Welcome to My Blog

                        Welcome to My Blog

I am so excited to finally start this blog!

And while this blog begins as a class project I believe it is the next step my my life and career. As I mentioned already my love of fabrics since I was 15 years old. I have since experienced  many twists and turns in my career as a designer and artist. I look forward to  sharing stories of synthetic fiber companies I worked for in the mid-80's when they were on their last lap of fashion fabric innovation. I worked for the  fashion trend offices and one by one I watched these offices close. I remember my interviewing at The Wool Bureau ( Woolmark Co.) when they had the entire floor in a building on Park Avenue. Later they moved to smaller space and later cut that space in half. I was there to witness half the department lose their positions and finally 1-2 employees  remained and worked  at a desk in a rented office. When I was a student at Pratt Institute we visited  thriving 3 floor offices of Cotton Incorporated. Later when I started to freelance they downsized to 2 floors. Then moved to smaller space and my recent visit where one of my students now interns is much smaller than many years ago when I freelanced there.

The move and shift in this industry has become faster and faster. The jobs change because the technology changes and peoples positions become obsolete. The garment Center in NYC is not the same asI knew when I first graduated from Pratt Institue in 1981 . Back in my sophomore year, my Apparel Design  Professor suggested I visit 2 of the large junior design buildings on Broadway. She said" just knock on doors and ask to show your portfolio....it isa good experience for you".
Wow, I was mortified then and the thought of it now brings back the same feelings, but I followed her advice. I could not even imagine one would be allowed to wander the floors anymore. But I still remember that day and  though embarrassed, many  offices opened their doors and designers met with me, reviewed my portfolio me and offered great advice. I only wish I had taken note on who opened those doors and invited me in. I was young and didn't think that was important then.

Last year when I read Tommy Hilfiger'snew  book I read that he mentioned  of his friend that helped him get ajob  him in the fashion design business. Doreen Gorman knew Tommy and I knew Doreen Gorman when I freelanced in the design department at Ultra Pink. For about 3 years there was a steady stream of work. And while the line was somewhat short-lived  it was very very popular. This was when teeshirst with illustrations and designs  with embellishments was just hitting the market for the first time. I was amazed that Tommy and I crossed paths with the same people in the fashion industry. One Sunday afternoon back in 1984 or '85 I was setting up a display in the showroom  for Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans. I was a24 years old and had just left my full-time Macy's NY window display job. There I was that afternoon, working and styling for their upcoming buy week when a gentleman comes out of his office to chat with me. Yes, it was Mr Murjani. Only I didn't realize then he was the owner of  GVJ or that he was currently working on a deal to start the Tommy Hilfiger line.He started up a conversation about current design and asked my opinion on clothing styles, I was young and shy and didn't keep the conversation going. I  only wish I could time travel back to the afternoon and  give myself a little kick in the but...

 I would also like to mention  I spent the most incredible afternoon this past summer with a fantastic women I worked with over 22 years ago. It was hard to track her down and when I finally did I saw that she went from the VP of Speedo stores and Special Projects to Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability at Rutgers University. We chatted for over 3 hours that  about the rise and fall of Speedo stores,the fashion industry then and now. I had remembered one of the special projects we worked on. It seemed to me back then just another design job and not terribly important. I was asked to design a line of teeshirts for the reinvention of a store. The person we were helping out was Mike Jeffries, the store was Abercrombie+Fitch. When my son was in middle school and needed to shop at A+F  I then realized who I had worked for. I still had the old line in my basement(that was the only time I impressed my son).

I am in love with new fibers and how to create fabrics from using new innovative techniques. As I learn, explore and find new innovations I will share this journey with you!

Happy reading,
 Lisa

Illustrations by Lisa Steinberg 2017