Texas A&M Students Attend New York Fashion Week

Two Texas A&M University seniors got a behind-the-scenes peek at the business side of high fashion at New York Fashion Week in New York City last month.

Nichole Martin ’22, a supply chain management major from College Station, and Cassidy Bryant ’23, a marketing major from Pearland, were part of UofNYFW, an academic enrichment program provided through a partnership between Mays Business School and its Center for Retailing Studies, trademark licensing agency CLC and fashion leader IMG.

The program gave about 20 college students from 10 universities across the country entry into runway shows with London-based fashion house Hardware LDN and top Korean designer Son Jung Wan, as well as networking opportunities and panel discussions with industry leaders.

“My favorite part of the experience was meeting all of the different students that were just as excited to be there and had similar interests,” said Bryant, who is working on a specialization in retail buying and management as part of her major and plans to work in product management or brand development in corporate luxury retail.

Martin enjoyed learning about the haute couture/runway side of fashion. She aspires to work in product development or sourcing and perhaps have an online boutique or similar business of her own.

“It was shocking how quick the actual shows are, five to eight minutes, tops!” she said. “It was fascinating to see that the celebrities and fashion icons we see in the media every day do, in fact, exist but really are just normal people when you see them in person.”

Martin, Bryant and the other students also attended two NYFW: The Talks sessions, including a panel entitled The New Standards of Beauty and Creation, and a discussion on sustainability and the current fascination with resale fashion. Additionally, the students participated in a Q&A with representatives from IMG, as well as a backstage tour of the production and execution of a fashion show at Spring Studios.

Participating students chronicled their experiences through social media using #UofNYFW and were asked to share what they learned with other students at their home campuses.

Both Bryant and Martin got involved in New York Fashion Week through the M.B. Zale Leadership Scholars program and related organizations such as the Student Retailing Association.

New York Fashion Week, founded in 1943, is one of the world’s “Big 4” fashion shows, along with those in Paris, Milan and London. It is held every February and September for the purpose of introducing the latest international fashion collections to buyers, the media and the public.