It was Fashion 101 when the CFDA and Barneys New York teamed up to provide a full-day fashion immersion for over 30 students from The High School of Fashion Industries (HSFI) earlier this month. The schedule was jam-packed. There were visits to New York Embroidery Studio, Werkstatt, In Style USA, the CFDA {Fashion Incubator}, and Gerard Yosca, and a pizza lunch with the Garment District Alliance replete with Pinkberry frozen yogurt treats. The day ended with a lively panel discussion at Barneys’ headquarters, moderated by the retailer’s COO and Senior Executive Vice President Daniella Vitale. Themed “Inspiring Stories: Routes to Success,” the panel featured top industry executives Charlotte Blechman, Tomoko Ogura, and Tom Kalenderian from Barneys; Grace Cha from DVF Studio LLC;  Jarrad Clark from KCD; Wen Zhou from 3.1 Phillip Lim, and CFDA’s Lisa Smilor.

Several students recounted their impressions of the day—here, some of the highlights.

Aziza Rozi: “I kept hearing the same word to describe the industry, which is competition. I acquired knowledge from professionals working in the industry like In Style, Embroidery Studios, Gerard Yosca and the professionals from the panel discussion. They all had one thing in common, which is their passion and devotion to their successful careers. According to their experience, leading to their position in the fashion industry, things are not handed to you easily; you have to earn it and never give up. If you’re forced to face hardships, either with people or yourself, always view things positively even at the worst possible time.”

Yankarla Gonzalez: “My day started with the visit to New York Embroidery Studio, where we learned about all the techniques used to add details to garments. Workers with many years of experience work hard at adding beautiful delicate detail to high-end garments with the use of old machines and more modern ones. This company not only did embroidery but also laser [cutting], 3-D printing, screen-printing, and beading. Being able to see all these different ways of embellishing garments inspired me for my future designs and how to go about it.”

Caitlyn Pierre: “Some of my favorite remarks from the panel discussion were from Tom and Jarrad. Tom stated that you should do what you love regardless of what people think you should do. I agree with this statement because people will always try to set you on a different path or mindset when that’s not truly what you want to do. You should believe in yourself and pursue the things YOU want to do. Jarrad stated to try anything, knock on all doors and actually learn your craft. If you don’t actually sit and branch out and try to learn more, succeeding will be hard. Sometimes we need that guidance or extra support in order to get better.”

Tiara Reyes: “Being at [New York Embroidery Studio] made me appreciate fashion even more. It’s amazing to see everything that goes into making clothes before it’s on the runway and celebrities are wearing it. At one point during the tour, a group of ladies were working on Marc Jacobs’ new designs under UV lighting and I thought that was very unique. There is also a swatch room that is just pure inspiration for clients and designers.”

Raven Cunningham: “The CDFA {Fashion Incubator} was very interesting. The purpose of this program is to help new/young designers get their business started. I think this is very cool because not every young designer is given this opportunity.”

Darryl Francis: “[Gerard Yosca] is a company where jewelry is man-made. I was also provided with a simple process on creating the perfect piece of jewelry:

1. Know what you’d like to produce.
2. Know who your customer is and how you can create your jewelry accordingly.
3. Illustrate your idea.
4. Lay out your idea after have all the pieces.

After the pieces of jewelry are created, drop tests are performed to test how strong the stones are.”

Faith Mann: “At Werkstatt, the patternmaking studio in the Garment District, a patternmaker told us of the daily activities of the job. I personally love patternmaking, so when I heard about the duties and experiences of a highly experienced patternmaker, I was thrilled. She gave us a general description of her daily activities and went on to tell us about her childhood and how she came from divided Germany to patternmaking in the States. I was especially excited when she showed us the flats of garments her company produced for designers in the past.”

Diamond Baker: “The CFDA {Fashion Incubator} program was the main event that caught my eyes. As having the dream to one day be a business owner, I had no clue that companies such as the CDFA become a main support for many businesses to reach their goal. I learned that the CFDA mission is to direct these businesses in the right direction by providing mentors, business office, network opportunities, collaborations, and many more. I was highly impressed.”