Iris Apfel’s University of Texas in New York City
UT in NYC is an innovative experiential learning program in the School of Human Ecology for upper division students in the Division of Textiles and Apparel. This program is like none other in the country because it is led by legendary New York City fashion icon and visiting professor Iris Apfel.
Professor Apfel generously calls on her close relationships, developed through a lifetime of professional and creative pursuits, for the benefit of her UT in NYC students.
As a team of 16 students we are invited into boardrooms, workrooms, showrooms and curatorial spaces, where we learn how professor Apfel’s colleagues have built their careers. Site visits represent the full spectrum of the fashion industry: production, publishing, licensing, visual merchandising, buying, forecasting, design, sourcing and fashion public relations.
Our site visit to Tommy Hilfiger was on the first day of the program. We toured their innovative digital showroom where we saw first hand how quickly buying happens at Tommy Hilfiger. After, we heard from Tommy himself and were lucky enough to have a question and answer session with him. He spoke to us about how Tommy Hilfiger as a brand is moving towards sustainability and also introduced us to Tommy Adaptive, a new line of adaptive clothing for individuals with disabilities.
2019 Site Visits and Speakers.
Alexis Bittar
Patty Johnson with HSN debuting Iris Apfel’s new collection
Tommy Hilfiger
PVH
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: CAMP
Donna Karan, Urban Zen
Nike
BPCM
NOW NY Market
Rachel Schectman, Story at Macy’s
BODE
Michael Kors
Naeem Khan
Mindy Grossman at Weight Watchers
Brian Bolke, The Conservatory at Hudson Yards
Pologeorgis Furs
Window France and Stephen Stefanou of Venue Arts
On our site visit to Pologeorgis Furs we were allowed to try on all of the handmade fur coats. The soft pink and brown coat I am wearing was worn by Jennifer Lopez in the movie Hustlers.
Iris and I at the celebratory dinner on the last night of the program
Urban Zen
One of my favorite site visits was to Urban Zen where Donna Karan, founder and creator, gave us a tour of her retail space and community center. It was inspiring to hear from Donna Karan and to learn about her professional life. My biggest take away from our visit at Urban Zen was Donna’s incite on conscious consumerism and the value she puts in telling the story behind her brand and each product she designs.
My Experience
My experience on the UT in NYC program changed the way I will approach entering a career in the fashion industry. This program exposed me to a range of career options and opportunities. I was surprised at how diverse each speaker and location was. At the beginning of the program, I was unsure about a lot of details regarding my future: did I want to move to New York, what part of the industry interests me, and where did I fit best. But, throughout the week I could feel my interests shifting and my ears perking up to careers that seemed fascinating.
Some of my favorite site visits and speakers were: Urban Zen and hearing from Donna Karan, Rachel Schectman with the Story team at Macy’s, Emily Bode from BODE, Mindy Grossman from Weight Watchers, Brian Bolke from The Conservatory, and Window France. Each of these visits touched on parts of the industry that I could see myself working in.
Although the program was filled with information and advice, to me, the most influential advice from the program came from Emily Bode, founder and creator of BODE. She told us to stick to our aesthetic, never intern for a brand you wouldn’t work for and to look for a true interest in the company we are researching. I have taken this advice to heart and it has been a driving force for me in searching for future opportunities.