The way I chose to study in the United States at LIM College is an extraordinary one. It was during “crunch time,” when I was going to interviews and waiting to hear back from universities I had applied to in the U.K. to study English Literature (in the hope of ending up in fashion journalism) that I heard about LIM College through my father.
His profession requires him to travel a lot and to attend many different events, such as the International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), where he met Eric Feigenbaum, Raymond Mastrobuoni and the late, but great Ronald Knoth, who were all Visual Merchandising professors at LIM College. Aside from talking about their experience in the industry, they also shared information regarding teaching visual merchandising at LIM College. On his return, my father suggested that I research this college and the field of visual merchandising, something I had never really heard of before, as it is not a field as greatly acknowledged in the U.K. to the same degree that it is here in the U.S.
The idea of studying fashion abroad had been a fantasy of mine since high school, but a fantasy I never thought could ever really materialize. I knew though that studying fashion in a fashion capital is one heck of an opportunity.
After doing some serious research, my family and I decided to visit NYC and attend the LIM College Open House. It’s safe to say I liked what I saw and applied. Aside from applying to LIM College, I explored my other options of studying for a degree in visual merchandising in the U.K., but no other college really had anything to offer aside from 2-year degrees at best. I wanted a real challenge, a real education, and not a half-hearted one. I didn’t even bother looking at other colleges and universities in the U.S., because, to be honest, if you’re going to study fashion, you’ve got to do it in the center of it all. Go big or go home, that’s my motto.