wish to attend FIDM? Don’t hesitate to chase your dreams, do it NOW! Sure, you may be worried about language, timing, or whatever else, but I believe if you work hard and take it head on, you’ll truly learn about yourself and come out better than you were.
What is your biggest goal right now? I’m trying to learn as much as I can, whether it’s in design, product development, operations, marketing, or how to be a better team member and leader; the goal is to improve myself everyday and help our company grow.
Anything else you’d like to share? I’ve learned a lot even in just the short year and a half in the industry. Getting a degree and basic knowledge is just the very beginning of a career. It doesn’t matter where you’re from and what your background is, you’re not entitled to anything unless you truly work hard and earn it. There are going to be rough patches along the road, so try to always remind yourself to be positive, keep learning and improve yourself, and most importantly be happy!
Follow Ching Hsiao on Instagram @ychingh.
Categories: Merchandise Product Development Alumni International
