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Josh Flinn most when I started in fashion and had to work very hard, very quickly to get to experience what I knew I wanted to learn. I think if you’re hungry and determined AND not precious- you go further quickly. -Your experiences stretch over several fields in the Industry, what is your favourite and why? -Congratulations on gaining your position as a Model Mentor on this years ‘Australia’s Next Top Model’. How did you gain this position?
I have been working in the industry for the past 6 years- after initially moving to Sydney to study at FBI, I gained a position at SPIN Communications as a Showroom Coordinator, then moved to AFI (now IMG) to work on Fashion Week for a number of seasons. I then went freelance as a PR agent looking after silence is golden, and DUKE Magazine, freelance events and a model booker before ANTM asked me to come on board this season. -Once you got into the Fashion Industry, you moved up the ranks rather quickly. Why do you think this is so?
I think I was older than
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It is very hard to pick a favourite but working at Fashion Week with such dedicated and passionate experts really helped me stretch out and try other fields in the industry. I also have loved working on ANTM. I have learnt so much from the wonderful producers and production team. - ANTM is another new tangent for you. What have you gained from it so far and what impact do you think it will have on your future career?
I have had the best experience working on ANTM- everyone involved has been professional and at the top of their field. I have a few options that I’m working on post ANTM and would love to be asked back next season…
46 -Many of the girls are extremely professional; they almost create magic in front of the camera. How far do you think their careers can go as a result of the show?
This season the calibre is very strong and it is more about refining a model than finding one. These girls are very talented and switched on. My job was to make sure they can translate this into a career. I think a lot of them will do very well if they use this experience wisely. -Our particular favourites this season are Kelsey and Joanna. Are you able to share your favourites with us?
Ha! I have enjoyed working with them all. Some have shown more potential than others and it is hard to get along with everybody. I found working with Amanda, Kathryn and Joanna particularly rewarding. -You’re the mentor for the girls on the show. Do you ever find this difficult to advise girls that have little to no experience?
It was very easy to guide the girls this season. All
PUBLICATION
Who’s In Fashion, is a newsletter published by FBI Fashion College. FBI offers Fashion Business and Fashion Design Courses. Located only minutes from Sydney’s CBD, FBI Fashion College offers flexible part time training to help you secure a position in the Fashion Industry. Whether it’s a career as a stylist or a designer for the stars, anything is possible with FBI Fashion College.
were very open (except one notable individual), to advice and criticism. -Having become so successful in such a short amount of time, what would be your “pearls of wisdom” to our Students here at FBI?
I’m not sure I have been that successful in a short time. I have worked quite hard to achieve what I wanted in this industry and I’m by no means finished trying yet! I think you have to really focus on short term experience while still maintaining a long term objective of where you want to be. Try everything you think will give you an edge and help you determine where in the industry you want to go.
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FBI Student at Prada
- How does it feel to work with the buying team at PRADA?
-What are you hoping to gain from working alongside a buying team?
I pinch myself everyday thinking I will wake up from this wonderful dream! The Prada team have an amazing workplace environment. I gain loads of experience not only as a Buying Assistant but as a valued team member.
How to make big profits for the business, connections within the Fashion Industry and most of all, experience for my future successful career as a buyer.
- What made you want to follow a path in buying?
My grandmother previously owned a shoe and accessories shop when she was young so fashion is in my blood. I’ve always been able to pick out trends way ahead of time and have a great time bargaining and buying up in vintage shops and markets. The idea of combining the two into a career came from my boyfriend and the journey since has been incredible. - What has this opportunity given you?
A real insight into a Fashion Buyer’s life and has opened many job opportunities to different brands in retail as well as wholesale.
-What has been your favourite part of your internship experience?
Getting to be one of the first people to see the latest trends and must-haves for next season by Prada and Miu Miu as well as first class brands and designers.
-In Term 2 you were part of FBI’s Mentor Program. Your Mentor was General Pants Co. Buyer Lauren Jones. Do you feel that the advice Lauren gave to you has assisted you in gaining this Internship?
I feel so privileged to be able to take part in FBI’s Mentor Program. Lauren gave me some great resume and interview tips, helped me achieve my goals, gain great contacts as well as calmed my nerves and encouraged me throughout the whole process. She is now not only my greatest mentor but also a fantastic friend. - Many Students are pursuing a career in buying. As someone who has had quite a lot experience, what advice do you have for them?
