In today’s Ex-Changing the World, School of Fashion Student April Thompson who has been studying at NIFT Delhi.

How was the whole application process for the Chennai Exchange Program?

The application process was short but stressful. I heard about the exchange and two days later I was presenting my portfolio in front of Gladys Perint Palmer. I didn’t actually know I won the exchange until it was announced at the Spring 2011 fashion show.

What has been the hardest adjustment about living in a foreign country?

Surviving without any knowledge of the native language has been a daily difficulty. Even English speakers don’t understand my accent an occasion.

What are classes are you taking in Chennai and what have you enjoyed most about them?

I am taking a fashion studies and marketing class which has given me a stronger understanding of branding and fashion forecasting than I had before. Being in the foreign country studying fashion forecasting has given me a better idea of forecasting on a global level, as well. I have a surface techniques with leathers class which has given me more knowledge of orientation outside of just textiles. My favorite class has been a hardware design class in which I am currently designing a belt buckle and pendant. Studying outside my main subject has given me more ideas for silhouette, fabric and construction variations. Learning the general fashion industry in between classes, however, has proved to be the most interesting.

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Online Student Emily Amorello who lives in Dubai

In this week’s edition of Ex-Changing the World, we caught up with Online Student Emily Amorello, who lives in Dubai. She details her experience at Dubai Fashion Week and discusses the local fashion industry – it sounds like there are some very exciting things happening!

Dubai Fashion Week is the Arabian Gulf region’s longest running industry event. Capital Marketing produced the first show in 2005 and has since struggled to provide local designers with a strong platform to grow their businesses and highlight the region’s burgeoning industry to the international community. Six months ago the sands of change kicked up when Capital Marketing announced its partnership with Cranberry Middle East and International Fashion Innovators.

The most exciting aspect of this alliance is the role Simon Lock, a friendly Aussie with decades worth of fashion industry experience, will play in the future of DFW. He is credited with starting Mercedes Australian Fashion Week and working extensively in Asia as Festival Director of Singapore Fashion Week and MasterCard Luxury Week Hong Kong and is the Senior Vice President & Managing Director of IMG Fashion and Models for Asia Pacific. He has produced shows for sartorial heavy weights like Diane Von Furstenburg and Marc Jacob in places like New York, Paris and London. He arrived in Dubai last summer with a firm understanding of the region and it’s unique potential as the only fashion event in the world that shows couture, ready to wear and abayas.

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In today’s edition of Ex-Changing the World, Sally Spackman from New Zealand!

What University are you from and what is your major?

I am from Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand. I am an undergraduate and my major is Fashion Design.

What inspired you to be a part of the exchange program at the Academy of Art University?

I wanted to do a exchange in high school but the opportunity never came up, then I learned about this exchange when I was in my second year of University. Once I started researching the Academy of Art University and all the interesting classes you could take here I knew it was a great opportunity that I couldn’t miss.

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In today’s edition of Ex-Changing the World, Paula Kidwell who is studying abroad in New Zealand!

What inspired you to be a part of the exchange program to Auckland University?

Academy of Art and AUT (Auckland University of Technology) are some of the few schools in the world that teach industrial knitting machines. My major at the Academy of Art University was knitwear design and I learned how to program and operate the “Stol” industrial knitting machines. A huge part of the allure of coming here was to expand my knitwear knowledge and to learn to program and operate the Japanese “Shima” industrial knitting machines. Now I will be of much more use to any company that needs to communicate with factories overseas about designing and producing knitwear.

How are New Zealand and Auckland different from San Francisco and the Academy of Art University?

Living in New Zealand has been a really great experience. One of the most interesting things about the country is that it is so isolated and far away from any other country. When most people think of New Zealand they think of it being near Australia, and some people even think it is part of Australia. But in truth New Zealand is still about a 4-hour flight away from Australia. New Zealand is of course aware of what is going on in the outside world but often not as affected by trends and world events as countries grouped together are, like in Europe or the Americas. This makes for a very unique, relaxed way of living and very down to earth and calm people. I found that this makes the University much less competitive and stressful as it can often be at home.

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In today’s edition of Ex-Changing the World, Liah Roebuck from New Zealand!

What University are you from and what is your major?

I am an undergraduate from Massey University, Wellington New Zealand. I am currently in my 3rd year of my Bachelor of Fashion Design Honors degree.

What inspired you to be a part of the exchange program at the Academy of Art University?


I first heard of it through our Head of Department, Deb Cummings, back in New Zealand just over 1 year ago. She was letting us know about the two students who were at the time studying abroad at the Academy of Art University. After I inquired about the exchange program, one thing led to another and now I am here! I never once thought it was really going to happen.

How is San Francisco and the Academy of Art University different from your home and school?

There are so many opportunities here at the Academy of Art University and San Francisco. I’m sad to say my time here is nearly up! I love that there is such a wide range of classes, compared to our courses back home that are very structured and limited in choices.

What has been the most exciting thing you’ve done so far?


When I first arrived I did alot of sight-seeing. The tour companies made it quick and easy to see the top sights and I learned alot! I have walked and biked the Golden Gate Bridge, experienced a music festival, and watched a live news feed of the final Rugby World Cup match on Treasure Island, celebrated Halloween for the first time, and much much more!

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In today’s edition of Ex-Changing the World, Naomi Tripathi from India!

What University are you from and what is your major?
I’m from the, National Institue of Fashion Technology (Mumbai, India), studying undergraduate Fashion Design.

What inspired you to be a part of the exchange program at the Academy of Art University?
The exchange program is a very good platform for a student to be exposed to the cultures of a different place, the Academy of Art University has students coming over from all over the world, and I have always wanted to travel to the United States. The courses offered at this school are also very interesting and different from what is offered at my college in India.

How are San Francisco and the Academy of Art University different from your home and school?
Both the schools are very different in terms of work patterns, class hours, approach to education and campus life. It is nice to study fashion with a different perspective and it is adding a lot to my experience in this field.

Has it been hard adjusting to the differences – in the place, people, classes, and culture?
It has been very easy to adjust here, the place is very welcoming and the city looks beautiful. The people are also friendly and classes are a lot of fun. There is a lot of work but I enjoy it. I also love that there is a lot of creative freedom.

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In today’s edition of Ex-Changing the World, Sophie Littin from New Zealand!

I am currently on exchange from Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand. I am studying towards a B.F.A. in Fashion Design. The opportunity to study abroad came up and I thought I would give it a go. As I researched more about studying abroad and the Academy of Art University, I realized it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity that would be invaluable to my study and design work.

San Francisco is very similar to Wellington, NZ, as both cities have a very diverse culture with so much to do, all of the time. However, Wellington is a lot smaller geographically. Moving to San Francisco to study for a semester reminds me a lot of the first time I moved away from home to study – finding my way around a new city, meeting people and learning more about fashion. The classes I am taking here are ones that aren’t offered in NZ: Shoe Design, Fashion Illustration, Costume Design and Consumer Motivation, so studying at the School of Fashion is a fabulous experience.

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Top Row: Pierre Parent, Pauline Giraut, Sophie Littin, Hannah Tutton; Bottom Row: Marine Gabet, Uma Anupindi, Naoumi Tripathi, Sally Spackman, Liah Roebuck

Yesterday, Executive Director of the School of Fashion, Gladys Perint Palmer, hosted a tea for foreign exchange students studying fashion at the Academy of Art University this year. The School of Fashion has exchange programs with the L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and Studio Berçot in France, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in India, as well as Massey and the Auckland Unversity of Technology (AUT) in New Zealand.

The exchange students and faculty were joined by the Denis Bisson, Cultural Attaché and Ivan Bertoux, Deputy Cultural Attaché from the French Consulate, the Honorary Consul General of Monaco and board-member of the San Francisco-Paris Sister City Initiatve, Thomas E. Horn, and the Honorary Consul General of New Zealand Richard Sears, as well as members of the San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative Rahul Pathak and Sada Chidambaram. After a brief welcome from Gladys Perint Palmer and an introduction of our honored guests, students mingled with one another as well as the faculty and guests, discussing their experiences thus far and what it’s like adjusting to a new city.

We welcome all of the students to the School of Fashion and hope they have an amazing study abroad experience!

Be sure to check Fashion School Daily every Wednesday for our new feature Ex-Changing the World! We’ll be catching up with students studying at the School of Fashion from abroad, and with our own students studying in France, India, New Zealand, and beyond!

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Special guest Laure du Pavillon (left) with 2011 French Exchange recipients (from left) Drew Williams, Peter Nguyen, Peter Yang and Lisa Relth at May's Spring Fashion Show. (Photo credit: Randy Brooke)

The Academy of Art University’s exchange students cross continents to learn their art (and craft), and get exposed to the capitals of Europe, the Far East, New Zealand and the four corners of the earth. We will be featuring reports from students (and faculty) about their exciting adventures, here and there.

The first installment comes from Peter S. Yang, a B.F.A. fashion design student who was awarded a scholarship to study at Studio Berçot through the school’s Sister City Scholarship Exchange in Paris. Peter’s report came in the form of a letter to School of Fashion Executive Director Gladys Perint Palmer. It was so sweet, and revealing, we felt compelled to share it with you. More traveler’s tales will be coming your way shortly.

Greetings Gladys Perint Palmer,

I arrived around 10:00 yesterday and met with my friend from high school who lives in the 14e of Paris. Honestly, the language barrier is so severe, without her, I would not know where to go or what to do.

But I am trying to adapt to the language and culture quickly. I am so in awe of this city; seriously, my first day here has felt like a fantasy. Aside from taking care of the essentials like finding an apartment, setting up a bank account and trying to attain a phone, I have been exploring the lifestyle of these beautiful people. My first day here was so relaxing.

I got a chance to see some delightful sites along the taxi ride from the airport – I briefly saw the President’s home, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais (where Chanel shows haute couture) and a few other sites I could not retain. But sightseeing was not my first priority. I just needed to set up all of these errands before school starts on the 7th. We really took advantage of the fantastic Metro system (it seems difficult, but I think I can pick it up quickly) to complete these tasks. Along the way I was familiarizing myself with this magnificent city.

So far the standouts of my first day were the streets and buildings, the gorgeous men and the relaxed lifestyle of the French people. My friend Michelle and I really enjoyed just sitting at a cafe or restaurant for a couple hours having food, a glass of wine and cigarette embracing the weather, architecture and again emphasizing the most beautiful people around us. We did this maybe four or five times yesterday. I enjoyed it very much! It is so different from San Francisco in that the pace is slower and the people just really are enjoying life bit by bit. Why wouldn’t they? It’s Paris! People just love being around people and I love that! Everyone is so polite, greeting others as they walk into places. “Bonjour Monsieur”, “Bonjour Madame”, “Merci Beaucoup” and “Au revoir,” always with a smile.

I’m sure you know what it is like, so I do not want to bore you with my ramblings. I just wanted to take the time to tell you how much I appreciate this amazing experience. I did not have the opportunity to thank you so much for the chance you gave me to go on this exchange program. It feels like a fantasy being here and I cannot thank you enough for this. I really want to immerse myself in the culture and the people. It’s going to be really hard to make friends, I can tell already. But I will persevere! I’ll keep updating you on my journey. Thank you again for everything. I need to go back and cure this jet-lag soon.

Sincerely,

Peter S. Yang