FBI Student Jessica Mansour

Global Fashion Experience | Italy 2017

1- What interested you most about applying to go on a Global Fashion Experience with FBI?

The Idea of being able to travel and experience Fashion in the worlds Fashion Capital Milan was the most exciting part in which had me thinking, I must apply! It has always been on the top of my bucket list and this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill it!

2- How did you feel when you first landed in Milan?

Despite the long travel, I was wide awake and couldn’t wait to get to the heart of the city and start exploring! It felt so surreal that I had made it to Milan yet very exciting at the same time.

3- You graduated in Lusso Italiano Bella Moda from the 5th ranked Fashion School in the world. Tell us about your experience Studying abroad?

Being able to study Fashion in one of the best Fashion schools in the world has taken my learning and experience to a whole new level! Even though it was a short course, I felt as if I had learnt a whole term’s worth of information about the industry, the business and what is involved. Our Industry professional teachers we had are not only so talented however have years worth of experiences in which allowed them to fully elaborate on every single topic we covered and gave us enough examples in order to understand. My favorite teacher was Guilia Bendoni in Fironze and the subject she taught was ‘How to create a Fashion Collection’.

4- What did your subjects include while studying in Milan and Florence?

Subjects we studied included: The manufacturing production districts, New Trends, The History of Luxury Fashion Brands, Fashion Marketing, How to Create a Fashion Collection, Distribution and Visual Merchandising and How to Develop a Brand outside the Domestic Market.

5- Tell us about your Milan Fashion Week experience. What was the atmosphere like?

Experiencing Fashion week in Italy let alone being able to attend a show was like a dream come true! Fashion is of crucial importance to Europeans, it is apart of their culture to express their own style and dress to impress on a daily basis. Therefore when Fashion week comes around, not only people attending the shows are dressed up, the entire city is involved.

I was lucky enough to have witnessed the beautiful show of Armando Costa and to be able to see the creative Italian flare, style and the whole production of the show.

6- Which Fashion Industry Guests did you meet throughout the program?

We met a few Fashion Guest Speakers who had great knowledge and experiences within the Industry but the one who stood out most to me was Manuela Bruni. Manuela has 40 years of intelligence within the industry. She has worked hard to promote the growth of Italian brands. She is heavily experienced in Luxury Brand Marketing and Advising as well as Buying. Manuela was involved in establishing the brand ‘Dolce & Gabanna’ in which I found quite amazing as they are a huge luxurious Fashion brand now.

7- What were some outstanding places you visited throughout the trip?

I can honestly say nearly all of the places I had visited in Italy were outstanding. However the ones in which I loved the most would be:

• The Duomo di Milano -Most amazing Fashion shopping mall I have seen. The architecture and layout of the high end brands is amazing.
• Duomo Cathedral and the Vatican, most amazing outer archetectural beauty.
• Our Visit to Ratti where all the fabrics and prints are made for high end designers. It was absolutly amazing witnessing the making of the beautiful fabrics that go into high end clothing.
• Lake Como – Beautiful Italian natural scenery.
• Piazza MichaelAngelo in Florence – we walked up 200 stairs to look out at a stunning view of Florence whilst the sun was setting.

8- Describe how Italian Fashion is different from Australian Fashion?

The main difference in which I believe is different between Italian and Australian Fashion is that our Fashion is very commercial. Consumers what to purchase what is popular and what Influencers in the industry are wearing. Therefore we base our collections around what is selling and what is in demand in order to meet market needs.

Italian Fashion focus heavily on expression, people will dress or style themselves depending on their mood and will stay true to their own sense of style. The same is applied to italian fashion brands, there collections are daring and designed to express a strong concept. A Fashion show is like a production, the runway is the stage and the clothing and models are telling a story.

9-You went to Milan, Florence and Rome. What was your favourite city and why?

My Favorite city would have to be Florence. I felt the Italian culture was very strong, so much history involved, the food was awesome, I really felt like I was in Italy whilst in florence.

10- What was the highlight of the trip to Italy?

The highlight for I would have to say is to have experienced Fashion week – attending a show in Milan Fashion week. As well as being able to see and experience the culture and amazing historical sites of Italy.

Interviewed by Nicole Oraha | FBI Fashion College