ifa_paris

mood: giddy

In the spring of 2009 representatives from the cosmetics company Sephora came to IFA Paris’ Shanghai campus to announce the beginning of a design competition for sunglasses. Around 100 people participated, and after a round of eliminations, ten participants were left in the finale. Two IFA students, Leon Li and Carrie Nie, ended up winning the prize for  unisex glasses and women’s glasses, respectively.

 Now completing her third degree at IFA Paris, after studying Chinese medicine in Shanghai and illustration in America, Carrie Nie really enjoyed her first design competition and winning the prize for women's sunglasses. She got her inspiration from the 80's office lady,  but with a bit more sophistication. She first drew by hand her two submissions, then used the computer and eventually had to make a model, after the production director made a few changes to her final design. Her design for unisex glasses were ribbon-style black and white, and the women's were black with the sephora white logo. After IFA, she plans on returning to Parsons New York to study, and would like to become a fashion magazine editor or buyer.

Leon Li, who was a buyer for sportswear before joining IFA Paris, says he really enjoyed researching France and French culture for his inspiration for the glasses. Like Carrie, he submitted two different designs, a pair of black and white sunglasses inspired by the colors of Sephora’s logo, and another dark brown pair, which Sephora eventually chose after making a few changes to the design.

Starting this week, the sunglasses will be given away in Sephora gift bags when the customer spends more than 598RMB. The competition winners received 300 Euros worth of Sephora products and an ad board in Sephora shops nationwide, advertising their names as the winners of the competition, along with their picture and CV. Although neither student plans on pursuing a career in eyewear design, they greatly appreciated the experience and the chance to use the skills they learned at IFA Paris.

location: Shanghai

mood: ecstatic

music: Love and Sex and Magic - Ciara

For graduates of IFA Paris, the annual fashion show is the ultimate test of the skills acquired during their time at school. 

Choosing Expo 2010 as this year’s theme is designed to provoke IFA students to consider the indissoluble link between fashion and the urban environment. By thinking deeply about developmental challenges and creative solutions, IFA students will build collections that not only employ skill and creativity but also reveal a nuanced understanding of the intersection of art and society as they move forward together into the future.

IFA Paris is celebrating its seventh year in Shanghai in 2009. Since establishing its Shanghai campus in cooperation with the Shanghai University of Engineering Science, IFA Paris has been a pioneer in providing world-class fashion education to students hailing from Shanghai and all corners of China, as well as a growing number of foreign students. 

Chief among IFA’s objectives is to cultivate the next generation of young Chinese designers by providing a comprehensive program encompassing all aspects of fashion.  IFA is committed to providing an education that enables its students to compete effectively in the international market and to fully explore their creative potential.

For the 2009 edition of the fashion show, IFA Paris has invited hundreds of guests from the fashion & luxury industry, government officials, representatives of foreign consulates, and media members. The show will be sponsored by Siemens, MAC, Franck Provost, the Grande Mercure Hotel, Stella Luna, and DT Asia.

location: Shanghai

mood: crazy

The 2009 International Fashion Academy’s BA graduate fashion show was a highly anticipated event, with many media and top brand representatives attending. Among those was the producer for new TV show ‘MY Style’.

‘My Style’ is a Chinese spin off of the American television show, Project Runway, which is a Fashion Design competition that eliminates designers every week after grueling dress-making challenges. ‘My Style” which is sponsored by Maybelline New York, will be broadcasted at 9pm every Wednesday evening on Dragon TV in China starting this week. While the competition structures itself in a very different way to Project Runway it still keeps many elements in common, one of these being the designers chosen to compete already have a vast amount of experience in the industry. However on attending the IFA Paris Fashion Show and having witnessed one of our student’s natural ability, he was immediately offered a spot to compete in this highly sort after competition.

Lister Li, recent IFA Paris B.A. graduate, will not only get the chance to present his designs, creativity and ability to a vast amount of viewers, but will also get the chance to meet a selection of famous stars who have put themselves forward to model in the show.

location: Shanghai

mood: cheerful

The summer of 2008 saw the first Olympic Games ever held in China. Among the many games sponsors from all over the world lined up to support the event, the company chosen to sponsor the Chinese team was American leading beverage entreprise, Coca-Cola. For nearly a year before the opening of the games, such well known athletes as gold medalist diver Guo JingJing, 110m hurdle world record holder Liu Xiang, recent NBA draftee Yi Jianlian, and ping pong virtuoso Wang Liqing, were all figured on Coca-Cola products and advertisements. Their sporting outfits for the Beijing Olympic Games were designed by none other than IFA Paris’ BA student, Emily Zhu.

