NYCEDC AND PARSONS PRESENT SECOND ANNUAL FASHION DRAFT NYCTop Fashion Business Talent from Around the World Recruited for Management-Track Positions with New York Fashion Companies |
New York, September 24, 2012—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Parsons The New School for Design present the second annual Fashion Draft NYC, one of six initiatives undertaken by the City to support the long-term growth of its fashion industry. Fashion Draft NYC brings a select group of top business-minded college seniors from around the world to New York City to network and interview with fashion executives, with a chance to earn full-time, management-track positions within one of the participating New York-based companies. Participating companies include Armani Exchange, Bloomingdale’s, Gilt, Calvin Klein, and Saks Fifth Avenue, among others. Fashion Draft NYC will take place February 14-16, 2013, and is the second of the City’s fashion initiatives, including Fashion Campus NYC, in which NYCEDC has partnered with Parsons. Fashion Draft NYC is open to graduating college seniors who are interested in pursuing challenging, executive track business opportunities in New York's fashion industry, and who have related educational or internship experiences in business and/or fashion. Approximately 25 finalists will be selected to participate in the three-day program, which includes all travel, accommodation, and meals. Aside from the interviews, students will also participate in a behind-the-scenes company tour, hear a keynote address from a prominent fashion industry leader and attend a networking dinner. "We are pleased once again to partner with Parsons for Fashion Draft NYC, one of six important initiatives supporting the long-term growth of the City's fashion industry," said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky. "Fashion Draft NYC will assist New York businesses with the recruitment of the next generation of fashion business leaders, further enhancing our leadership position as the fashion capital of the world." The inaugural Fashion Draft NYC, which took place in February 2012, attracted 25 students, just seven percent of the over 350 applications received, from universities across the country: from art and design schools Parsons, Pratt Institute, and the Fashion Institute of Technology, to Princeton University, the University of Delaware, Yale University, Duke University, the University of Chicago, the University of California at Berkeley, and John Hopkins University. Of these students, nearly 30 percent found employment to date through their participation in the program. This includes executive track positions in business, sales, marketing and merchandising for companies including Gilt, Saks Fifth Avenue, LF USA, Theory and Macy*s. "The continued success of our partnership with the NYCEDC demonstrates the important role that the fashion industry plays in New York's economy, and the strong interest by students from around the globe to come to New York to build their careers," said Parsons Executive Dean Joel Towers. To participate in Fashion Draft NYC, students can apply via the Fashion Draft NYC website. The application deadline is October 22, 2012. Semi-finalists will be selected by early November, and will then be screened by participating companies. The participating companies will select the finalists with whom they would like to have interviews by mid-December, and those students will be flown to New York City to participate in the Fashion Draft NYC weekend, with a chance to ultimately earn a job at the companies with which they interview. Fashion Draft NYC builds upon the success of Fashion Campus NYC; a career-building and networking event co-organized by NYCEDC and Parsons this past two years to help talented students pursue fashion business careers in New York City. Nearly 200 fashion industry interns from approximately 100 universities, and hundreds of area companies, attended the event, as well as fashion industry representatives from New York-based companies, including Armani Exchange, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Saks Fifth Avenue. A highlight of the event was the keynote delivered by Parsons alumnus Chris Benz. Fashion Draft NYC and Fashion Campus NYC are two of six initiatives that resulted from Mayor Bloomberg’s FashionNYC2020 plan, which is designed to sustain and grow the fashion industry in New York. The fashion industry employs 165,000 people in New York City, accounting for 5.5 percent of the City’s workforce, and generating nearly $2 billion in tax revenue annually. In addition, the City is home to one of the world’s largest wholesale fashion markets, which attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year to its trade shows, showrooms and retail stores. The FashionNYC2020 initiatives address the industry’s challenges in two ways: by further positioning the City as a hub of innovation for emerging designers as well as specialty and multi-channel retail, and by attracting the next generation of design, management and merchant talent. For more information about Fashion Draft NYC, visit www.fashiondraftnyc.com. About NYCEDC About Parsons The New School for Design # # # |
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