FIDM Alumna Janene Zakrajsek and her Downtown L.A. store Pussy & Pooch will be featured in a new program, Insanely Pampered Hollywood Dogs, on E! Entertainment on July 13 at 10pm.
Janene co-owns the successful shop with her husband Rob Gaudio (pictured left). The E! show will visit doggie hotels, spas, and even country clubs. Be sure to set your DVR's!
America's Next Top Model winner Jaslene Gonzalez wore Celestino by Sergio Guardarrama at the New York Public Library for DJ Cassidy's birthday party. New York-based Sergio is a Fashion Design Graduate.
FIDM Visual Communications Alumna Chelsea Leifken just graduated and in the coming week she'll begin the Bachelor's Program. A few weeks ago, FIDM's Career Center referred Chelsea to One Stop Internet, and with portfolio in hand, she got a job as a stylist for websites such as Lululemon, 7 For All Mankind, True Relgion (shown above), and Betsey Johnson! "I wake up every morning excited to go to work," says Chelsea. "How many people can say that?"
Even though she has her dream job, Chelsea wanted to continue with the Bachelor's degree to make herself even more marketable in her field. "I believe education is the greatest investment one can make," she adds. "I want to be equipped with the knowledge of business, management tools, and the leadership skills necessary for success."
Nate Braun, who attended Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, had a knack for drawing people, but didn't share his hobby of sketching long, elaborate gowns until now. The football player entered FIDM's Designer of Tomorrow contest and was shocked when he won the one-year scholarship.
"Somehow I just fell into the field of fashion," Braun told Brookfield Now. "The suspense was killing me. I kind of got this feeling in the back of my head, like some other kid won." Nate says he's looking forward to learning from the school's teachers, many of whom also work in the Fashion Design field.
The Giorgio Armani store in Beverly Hills has placed FIDM Students with internships for more than six years in the Entertainment Industry Public Relations Department, which is led by Senior Director and FIDM Advisory Council member Greg Nise. This year, Greg worked with the store manager to create an internship for the boutique side of the business, with an emphasis in retail management and operation support. Merchandise Marketing Student Megan Boyer has been selected for the summer quarter! She'll learn about the processing of goods and how they are distributed into the store. The history of Armani and a review of the different brands will be discussed, followed by product knowledge, merchandising, and working with buyer's reports. Congratulations, Megan!
FIDM Interior Design Alumna Baiyina Hughley of Quirky Living will appear as Design Assistant on A&E Network’s new original design series Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design. The series follows the day-to-day drama of former NFL wide-receiver and current ESPN analyst Keyshawn Johnson as he embarks on a very different career path in Interior Design. Interior Designer Baiyina Hughley was selected to collaborate with Keyshawn on 10 residential projects to be featured on the half-hour design series premiering July 11, 2009 on the A&E network. Baiyina works with residential clients and retail stores desirous of eclectic, modern, and chic spaces that fuse a modern British and Southern California design aesthetic.
Talita Silva, Marie Claire magazine's West Coast Contributing Editor and star of TV's Running in Heels spoke at FIDM's 3 Days of Fashion summer event for High School Students. The FIDM Grad talked about her experience on the show and what it's like to work at a fashion magazine. A Q&A followed the discussion, allowing the students to interact with the special guest.
From the archives: Read our interview with Talita to find out how she followed her passion all the way to FIDM and get an inside look at her typical work day.