The most important thing is to write your goals out onto an achievable timeline. Also, volunteer for all types of positions in the Fashion Industry as you never know who you’re going to meet and what they could teach or offer you. Be enthusiastic, ask lots of questions, be prepared to work really hard, don’t be put down by rejections and be very organised and able to multi-task.
- Do you feel that having the chance to work in a professional high fashion buying office has reinforced your desire to ultimately become a buyer?
The opportunity at Prada has definitely reinforced my desire (to become a Buyer). I have experienced (it) and can see myself living and loving my life as a buyer. - If you were a senior buyer what would be your number one item for this season?
Longer skirts and dresses. It’s the new 50’s and 70’s style silhouette – flared and full. This look will only become fuller with more colour and patterns towards the warmer season so get into the trend now.
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1. Louis Vuitton Elle Fall 2010 2. Fendi A/W 10/11 3. FBI Student, Ydonna Santos
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Sweet Sixteen Never Been Kissed For the Students of FBI; our 16th Birthday meant that they were treated to cute cupcakes in Class and a College full of baby pink love heart shaped balloons. However, all these sweet little details represent something much larger than a simple Sweet 16th. They mark an achievement; and a milestone. I have been lucky enough to be part of the College for three years and our recent celebrations made me curious to find out a little bit more about FBI’s past and how we have grown.
1994 On August 11th FBI Fashion College opened the doors for the first time. It was a vast comparison from the magnificent facilities we have today, all we had was a small FBI Careers Department, with one person assisting with Positions Vacant and Workplace Training.
1997 The FBI Fashion Design Course was introduced due to popular demand. FBI was also proud to become a Registered Trading Organisation with all courses Nationally Accredited.
2003 FBI introduced the Certificate IV in Business Certificate IV and Certificate IV in Design. Up until 2003, all Courses were Certificate I and Certificate II.
2006 FBI implemented a FBI Marketing Department. Also in this year, the FBI Workplace Training Program placed an average of 49 Students per week.
2007 The FBI Mentor Program was created.
2008 FBI extended classrooms to include Design Studio 2 and added an FBI Retail Store, Chariot. The FBI building was purchased and renovated. To the delight of FBI, the FBI Careers Department placed a record number of 104 Students into Positions within the Fashion Industry.
2010 Every week the FBI Workplace Training Program places an average of 60 Students into Workplace Training. From our recent survey, approximately 78% of enrollments are from Referrals (previous Students). The FBI Personnel Services was established. This department assists Fashion Companies with suitable Students for Workplace Training and Positions Vacant. What can we look forward to in the Future? FBI is introducing a Diploma of Design. Written by Careers Coordinator Melissa Carroll
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Styling Steed Someone who is no stranger to the crazy world of fashion shoots and shows is FBI Fashion College student and Fashion Editor of anewmuse.net Mitchell Steed. Since starting at FBI early last year he has worked tirelessly on an extraordinary number of work experience placements and paid positions, achieving a great deal of styling credits and a fantastic reputation for his professionalism and enthusiasm along the way.
It was a fascination with dressing up that led Mitchell to follow his dreams of becoming a stylist. Styling his friends and family for costume parties and events led to the realisation that he wanted more then to “Just style people on a consulting level, but to create visual stories and drama through editorial work”. With a background in fashion retail and events, Mitchell applied to FBI to help further his styling dreams. Through the numerous opportunities available with FBI’s work experience program, Mitchell not only got the opportunity to do an internship at Grazia Magazine, he also got an Event Department internship at Myer, as well as dressing on countless shows, including the David Jones New Season Launch, Fashion Weekend,
Fashion Exposed and Magazines Go Live, as well as various other events. Through a lot of hard work and achieving great success in his Work Placements, Mitchell was awarded the sole spot on FBI’s Mentorship program in 2009, and was partnered with Mentor Stylist Angela Bizoglou. The Mentorship program works on setting and achieving fashion industry goals, and the guidance of the Mentor is invaluable to the participant. As Mitchell says “She was basically a support net, someone who could relate to my struggles and suggest ways to get around obstacles, at the
