Silverman Rena Sussman Practicum 2017

Final Report for Summer Practicum
Amrapur Overseas, New York City, June 2017

Rena Sussman Silverman
Adjunct Associate Professor, Textile Surface Design Fabric Styling Department
September 12, 2017

For the month of June, Dawn Rochelle Fields, Vice President of Design and Product Development at Amrapur Overseas, hosted me with a practicum opportunity. Amapour Overseas headquarters are based in Corona, CA, but they have a showroom and design studio in New York City. They are a Home furnishings company, specializing in bedding, bath and window treatments. Initially, I wanted to reacquaint myself with the process of how to communicate with overseas mills and strengthen my Photoshop skills. This experience exceeded my expectations and reaffirmed my passion for learning and my desire to remain relevant and share what I learned with my students.

In my initial proposal, I wanted to further develop and strengthen my Photoshop skills, and to reacquaint myself with how to communicate with overseas mills, which I did on a day-to-day basis. This was accomplished by coloring and recreating designs using Photoshop and creating spec sheets that went to overseas mills. Each day Dawn reviewed patterns that needed to be colored and recolored. I was given the opportunity to learn and apply how the design process has changed, hand painted to CAD design, create spec sheets (utilizing Illustrator), and pitch designs using Pantone colors, the universal color system.

My first opportunity was to search the web researching different room styles/environments categories for photo shoots that would be done overseas so that they had a clear understanding of specific styles/environments looks, (Boho, Glam, Rustic, etc.). I created a library based on research. The team overseas had a different perspective and understanding on what these room styles/environments categories were so it was very important to set a standard.

Additionally, I did market research, shopping at brick and mortar stores and researching the web to see competitors’ products. Amrapur products are predominantly sold online which is very different from brick and mortar. I took photos of competitors product in the stores and we reviewed online companies to evaluate high volume sellers and review market trends.

I observed sales meetings with retailers such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Ross Stores, and Burlington. I was asked to sit in on presentation being given by European and Domestic design studios. This gave me ye ability to identify design trend and emerging color trend stories. I made meaningful networking connections, which will benefit my students. I have discussed bringing my class to the Brooklyn based design studio for a tour and discussion on how collections are developed and the inner working of a Design Studio. Another benefit was that it provided me with hands on experience on how to better prepare my students when presenting their portfolio’s. Dawn has made a commitment to come in and do mock interviews with my students. 

At the conclusion of the practicum, I felt that I still had so much more to experience. Dawn and I thought that it would be a benefit if I continued to come in once a week to continue my presence in the industry. At the end of August, I was offered a consulting position at Amrapur Overseas. This was very unexpected and a delightful culmination of this amazing experience.

this amazing experience. Being able to apply all of skills and applications experienced and further developed in an in-house design studio/ showroom will make me a stronger educator. The knowledge gained at the practicum will be incorporated into my courses. I would like to thank FIT’s Teaching Institute for this opportunity.