Alberto Candiani Attends The Business of Denim Thesis Presentations
In our inaugural year for The Business of Denim program, the thesis presentations attracted top players in the denim industry to attend including Amy Leverton, author of Denim Dudes, Alberto Candiani of the world renowned Candiani denim mill in Milan, Italy, and Eric Schrader, denim expert and the subject of the documentary Blue Gold: American Jeans. The special event was held at the Hotel Indigo just blocks from FIDM in Downtown Los Angeles on March 15, 2018.
Each of the six students in the program—Byanka Alzaga, Trinidad Garcia III, Dom Gomez, Axelina Hallstrom, Jessica Kasbaum, and Ruby Rivamonte—created a five piece denim collection which was put on display at the event. Graduates are prepared to enter and succeed in the international world of denim from fiber origin through product life.
“While traveling around the world, I have come to realize people understand that quality denim products come out of right here in Los Angeles,” said student Dom Gomez. “We have some of the best wash technicians around the world right here in our backyard, mixing formulas and challenging the standard of what we can do with denim in the laundry process. We also have solid manufacturing access from those who understand denim construction. Denim is a fabric that is typically constructed in ways of non-traditional fashion with very specific machinery and we have access to this and their highly experienced operators just a couple blocks from campus.”
Throughout the program, students trained in certified industry facilities which immersed them in the latest innovative techniques and processes from a global perspective. Study tours to agricultural sites, textile mills, production facilities and finishing labs advanced the students’ ability to apply their knowledge to the ever-changing denim industry.
Student Byanka Alzaga said the best part of the program was traveling and networking. “Being able to immerse myself in the European and Japanese cultures was amazing,” she said. “I was able to network with people of different backgrounds from trim and denim manufacturing to design.”
Accepting only six students per year, the program is very exclusive and is designed to promote a unique education for students in the areas of denim design and development, product application, industry sustainability, and denim finishing and production.
Denim represents an estimated $60 billion global market that is growing at an annual rate of 13-15%. Our students learn from the best right here in Los Angeles, the city that’s responsible for over 90% of the premium denim manufactured in the United States.
“I love the denim industry because it just seems like one big family,” said student Axelina Hallstrom. “Everybody has this common appreciation for a fabric that unites the world. It is awesome to be part of that.”
FIDM is the only college that offers an Advanced Study Program in denim design and development with a focus on sustainability. The program includes an in-depth global study tour in which students travel to cities around the world where they visit the entire product development cycle from the mill to the retail floor.
Categories: The Business of Denim