time something I really needed”. During this time Mitchell was also completing his internship at Myer where he met and got to work with influential Stylist Caterina Scardino. She was so impressed with his initiative and talent that she invited him to work on a Grazia photo shoot with renowned Fashion Photographer Georges Antoni and Model Annabella Barker which Mitchell describes as a definite career highlight so far. “Everything just flowed perfectly and the shots were amazing. As a result one of the images pretty much rocketed Bella into a higher level of modelling. Now you can barely open a mag without seeing her”. A chance conversation with a fellow FBI student, Gaia Gardiner, while working on Magazines Go Live led to Mitchell’s next big break with A New Muse. She suggested he put his name forward for an Assistant Stylist Position that was available at the online magazine, which was just about to re-launch. After a successful meeting with Editor and Creative Director Jessica McDonald, he was stunned to be offered the position of Fashion Editor that same WHO’S IN
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day, and has thrown himself into styling and reporting for the Magazine ever since. His first photo shoot as Stylist was a collaboration with the A New Muse team, and is titled ‘Brielle’ after the stunning model used in the shoot. So far it has had great reviews on the site, and his second and third photo shoots for which he had full creative control have recently been published on the site. Through A New Muse and his continuing work with Caterina, Mitchell also got to work on this year’s RAFW for the first time, as an Assistant Stylist on Ginger & Smart’s show, and the Bassike show, as well as watching and reviewing shows for A New Muse. A seriously hectic week for him, but he loved every moment of it “RAFW was amazing. Both collections I worked on were very different, and the same goes for the teams, but both were lovely to work with and loads of fun.” I know you’re thinking “so where to next for the stylish Mr Steed?” Well, he has a lot in the pipeline, including more editorial shoots for A New Muse. He is also currently working on the Myer Spring/Summer Launch,
which starts off with a massive media launch here in Sydney before touring Queensland, Melbourne and Perth. Something tells me we will be seeing a lot more of this talented young man over the next few years, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see his name turn up in the pages of some of the world’s leading fashion publications. When asked about his future plans, he says “I’m a big dreamer and I have big plans for myself because I’m a firm believer in making your own opportunities. I aim to be published in Vogue one day, whether it’s an interview or editorial. Sounds silly but I used to always imagine myself being interviewed by Vogue”. A stellar combination of hard work, enthusiasm, initiative, drive and professionalism have seen Mitchell well on the way to achieving those big dreams. His advice for anyone thinking of becoming a stylist is “Everyone wants to be a stylist, so you’ve got to find out what makes you stand out from the rest. It doesn’t happen overnight, and you have to work extremely hard and crazy hours just to get remotely close to being
involved in styling. You’ve probably heard it time and time again, but persistence and hard work gets you everywhere, if you know somebody that will only get you so far, after that it’s all about what you know”. I for one can’t wait to see what Mitchell does next. Written by FBI Student Evelyn Ebrey
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Is Workplace Training worthwhile? The FBI Workplace Training Program has proven to be imperative for those wanting to gain knowledge and hands on experience in the Fashion Industry. Not only have Students been building contacts and know-how, many have also been offered positions from their hard work. This year alone, 20 Students have gained paid positions through the FBI Workplace Training Program. Some of these placements have included Simone Rayner as the Fashion Department Assistant at Who
Magazine, Annabelle Smith as an Account Coordinator at Elise Garland PR, Athina Leonor as Marketing Assistant at George Gross and Harry Who as well as Jovy-Anne Fletcher as the Stock Assistant at Zimmermann. Many of the Students who gained positions had little or no experience. Workplace Training has proven to be a sure fire way of getting hands on, relevant experience to your chosen path in the Fashion Industry.
This all goes to show that with a bit of hard work and the right attitude it really can get you along way. Written by Workplace Training Coordinator, Kirstie Caldwell
1. From the Left FBI Students at Workplace Training Stephanie Ford, Cassandra Lothringer, Elizabeth Osborne, Melissa Carroll and Annabelle Smith.
STUDENT STYLE SNAPS
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1. Elise Goodwin 2. Tara Cooper 3. Sarah Jayne Kuypers WHO’S IN
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Danielle Cartisano
- You started with Myer by doing Workplace Training. How did this evolve into your Assistant Stylist position?
I was lucky enough to get Workplace Training as a Dresser at the Myer Instore Launch in March this year. I tried to make myself useful by helping out the Stylist and Assistant Stylist in any way possible. From there, the Stylist needed someone to assist her at a Sunday Life Shoot that weekend and I was fortunate enough to be asked if I could do it and happily accepted. As months passed, I bumped into Thelma McQuillan (the Stylist from the Launch) whilst on Work Placement at Fast Lane PR and a couple weeks later received a call offering me a full time position to assist with the Myer Spring/Summer 11 Launch Parade. - So many people think that Stylists lead a glamorous life. Now that you are actually in the job, how does reality compare to the preconceived ideas of Styling?
