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YSU students have a passion for fashion
Special to the Vindicator
Photo
YSU fashion-merchandising students and their professor who recently spent four days in New York City experiencing different aspects of the fashion industry are, from left, Jennifer Daly, senior; Jennifer Frank, professor; Victoria Volpe, sophomore; fashion designer Nanette Lepore, with whom the students got a chance to spend time while they stopped in the city’s Garment District; Kristen White, junior; and Shamaila Younus, junior.
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
If you ask Victoria Volpe and Shamaila Younus about their recent four-day trip to New York City, they might say that everything fit to a tee.
When describing their colorful experience, however, the two Youngstown State University fashion-merchandising majors likely wouldn’t stop there.
“I’ve always wanted to do fashion. I want to be a fashion stylist or marketing person,” Younus said.
Younus, a junior, and Volpe, a sophomore, spoke recently about their trip last month, the highlights of which were visiting New York City’s Garment District and spending time with Nanette Lepore, the well-known fashion designer who was born in Youngstown.
Younus and Volpe were two of four students who took the trip with their instructor, Jennifer Frank, a YSU fashion-merchandising professor. The others were Jennifer Daly and Kristen White, a senior and junior, respectively.
Younus, who grew up in Orange County, Calif., said the trip opened her eyes to the numerous career possibilities available in the fashion industry. The experience also made her more aware of differences between color-design patterns prevalent in California and styles common to New York, Younus said, adding that she plans to apply for internships in both places.
Another high point for Younus was receiving advice and ideas from Betsy Hilfiger, the sister of legendary designer Tommy Hilfiger, she explained.
“This trip was a great learning experience. I would encourage other fashion students to go,” she added.
Echoing those thoughts was Volpe, who recalled having a love for fashion since childhood. As a youngster, Volpe said, she loved spicing up her outfits with jewelry, rings and hair accessories.
“When I was little, I fought with my mom, who wanted one thing, and I wanted to jazz it up,” Volpe fondly recalled, adding that her ambition is to be a corporate executive manager in the business.
Volpe said she was humbled to meet Lepore, who was “down to earth” and graciously spoke one-on-one to those who sought her expertise.
“It was an inspiration, especially to see people from back home making it big,” she explained. “It’s like, ‘Why can’t I do it, too?’”
It seems safe to say that Volpe might be another Valley resident to make a splash in the industry. She recently was accepted at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, which happens to be where Lepore received her degree in design.
Volpe plans to begin her one-year studies in August before returning to YSU to complete her major.
Two requirements are a high grade-point average and a solid r sum , noted Volpe, who also works part time at New York and Co. in Boardman and is a member of YSU’s Students in Fashion and Interiors club.
The group had several appointments each day of the trip with various designers of large and small companies so the students could appreciate all aspects of the industry, said Frank, who began teaching at YSU in 2008.
The instructor quickly debunked the myth that most people who major in fashion design merely like to spend their time shopping. On the contrary, thousands of careers are available to those who wish to design clothing or enter other aspects of the business, she said.
Nevertheless, most local positions in fashion are in retail, Frank said, adding that the bulk of careers are in New York City or California.
The trip was valuable partly because it provided the students an opportunity to see career options and gain hands-on experience beyond what they read or watch on TV.
It also boosted their confidence to witness people succeeding in the industry who in many ways are like the students, Frank continued, adding that she’s taken students every year since she started teaching.
Frank explained that most who succeed in the business have had an interest in fashion since childhood.
“It’s being a style leader from a young age, not a style follower,” she said.
“It’s having a passion for fashion.”