Recently, the chic Dear Irving on the Hudson lounge at New York City’s Aliz Hotel was transformed into a space of celebration and reconnection for Kent State School of Fashion alumni and faculty. The event marked the first alumni event in more than two years, as the School begins preparations to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2023.
Over 100 alumni, all working and living in the New York City area, attended and had the chance to catch up with each other and beloved faculty mentors. Attendees, who ranged from graduates of the class of 1985 through the class of 2021, were addressed by School of Fashion director Louise Valentine, Ph.D. who provided an update on what’s next for Fashion at Kent State.
“We honor your success and growth of KSU’s reputation of hard work blended with passion,” said Valentine before sharing information about the upcoming renovations to Rockwell Hall. In addition, Valentine invited alumni to connect with the School to collaborate on projects that could benefit the industry.
Ann Walter, director of Kent State’s New York Fashion program, also spoke to attendees and encouraged them to engage with the School of Fashion’s New York location by giving company tours at their place of employment, mentoring current students, and serving on alumni panels.
The event’s atmosphere was joyous as alumni reconnected and realized how many Kent State School of Fashion alumni work and live in the New York City area. Alumni could be overheard saying “it’s so amazing” to be at the event, “I want to help out with the school!,” and “I’m so excited to see my old classmates and finds out who lives here.”
Victor Garcia, ’16, remarked that it is “so funny how we run into other Kent State Fashion graduates in the city.”
The event highlighted the wide range of careers in which Kent State School of Fashion alumni are employed in New York City’s fashion industry. Attendees work in every sector of fashion from entry-level to executive management across the mass and luxury markets in apparel categories such as women’s, men’s, children’s, size-inclusive and bridal and in non-apparel categories such as home, beauty, accessories, and wellness. Alumni job titles include production, designer, buyer, fabric developer, brand/product manager, visual merchandiser, sourcing specialist, sales rep, marketing, and media.
The successful and enriching evening ties directly to the School of Fashion’s mission to increase its engagement with alumni and to further develop best practices with industry.
The School of Fashion looks forward to continuing its engagement with alumni by hosting more alumni events in the future – in New York and beyond. Alumni are encouraged to reach out to the School of Fashion to provide career updates and learn how they can engage with current students and fellow graduates.