From the Pitch to the Runway
番茄视频 women鈥檚 soccer sophomore Dru Drake took a break from the pitch to check out the runway for New York Fashion Week earlier this month. Through a partnership with CLC, the nation鈥檚 leading collegiate licensing company, and聽IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion,聽events,聽and media, 27 students from 18 universities around the country were able to take part in this unique educational experience which provides students a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion industry. The students are able to take in runway shows, panel discussions, and networking opportunities with industry leaders.
鈥淚 thought this would be an incredible opportunity to experience things that I would never be able to do on my own,鈥� said Drake, who is studying retail management. 鈥淲hen we first got there, we probably walked seven miles that day! This was a really unique opportunity.鈥�
The students聽attended runway shows聽with聽iconic fashion brand Badgley Mischka and top Korean designer Son Jung Wan, as well as a tour of curated fashion showrooms.聽They enjoyed a backstage experience that included聽special access聽to the聽TRESemm茅聽Style Studios, an IMG Models Photo Studio, and an exploration of the creation of runway looks. They also took part in a聽Q&A with representatives from聽WME聽Fashion.
鈥淲e went to the show, and there were so many influencers,鈥� Drake said. 鈥淚 saw Kelly Rutherford, who is an icon in the fashion industry. The show was awesome. After that, we went to the IMG and WME Fashion headquarters. We spoke with a lot of the professionals there, and they talked to us about how they got to where they are now. It was cool to hear from people so high up in the industry. I would say that was my favorite part.鈥�
鈥淭he most important thing I got out of this was networking. It doesn鈥檛 matter what industry you are in. When you know people, that鈥檚 how you get jobs.鈥�
Drake and her fellow students also spent a day with collegiate licensee Champion where they learned how a clothing line is developed and merchandised and had the opportunity to collaborate with the store team to customize their own garment.
鈥淲e designed our own sweatshirts and picked out what designs we wanted on it,鈥� Drake said. 鈥淭hen we went to Champion headquarters and had the chance see behind the scenes of everything there. I didn鈥檛 know this, but Under Armour and Champion are affiliated with Hanes, so there was all this Carolina gear in there. At first, I thought, did they do this for me?鈥�
As Drake continues navigate her next two-plus years of college and soccer, she鈥檚 happy to have some insight into a career when her playing days are over.
鈥淭he most important thing I got out of this was networking,鈥� Drake said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what industry you are in. When you know people, that鈥檚 how you get jobs. Just creating relationships is so important and can go such a long way. That鈥檚 why this was so incredibly useful for me to do.鈥�
