New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Parsons The New School for Design announced 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.
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.