Alumni Interview: Karina Moller 
Fashion Marketing 

"Going to The Art Institute of Seattle made me realize that I can be in an industry where I'm paid to do what I like to do."

Karina Moller, 1999 Art Institute of Seattle Fashion Marketing graduate, currently works in New York as a Production Specialist for Ellen Tracy. Before this, she was employed as a Production Manager at Donna L'Oren, one of the country's top lingerie companies.

Her story is interesting because she's knee-deep in the side of the business you don't often hear about. On the phone to China and Hong Kong every day, she ensures that garments are made properly and that deliveries are on schedule. She's driven, ambitious, and motivated - and has a few words of wisdom for people who want to launch their fashion careers.

Why did you decide to go to The Art Institute of Seattle? 
I spent three and a half years at universities and realized that having a business administration degree was just too vague. I discovered how much I liked fashion.

How did the classes at The Art Institute help you grow and learn about your field? 
I had instructors who worked in the industry and had connections - you could call them at home if you had questions. Small classes meant that there was a lot of personal attention. Basically, it just works for people who have to work full- or part-time. In every aspect it made sense and the instructors completely understood what you were going through.

Were you working when you were in school? 
Yes, I worked full time. During my graduating quarter, I was taking 30 credits and working 45 hours a week, plus I did my internship.

What is your title now?
Production Specialist for Ellen Tracy, a division of Liz Claiborne.

Can you describe what you do? 
We like to say that we're the people who row at the bottom of the boat, mainly because everything trickles down from up above. I make sure the garments get produced on time, at the right prices, and are delivered to our warehouses and into the stores. We take everything from concept down to finished product.

I get allocations from overseas offices and communicate with Korea, Hong Kong, and China daily. I deal with design when it comes to garment construction and garment details. I handle merchandising as far as drop styles (styles that, "after market," have been dropped from the line), added styles, and merchandising. We also handle sales as far as unit shortages, the overtures, customer exclusive styles, and special sales that we might do for, say, Bloomingdale's or Saks. We do a little bit of everything.

The fashion industry is known for being highly-competitive. Has this been your experience? 
Yeah, but I think a lot of it is also who you know and being in the right place at the right time and networking - network, network, network. That's what got me to New York in the first place.

How did The Art Institute of Seattle prepare you to network?
I was president of Delta Epsilon Chi when I was in my second year of school. They are a marketing organization for college students. We did a lot of networking. And the instructors keep you in mind when they have business owners come in. That¹s how I got my first marketing position right out of school with a local shoe company in Bellevue. The president of the company and the designer were talking to the Fashion Director at The Art Institute and she recommended me to them. They do really try to help you out.

How would you describe the creative environment at The Art Institute? 
I loved it there. People were very laid back, very friendly, very real. And you get to meet people in all programs because you're required to take general education classes. It¹s kind of nice to learn more about other fields.

If you were to speak to prospective students about the school, what advice would you give to them? 
I would tell them to discover what they're passionate about. If they find that they are passionate about hands-on learning instead of sitting in a classroom and reading 500 pages, then The Art Institute is for them. Me, personally? I hated to read, but The Art Institute made it easy for me because I was doing something I was passionate about. I enjoyed what I was learning. Going to The Art Institute of Seattle made me realize that I can be in an industry where I'm paid to do what I like to do.

You're talking with your production people now for fall. How far ahead do you work?
It's fashion week here in New York for the fall lines, although Ellen Tracy went to two seasons: one is fall/spring/summer and the other is resort, or holidays. But most run on four. Juniors run on six seasons. Juniors' clothing is in market pretty much every other month. The turnover for junior wear is really high when it comes to trends. There are stores that can turn out merchandise in 40 days.

What is your general timeline? 
Well, this time of the year it takes a lot longer because it¹s Chinese New Year, which puts a big damper on our shipping. Normally we're looking at about three months, mainly because our fabrics come from Italy. So, we have fabrics woven and they're shipped to our Hong Kong and Korean offices, and then they have lead-time for fit samples. We have a lot of embroidered styles, which takes extra time, so on average it's about three months.

Most of our fabric mills have U.S.-based agents, so our fabric purchaser - our piece goods purchaser - gets everything through them. They place the order overseas and it trickles down from there. We chase the fabric to make sure it's shipped on time and that the yardage and colors are correct. Actually, as of January first, we're quota- or duty-free, so there's not going to be embargo issues anymore. It opens up a whole new realm. Ellen Tracy alone used to own, I believe, 40% of the wool quota coming out of Korea for the entire fashion industry.

When you say "wool quota" do you mean the finished wool garments that come into this country? 
Right. Garments under certain categories like wool jackets, skirts, or wool pants. Companies purchase a certain amount of units in categories and once they use those up, they have the option to either pay a whole lot of money to buy more units from other companies who are not using theirs, or they just have to wait for a shipment after the first of the year. Having your stuff embargoed is not a good thing. Not one Liz Claiborne division has ever had that happen. They pride themselves on that record.

A lot of first ladies have worn Ellen Tracy. So does Carolyn on The Apprentice.
Yes, she does. Our merchandise is very high quality. Our construction is top priority. No bubbling at the seams. Everything has to lie nicely. Right before the Republican National Convention, we couldn't come up our elevator bank in my building because the Secret Service was in the building and they were taking Mrs. Edwards, John Edwards' wife, up to be fitted for clothes.

That's very exciting. That must make you feel very good.
It does and to see the finished garment - that's fun.

To become our next success story, read more about our Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing programs.