Name: Whitney Holt

Where do you live? Laurel, MD, USA

Area of study: MFA Fashion Merchandising

Day job / occupation: Program Assistant for National Science Foundation/ Mother

What qualities do you most value in others?

Of all things I value honesty and trust.

Depending on your area of fashion industry insiders:

Designer – Vera Wang, Blog – Fashion Bomb Daily (www.fashionbombdaily), Store – It’s Vintage Darling (consignment store in DC)

List a guilty pleasure:

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE fashion magazines. I have tons and tons of magazines that I probably should throw away but everytime I try to I find myself somehow sitting down and reading them never making it to the trashcan lol. My favorite magazines are ELLE, W, and Vogue

What is your present state of mind?

I already have a B.A. (Psychology) and currently working on my MFA (Fashion Merchandising). I am very focused on my career goals and and dont allow too many distractions to get me off track. I am past the point in my life where all I wanted was to have fun living in a carefree world. I am very passionate about having a career in Fashion PR/Marketing so it’s not work to me, it’s simply doing what I have to do to get to my desired level in life.

What is your dream job?

I actually have two dream jobs! I would love to do PR/Marketing for Dolce & Gabbana and be a Professor teaching Fashion Marketing.

 What is the most important thing that people should know about you?

I put my all into everything that I do. I am for teamwork and helping those without wanting anyting in return. I am firm believer that you should help out as many people as you can in life, you never know who you may meet later in life or who you may need.

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Name: Shemeka Cisco

Where do you live? Savannah, Georgia

Area of study: MFA Fashion Merchandising

Day job / occupation:

Admissions Counselor/Recruiter for Savannah State University

What qualities do you most value in others?

Honesty….”say what you mean and mean what you say”, having a passion for something, whether it is life, family, career – just be passionate about SOMETHING!

Who are three of your favorite designers?

Rachel Roy, Tracey Reese, and Thierry Mugler.

List a guilty pleasure:

The Real Housewives of….(I watch them all!), pretty much any show on BRAVO, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream out of the container, reading fiction about vampires or anything “other worldly”, lounging around the house in my pj’s all day, TMZ, Mediatakeout.com, HBO original programing, last but never least…mafia movies.

What is your present state of mind?

Thankful for where I’ve been and excited about where I am going!

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Name: Erika Ann Marie Randolph

Where do you live? Hampton, Virginia.

Area of study: BFA Fashion Design

Day job / occupation: Just recently employed Forever 21 sales Associate

What qualities do you most value in others?

Honesty, nice, bubbly and a good sense of humor. I love laughing and smiling.

Who are three of your favorite designers?

My favorite designers are Balenciaga, Michael Kors, Emilio Pucci and tons more! I also have a blog of my own and it even has the items I have designed and created up there for sale, too!

List a guilty pleasure:

Eating pizza, cookies, hot wings and watching Lifetime all day. Or grabbing all of my old vogue magazines and sketching from them.

What is your present state of mind?

I’m in a good state of mind right now. I know where I want to go with my career but I’m still learning how to get there

What is your dream job?

RTW fashion designer for womens wear.

What is the most important thing that people should know about you?

I’m a really happy person. I always smile and laugh. I love dancing. I’ve studied many styles of dancing -African, Middle Eastern, hip-hop, jazz, tap, ballet and lyrical. Sewing is most definitely something that I love to do. My dream would be to become a RTW designer, dancer and to meet Stevie Wonder, my favorite person ever! Wouldn’t that be cool?

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Name: Erica Trinder-Torre

Where do you live? Princeton, New Jersey

Area of study: BFA Fashion Design

Day job / occupation: Server, kitty caretaker, and a sometime intern

What qualities do you most value in others?

Loyalty, honesty, humbleness, wackiness

Who are three of your favorite designers?

Right now: Dries Van Noten, Rodarte, Riccardo Tisci.

List a guilty pleasure:

Watching British costume dramas – think “Downton Abbey”, “Pride and Prejudice”, “Wives & Daughters”. I’m obsessed and it’s majorly geeky, I know.

What is your present state of mind?

Rushed and a little scattered.

What is your dream job?

Assistant Designer for a major RTW label, but eventually, my own line!

What is the most important thing that people should know about you?

I’m quiet, but not meek.

When was the first time you recognized your interest in fashion?

In my early twenties I developed an obsession with vintage clothes, then vintage designer clothes. I really loved all of the special details that were hard to find in normal, mass market clothing.

Where have you found inspiration lately?

Lately, I’ve been finding inspiration in abstract art. While on the surface it seems so free, I love the idea that every part of it is really controlled. I want this to translate into my designs-simple on the surface, but decidedly complex in its creation.

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Name: Kay-Jean Wagner

Where do you live? Brookfield, CT USA

Area of study: BFA Fashion Design

Day job / occupation: Domestic Engineer

What qualities do you most value in others? Honesty, Ethics, Optimism

Name three of your favorite designers:

Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, House of Lanvin

List a guilty pleasure:

Yarn – I love shopping for yarn and fabric.

What is your present state of mind?

Do I have to confess to insanity? What is normal? I am always thinking of the myriad of things I should be doing and more on the things I want to do.

What is your dream job?

Working for myself in fashion design.

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Name: Kate Johnson

Where do you live? Walnut, IL

Area of study: MFA Fashion Journalism

Day job / occupation: Deposit Operations Officer at a local financial institution

What qualities do you most value in others?

Honesty, sincerity and openness.

Who are three of your favorite journalists or bloggers?

Bloggers Blair Eadie of Atlantic-Pacific and Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere and journalist Maggie Bullock.

List a guilty pleasure: Twitter

What is your present state of mind?

