Merchandise Product Development is Perfect Combo of Design & Business
We recently posted about graduate Cassidy van der Veen who visited Guatemala to develop her business concept from her final capstone class. We sat down with her to find out more about her FIDM experience.
Why did you choose FIDM? I grew up watching my mom sew clothes for me and have always had the same passion ingrained in me. I started sewing Barbie clothes as soon as I was old enough to use the machine. I feel fortunate that I’ve known my passions since such a young age. My family and I visited California when I was in middle school and I instantly fell in love and knew that’s where I was going to live. I didn’t know what FIDM was at the time, but I knew that somehow I would go to school in California. During my sophomore year of high school I began researching schools and design programs and came across 3 Days of Fashion, so that summer my parents and I visited the San Francisco campus and I attended. I instantly fell in love with the classes, the instructors, and the inspiration everywhere. I ended up doing my first year of FIDM at the San Diego Campus, which was a dream come true, and my final three years at the LA Campus.
How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? Considering I was able to find a job doing exactly what I went to school for, I would say I am most definitely using what I learned at FIDM. The main thing that really intrigued me about FIDM in the first place was the fact that the instructors have all been a part of the industry. With that being said they know what to expect and they utilize that to prepare us. Through the combination of both majors I feel I had a very broad education and I honestly think I learned every aspect of bringing a garment through to production. I have had a few internships throughout my time in school and I have not once been unprepared or unsure of how to do something and for that I am grateful to FIDM.
How did you decide on your major? I was originally accepted to FIDM for Fashion Design, and a week before classes started I switched to Merchandise Product Development. This was a very hard choice for me due to the fact that I am passionate about so many things; I was struggling to narrow down my end goal. My counselor sat with me and listened to my career aspirations and helped me pick the right major to succeed. I have always loved sewing and being hands on which is why I originally chose Fashion Design, but since I want to start my own company down the road I chose Merchandise Product Development. My major was the perfect combination of design and business and in my bachelors program we liked to call ourselves the engineers of design. I feel that by having the technical background on garment construction, I am more equipped to design something to be wearable.
Looking back, which classes at FIDM were most valuable? I would have to 100% say that all of the Adobe Illustrator classes have been the most valuable to me. No matter what the internship position was that I had I have always been asked to use Illustrator. It has become second nature to me but it wouldn’t have been if it wasn’t for my amazing instructors. The other class that has shaped my future career would be Design Thinking with both Susan Spencer and Louis Wallace; this was our capstone class that really allowed us to utilize all of our skills from the past four years. My teachers have always been invested in us and our projects and they truly want to watch us succeed, which has made such a difference in how we learn.
Where are you working now and what do you do? I am currently working at a small company called Shop DOÊN which is an ethical company that believes in the power of females. DOÊN ensures that they are transparent throughout their supply chain. They currently only work with two factories—one in Peru and one in India—and they are passionate about knowing the individuals who make our garments. Due to the size of the company, I have the opportunity to work as both a product development and a technical design assistant intern. This has been an amazing opportunity due to the fact that it is combining both of my majors. I am able to work closely with the designers and help a sketch go from concept to production.
Any advice for current FIDM Students? The number one piece of advice I would give to new students is to utilize your teachers as much as you can. Each of my teachers has come from the industry and is full of so much knowledge they want to share. It is easy to go through the motions of classes and just focus on getting the assignments done, but I would strongly advise students to drop that mentality and really learn all they can from their instructors. I learned that office hours and after-class labs are not just there for your current assignments, my teachers were there to help me with anything I needed and they truly want to help us succeed.
Categories: Merchandise Product Development
