Fashion trip to the MAGIC trade show is Las Vegas

The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale fashion department faculty Kerry Szymanski, took a group of 13 fashion merchandising and fashion design students of The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

students of The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale .Magic show in Las Vegas

to the MAGIC trade show is Las Vegas last week. MAGIC is one of the largest trade shows for apparel in the United States. The February show debuts FALL 2009 fashion for men’s, women’s, children’s and accessories. It was a great opportunity for students to visit a trade show, better understand the wholesale market and make contacts for internships and job opportunities. http://www.magiconline.com

According to Dawn L. James, MA Adjunct Faculty

The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale fashion design and fashion merchandising students were able to make connections with trade professionals and many of them received opportunities to work in booths at local Miami tradeshow(s) or as future interns with various companies.

We brought back many contacts information to pass along to Career Services, for leads or to follow through on opportunities discussed.

The students attended three tradeshows–Magic, Premier Magic (high end designers) and Magic Sourcing.  There were also many workshops on various business, branding or sourcing, they attended.  Some of our students actually made purchases for their current retail position, as buyers.

I think the sourcing show helped them make fabric, quality control and manufacturing connections.  It also helped them understand the production and sourcing processes.

In addition, many of them realized there are other jobs, like sales rep positions, that they could also pursue.

The students read about this show in text books and many of them may never get a chance to participate at their future career level.