Editorial. Much like a collection preparing for its runway debut or articles for next month’s publication, I currently have a lot of options running through my head. I am focused on evaluating those things that work best together, and how, to help me reach where I want to be.

What is your dream job?

Operating a well-read personal style blog and contributing to the fashion industry as a freelance journalist.

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Name: Jennifer Ballou

Where do you live? I live in a small town in southwest Colorado called Durango.

Area of Study: I am currently finishing my MFA in Fashion Design

Day Job/Occupation:

I work as a freelance designer and illustrator and am a full-time student.

What Qualities Do You Most Value in Others?

Honesty, loyalty, kindheartedness – someone who is motivated, inspirational, and can make me laugh!

Name three of your favorite designers, journalists, blogs, etc.

There are so many that I love! Blogs I read are Dash in Fashion becuase I love kid’s fashion, Design for Mankind by Erin Loechner, and Paper Fashion by Elyse Rodgers, who is an amazing fashion illustrator. Designers I admire are Anna Sui, Linda Loudermilk, Alexander McQueen, and many more…

List a guilty pleasure:

I am obsessed with Whole Foods!

What is your present state of mind?

Perserverance and dedication.

What is your dream job?

To be able to bring my line and vision to life!

What is the most important thing that people should know about you?

When I want something, I don’t give up until I get it!

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Name: Jenita Miller

Where do you live? Lumberton, NC, USA

Area of study: MFA Fashion Design and Merchandising

Day job / occupation: Devoted Student

What qualities do you most value in others?

Creativity, kindness, sense of humor, someone who has drive and ideas.

Name three of your favorite designers, journalists, blogs, etc:

Sense I’ve been studying fashion this semester, I’ve found love for couture designers, Yves Saint Laurent, Emilio Pucci, Chado Ralph Rucci, Vionnet, Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace, and Gucci. My favorite ready-to-wear deigners, Zuhair Murad, Alexandre Vauthier, and Pacco Rabanne so far.

I enjoy shopping at TJX stores and Forever21. I’m into trends, classics, and I love artistic-style clothing such as paint stroke printing, abstract, and geometric printing.

My favorite Youtube casters are BeautyQQ (Shanghai), AModelRecommends (Look-Alike Kate Moss Model), GiannyL (from Paraguay: She can make anything from scratch!), ItsRoseRoma, DulceCandy85, MasqueradeMakeup (Russia), Wen88888 (Worldwide Travelers), and MisfitMassacreMakeup. My favorite blogger so far is Aparment 15 and Lacquerholic.

List a guilty pleasure:

I enjoy reading Harper’s Bazaar. I’ve been a subscriber to Teen Vogue and Vogue. I’m looking to subscribe back to InStyle and try Elle Décor along with People StyleWatch. I hope to find a discount dealer and have more time to look through the magazines.

I am a long-time fan of What Not To Wear, Jerseylicious (StyleNetwork), Selling New York, House Hunters/International, Top Chef, Restaurant Impossible, Food Network, Food Channel. I enjoy watching the Housewives of New York, Atlanta, and Orange County. I enjoy watching show like Peter Perfect (no longer on air) and Tabitha’s Salon Takeover because it inspires me to one day help businesses that are in trouble and could use tweaking. It also informs me of different marketing for small businesses. I really enjoy watching reality shows.

What is your present state of mind?

Right now, I feel I’ve made the best decision by choosing the Academy of Arts University. I have been torn between fashion and interior decorating for a while. I’ve been learning about both apparel and home accessories this semester. I now feel I can combine the two without leaving one out because both are apart of the fashion world and very similar.

Decorating is use of common themes, color schemes, or about a different place in time. Many people are improving their current homes or more into creating a sanctuary at home. Many love to keep looking good with the latest fashions whether they’re going on an extravagant trip or going to the supermarket. And apparel and accessories are about having a certain look and if you have different styles, it’s like who do I want to be today.

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Name: Susanne Maroske

Where do you live? Whitewater, WI.

Area of study: MFA Fashion Design.

What qualities do you most value in others? Honesty, patience, and originality.

Who are three of your favorite designers? Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, Haider Ackermann, and Alexander Wang.

List a guilty pleasure: Eating chocolate while watching Mad Men.

What is your present state of mind? Adventurous.

What is your dream job? Being my own boss

What is the most important thing that people should know about you? I don’t give up.

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Name: Christine Esoldo

Where do you live? Lancaster, Pa. with plans of moving to Los Angeles sometime in the next few years

Area of study: MFA in merchandising (I have a BA in journalism)

Day job/occupation: I work in digital marketing, content strategy/copywriting, and user experience. I’m also in the process of launching a pet photography business and I volunteer at my local Humane League as a photographer.

What qualities do you most value in others?

Authenticity, reliability, and the ability to laugh at oneself even through embarrassing moments. I also appreciate a good grasp of basic grammar and knowledge of the difference between “they’re,” “their,” and “there.”

Who are some of your favorite designers, journalists, bloggers, stores, etc?

I’m sort of a jewelry junkie, especially statement jewelry. My favorite designers include DanniJo, Fenton, Fallon, and Lulu Frost. I also love J.Crew jewelry and have recently purchased way too many items from JewelMint. And of course, you can never go wrong with Tiffany.

 List a guilty pleasure:

I might be embarrassing myself here, but I love watching reruns of Ghost Whisperer and I was super disappointed when they cancelled it unexpectedly (Melinda’s clothes were amazing and I loved her antique shop!). Nothing like a relaxing evening at home curled up on the couch with my beagles, sipping on a glass of wine, reading magazines, and watching Ghost Whisperer. I’ve also been known to watch reruns of The Hills while on the treadmill. Watching a good catfight really gets the adrenaline pumping.

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