Sophomore Success
By: Laura Stowell
Whenever Marist fashion students hear of or read about the accomplishments of their peers, it is almost exclusively upperclassmen receiving high praise. While it is wonderful to give graduating seniors the appreciation and recognition they deserve, we cannot overlook the efforts and successes made by younger students, of which there are plenty to be celebrated. Both design and merchandising majors put hours of work and endless doses of creative passion into their projects at all stages of their education, even as underappreciated freshmen and sophomores. Many of these underclassmen fashion students have shown unmatched dedication to their current classes as well as their long term goals.
One of the first fashion underclassmen that came to mind when I thought of “committed” was sophomore Charlotte Farcy. All fashion design students notoriously take on a heavy workload, but Charlotte has made the decision to practically double this. As both a fashion merchandising and design student, Charlotte has known true dedication by making this bold academic and career choice. When asked the most pressing question of what it’s like to juggle these two majors, she had a refreshingly positive response.
“I personally love studying dual majors in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising. I have always been interested in both the creative and business aspects of the Fashion Industry, and studying both sides gives me a balanced and well-rounded understanding of fashion,” says Charlotte. She continues, “I feel it is critical to create with an understanding of fashion business and, vice versa, to make business decisions with consideration of the creation aspects.”
This was an unexpected sentiment towards a double major that can so easily be construed as a stressful, overly ambitious academic pursuit. Such a view would be warranted by the intensive schedule and rigorous assignments of both majors, yet Charlotte remains focused on her aspirations. Her personal interest in the fashion industry motivates her to learn as much as she can from both a business perspective as well as from an artistic one. Not only does her passion improve her current academic experience, but it also creates an ideal career path full of opportunities. As Charlotte said herself, having in depth knowledge of both the merchandising and design sides of the fashion industry can help to expand her career and skill set. With her current dedication to her dual majors as an underclassman, she is getting a headstart on jobs and internships that will benefit from her academic duality.
In regards to these future endeavors, Charlotte has voiced her plans as a sophomore. Although we typically focus on college students interning as juniors and seniors, many sophomores are searching for and already making their arrangements. The hunt for an internship as an underclassman can be difficult, but it forges connections and builds excitement for potential careers. Charlotte discussed her anticipation to study abroad in Paris as a junior, and for a possible future internship. “I plan to study abroad in Paris, France, during the fall semester of my Junior year. I also plan to intern abroad later on. After being abroad in Florence, Italy, for my first year of college, and going to Europe multiple times a year to travel and visit family my entire life, I have always been greatly interested in interning abroad,” shares Charlotte.
While she is currently here on the Marist Poughkeepsie campus, she and many other underclassmen have had noteworthy experiences abroad – one of these being Milan Fashion Week which Charlotte and I attended last year as freshmen. We had the incredible opportunity of attending designer Francesca Liberatore’s Fall/Winter 2024/25 runway show. Despite our exciting experience in Milan, we as underclassmen have been overshadowed by the internships and capstone projects of seniors.
In my conversation with Charlotte, I found that she echoed this feeling of being underappreciated within the fashion department. As an underclassman, fashion design, and merchandising major, she has a unique perspective as to who is given adequate recognition for their work. She said that she “often feels under-mined as a Fashion design student, mostly because people do not understand the workload we receive. Some days I wish I had a 10 page paper instead of 500 fashion sketches to do. Our work as fashion students is incredibly time-consuming and requires us to put in many hours in and out of the studio.” Here, she emphasizes how underclassmen, especially design majors, are undermined and not acknowledged for their intense workload and creative projects. The fashion design majors that are highlighted for their accomplishments are almost always upperclassmen and with their final projects being the main focus.
When emphasizing her work as a dual major, Charlotte revealed which one she prefers and finds more enjoyment in. She said, “I often feel that Fashion Design is my “number one major,” and Fashion Merchandising comes after that, potentially because the workload is considerably more significant. I find both majors equally interesting and important.” In this response, Charlotte makes the point to recognize the importance of the merchandising major while expressing her preference for design. Fashion design consumes the majority of her time and effort, and it also allows for creative expression as an underclassman beginning her journey as a designer.
Too often the successes of senior merchandising and design students are the prime focus of the Marist fashion department. Of course capstone projects and graduation are impressive and praiseworthy, but so are the efforts and work made by underclassmen. There are plenty of accomplished and hardworking students that are just starting their academic and professional careers.