 Emily’s designs were discovered when representatives of Coca Cola visited the French fashion school at their Shanghai campus, hoping to find some innovative designs to use for their advertising campaign. They initiated a design competition that ran through three rounds. After the second round, the field was reduced to just two IFA students- Emily Zhu from Shanghai and Lesley Yang from the U.S. In the end Emily’s designs stole the hearts of the judges and she, along with two instructors, were immediately flown to Beijing for fittings with the athletes.

 Though Emily was initially overwhelmed about her first commitment as a designer with a major company, the ever popular brand was a major stepping stone for Emily. After this experience, Emily spoke of how grateful she is of her IFA Paris education where she learnt the necessary techniques for design and got the confidence to succeed.

Louis Vuitton Shares Secrets to Success with IFA-POLIMODA srl Students

As part of their exposure to the world of fashion business, students in the IFA-POLIMODA srl Master’s Program in Fashion Business and Retail were treated with an inside look at the Shanghai operations of leading fashion design house Louis Vuitton.

The host for the visit was Mr. Simon Chen from Louis Vuitton’s Human Resources; he presented to the students a detailed analysis of LV’s current market situation and their long-term strategy in China. His presentation was followed by a Q&A session in which the Master’s students asked provocative questions that further enhanced their understanding of LV’s position in the luxury and fashion market.

Following the presentation and Q&A, Mr. Chen led the students on a tour of Louis Vuitton’s Plaza 66 flagship store, giving them a firsthand look at LV’s retail operations. Before the close of the visit, Mr. Chen complimented the acumen of the IFA-POLIMODA srl students and expressed his desire to maintain contact into the future.

REPLAY and IFA-POLIMODA srl Master’s Students Cooperate on Research Project

To close the first stage of the 9-month IFA-POLIMODA Master’s Program in Fashion Business and Retail, the students worked with Italian fashion label REPLAY on an in-depth commercial research project.

Their assignment was to explore REPLAY’s place in the Chinese market, focusing on three elements: the competitive environment, brand analysis and retail management. Over the course of the two week project, the students used sales performance data (provided by REPLAY) supplemented with their own research (compiled through visits to REPLAY stores and interviews with both customers and store staff), to formulate recommendations for the company to improve its position in the local market.

The students’ conclusions were then presented to Mr. Olivier Petragallo, REPLAY’s China Regional Manager, who paid a visit to IFA Paris in early July. Mr. Petragallo thanked the students for sharing their contributions and understanding they showed of the direction Chinese retail was taking before departing the next day for a visit to REPLAY’s Italian headquarters, where he was scheduled to present the student’s findings to top management.

With both the Milan and London 2009 Fall/Winter Fashions show having only just come to a close, those with an interest in fashion have already turned their attention towards the anticipated trends and styles of 2009 Spring and Summer.

In preparation for the new season, IFA Paris, the leading fashion school in China and the only one which uses the best professional instructors from France; joined with EF, the world’s largest private educational company specializing in English training, educational tours and cultural exchange, to give a talk on the forth coming 2009 Spring/ Summer fashion trends.

The lecture took place on March 2009, with one of IFA’s Fashion design lecturers talking the stage, Nadine Sevin.

Nadine, who has a vast amount of experience in the fashion industry having worked for such well known brands as George Rech, Lanvin, Jean Chancel and even Disney, talked about her predictions for the next season: doodles, beach holidays and elements of Africa are all on the way in. The lecture ended with a question and answer session, at which time Nadine strongly encouraged everyone to find their own fashion style which lies inside us all.

Fashion and Italy possess a seemingly unbreakable connection. While in recent years the style of Italy may have become a bit fragmented, the classic Italian brands and Milan fashion week have maintained their position at the forefront of fashion. During their three months traveling in Italy, students in the IFA-POLIMODA srl master’s program built great memories and unique industry perspective to bring back to Shanghai.

In Italy they visited company offices and flagship stores in order to gain a full understanding of fashion label operation. They worked on new item research and market research, which helped the students realize how top brands’ attention to details enabled those themto remain on top of the fashion world through the years.