April 21, 2016

Fashion accessories: alumni stories

 

rohmann_webOur fashion assistant

As a graduate student working in the Division of Marketing and Communications at Providence College, Alyssa M. Rohmann ’15 & ’16G contributed her expertise in fashion to this issue of Providence College Magazine.

Rohmann helped to select the photographs that illustrate stories about the Motherland Dance Group fashion show, Dr. Michelle Tolini Finamore ’91, and Ted McNamara ’86.

As an undergraduate who majored in marketing and minored in finance at PC, Rohmann spent two summers working in Manhattan as a sales intern for fashion design firms Zac Posen and Suno. While pursuing an MBA this academic year, she was a style guru for CollegeFashionista, a fashion blog showcasing styles and trends on campuses around the world. In addition to writing posts about fashion for CollegeFashionista, she was a social media intern, photographing fashion and products, and sharing them on her own social media platforms. Her work caught the eye of MTV, which featured her on its fashion blog about back-to-school outfits after winter break.

After she completes her MBA with a concentration in finance, Rohmann hopes to work in the fashion industry, in the marketing of luxury brands.


PC021209-320.jpgA course of action

There is a serious fashion statement within the PC curriculum. It’s MKT 423, or Fashion Marketing.

Taught for more than 20 years at the undergraduate level by marketing fashion scholar and assistant professor Dr. Helen M. Caldwell, the course dissects fashion as an industry.

Sourcing — so much of which takes place in Southeast Asia — ethics, environmental effects, the treatment of animals, social media, and advertising are poignant issues students scrutinize. Trends are big, too. Students analyze issues such as the appropriateness of “athleisure wear” in certain work and other environments. Individual and team projects centered on the marketing strategies of fashion brands and companies account for nearly all of the grading in Fashion Marketing.


spiderman3_cmyl_72dpi_72dpi_600xDigital printing super-hero

The Spider-Man costume is one iconic example of the dazzling digital fabric printing techniques employed by Danielle Locastro ’90 and her design team at First2print in New York City and Los Angeles.

The studio’s director of operations and a veteran of 27 years in textile design and printing, Locastro leads a cast of artists, designers, and entrepreneurs in digitally printing patterns onto fabrics. Their client base of more than 400 — in markets from apparel and costumes to accessories and arts restoration — includes Sony Pictures, Colonial Williamsburg, and Graceland.

And Spider-Man? Led by designer Paul M. Cartelli ’97, the costume was laid out in specially engineered panels, which were cut apart and sewn into the suit.


fashion untuckit1_cmyk_2_72dpi_72dpi_600xExplosion at UNTUCKit

Chris Riccobono ’01 is riding a tidal wave with UNTUCKit. The finance graduate launched the niche men’s dress shirt line in 2011 and saw sales grow 600 percent in 2013-2014 and another 600 percent last year.

UNTUCKit now includes Henleys, T-shirts, and women’s outerwear (a model wears a sample of the men’s shirt at far right). Seven factories, in countries including China and Peru, support the company’s production needs, and UNTUCKit advertises on digital and other media platforms. The success of the online business has triggered a retail enterprise, with the first store in New York City and six more planned nationally this year.

“It’s hard to manage the growth. I’m ordering three seasons in advance,” said Riccobono.


4U6A0149_w_path_72dpi_72dpi_600xLifestyle & Fashion

PC Lifestyle & Fashion is a student organization founded in 2012 by Danielle Lockhart ’14. Once a week, about 50 students gather to discuss fashion, fitness, pop culture, and campus events — topics that often become posts on the group’s blog, pclifestylefashion.tumblr.com.

“We’re about more than just fashion. We’re concerned with social issues, too,” said the president, Bianca Nudd ’16 (Scottsdale, Ariz.), a marketing major. “We create a positive environment for students to write about their passions and things we think are helpful for people our age.”

The group holds a semi-annual styling event at J.Crew and brings speakers to campus, including Kerrin Suvari, social media coordinator for Alex and Ani, whose appearance was co-sponsored by the College’s chapter of the American Marketing Association.