It is so different! It is an extremely laborious job, forever packing and unpacking and lugging items around to shoots and shows. Until you’re in the job you don’t actually realise how hard being a Stylist truly is. - You have been working on the Myer Season Launch. What does it feel like to assist on a Major Fashion Event for Australia?
It was very, very exciting! There is a lot of pressure on you, as you have to ensure that each outfit had the
correct accessories and the right shoes and that they fit the models etc. Seeing all the weeks of hard work leading up to the show finally paid off, it’s a good feeling! - As the Assistant Stylist what does your job involve?
My job involves working very closely with PR companies to source items appropriate for shoots we have coming up as well as keeping track of items coming in and out of our studio and ensure they are returned to the correct companies. At shoots I’m responsible for the packing and unpacking of accessories and steaming garments as well as dressing the models. At the recent Myer show I was responsible for ensuring each outfit had the appropriately assigned accessories, shoes and sizing to fit the models and liaising with the events/ backstage crew to ensure the show ran smoothly. - What is your favourite outfit/product from the Season Launch?
My favourite outfit from the show would have to have been Jennifer Hawkins first outfit which was an amazing Aurelio Costarella bodice and skirt combination. - Did you get to meet Jennifer Hawkins? If so what is she like?
Yes, I did get to meet Jennifer! I worked closely with her throughout fittings as well as the days leading up to the show. She is so nice and unbelievably stunning!
- What is it like to be apart of such a Major Event and what advice do you have for other Students wishing to pursue Styling?
It’s very exciting! I got to meet new people and also work with other FBI students such as Mitch Steed and Kaya Strehler who were on the production team. My advice would be to do as much Workplace Training as possible and make the most of every experience available. - What is your must have item for this summer?
The Audrey Hepburn style wide brimmed hat!
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1. Danielle Cartisano 2. Jennifer Hawkins at the Myer Fashion Launch Parade
Some FBI Students placed into the Fashion Industry this year: Amanda Nicol
ZIMMERMANN / Executive Assistant/Receptionist
Sarah Cunliffe-Jones
ESPRIT / Wholesale Assistant
Ashleigh Tighe
TAILORMAID COMMUNICATIONS / PR Assistant/Receptionist
Kalise Chalwell
STEELDRUM PR /Showroom Assistant
Sonja Stindl
STEELDRUM PR / Showroom Assistant
Michelle Caris
SHINE MAGAZINE / Fashion Assistant
Jemma Litchfield
AGENT 25 COMMUNICATIONS / PR Assistant
Melissa Stein
EQUIP / Buyers Assistant
Alex Van Os
Channel 7 / Costume Assistant
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WHO’S IN
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OWNER
Selena Mazuran EDITORS
Melissa Carroll Lana Coletto Amelia Rae Jennifer Bonifacio Kirstie Caldwell Stefnee Stonnell CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Hottest Top Ten of the moment 1. Best track to tune into… The Suburbs - Arcade Fire. 2.Back to the Future with… Fabulous fifties fashion.
Melissa Carroll Lana Coletto Kirstie Caldwell Joshua Flinn Evelyn Ebrey Natasha Pitra Danielle Cartisano DESIGN
Tanya Mah
3. Explore the world of… El Salvador, Central America
181 Glebe Point Road Glebe NSW 2037
4. Pretty lady purchase…
Chanel nail enamel, Mistral & Riviera.
Ph: (02) 9566 2020 www.fbifashioncollege.com.au
5. Indulge in the unique
ABN: 53 117 217 517
creations of… Patissier Adriano Zumbo. 6. Turn the channel and zone into… Australia’s Next Top Model, FOX8.
All Students interested in contributing articles, pictures or being involved in any other way please contact FBI head office.
5. 10.
7. Be breathtaken by…
The Australian Ballet.
Who’s in Fashion disclaims any liability for costs, damages and loss due to this publication.
8. Inspiring literature…
Penguin Classics re-worked books.
Its official, FBI is now on Twitter!
9. Escape into the beautiful
world of… Designer Valentino: Retrospective Gallery, QLD.
Who’s in Fashion is registered in Australia. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission. © 2010
http://twitter.com/FBIFashioColleg
8.
FBI is on Tumblr www.fbifashioncollege.tumblr.com
10. Look out for upcoming
Designer... Saint Augustine Academy.
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