FIDM hosts graduation for first menswear design class

Los Angeles’ most prestigious fashion school held its first-ever graduation for menswear design Students.

The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) held an exhibition and reception to host the graduation of these students. The design students were the first to complete a new advanced study program in menswear. The exhibition included three looks from each menswear design students. The group of seven include Zachary Hall, Ken Fung, Seung Wan Han, Hyunkyung Kim, Manuel Padilla, Jiyeob Jang, and Devon Figueroa. The team was graded by a panel of judges that analyzed the fabrics, styles, accessories, and colors used for the collections. The judges included some fashion menswear instructors. Co-founder of Hurley and Billabong USA Joe Knoernschild and vice president of brand Cross Colours were two of the menswear judges for the line. Also, Ilse Metcheck, California Fashion Association president and design director of Jachs NY James Costa weighed in on inspecting the students’ themes, fabrics and more.

On June 18, according to Apparel News, recognition awards were given out to two of the students. Zachary Hall from Pasadena was awarded “Most Marketable Collection” and Devon Figueroa from Arizona won “Most Innovative Collection.” The two students drew inspiration from their passions for the line. Hall’s collection consisted of jeans, shirts, capes, and soft jackets that spurred from a futuristic style. Figueroa took a different approach by drawing inspiration from his heritage. “I chose the Spanish conquistadores because that is my heritage and their influence was so far-reaching,” Figueroa told Apparel News. For the summer, Figueroa will continue his design work interning at Nordstrom for product development.

The menswear advanced program helps students to achieve their design dreams through academia and hands-on experience. Through the academic year, the students took a trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti in order to visit and observe garment factories. The students also viewed various manufacturers for brands such as Dockers, Levi’s, Hanes, and more. Grupo M Vice President Joseph Blumberg was in charge of teaching the students tricks of the trade, technical skill, and fabric products. The trip was put together so that the students could also view contractors and understand how the apparel industry works.