Collegian Design Desk

By Design Editor Alexandra Sieh

So after placing bets and crossing my fingers, wishing naively to myself that she would stay, I’ve had my designer leave the team for the semester, putting us down to just Greg and I for the daily grind. Now I should preface this with the fact that Erin Nalli is one dedicated girl. Not only is she double majoring, she’s rising in the ranks of her sorority, now serving in many fancy and high-placed positions. I’m incredibly proud - always have been - and so I understand the move. But Greg and I have really noticed the gap in the staff (not hard to do when there’s only two of you). We still miss Jessica, and now without anyone else, each paper you see is going to print has made a new gray hair on Greg and I’s head.

The search as begun for a new designer or two, especially so we can get Greg’s team built for next year. But as shocking as it may seem to two dedicated pros, modular design just isn’t as appealing to others as it is to us die-hard Collegianites. But hope springs eternal here at the now tiny design desk.

Erin, we will miss you a lot, especially on Verve nights. You had a great enthusiasm for this work and for our paper. We’ll be watching your success and reading your bi-weekly column. I know you’re going to kick ass in every job you take, and I wish you all the best!

By Erin Nalli

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

*Former Collegian designer Erin Nalli is now the Collegian’s fashion columnist.*

Welcome, to a little bit of insight to the marvelous world we call the fashion industry. It is a world that is always changing, one where no two seasons, lines or even individual pieces will ever be exactly the same. It is a world that every single one of you steps into each morning when you wake up. We are surrounded by fashion everywhere we go and in everything we do. I have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of this world in the reality of its operation.

A little background and terminology for those who need it, whenever you shop at a store that sells other brands, they probably get a great deal of their merchandise from a trade show.

A trade show is a massive production where vendors from a multitude of different manufacturers gather in one place and have meeting after meeting with buyers from retail outlets. Many department stores and boutiques carry other brands than their own. Buyers are the people who pick out, and, you guessed it, buy other brand name products to put on the racks in their own retail store and sell for a profit. These trade shows are a very big deal in the industry.

Now that we have our bases covered and you understand the basics on the purpose of a trade show, I can begin by stating that for the first time I was able to attend one of these events: the SIA Snow Show is an annual trade show for snow-sport merchandise held at the Colorado Convention Center. This specific trade show hosted more than 400 different snow-sport companies from all over the country that made their merchandise available for retailers to purchase.

Popular name brands were there such as Burton, The North Face, Patagonia, Vans, Ride Snowboards, Candy Grind, Grenade and Skull Candy. Smaller and newly emerging brands also made an appearance, such as S4 Optics who makes goggles and sunglasses and Homeschool Snowboarding which makes snowboarding outerwear.

Each of the vendors had its own area in the show, and many of them set it up to look like a showroom for the brand like you would see if you were to visit one of their stores. Some of the brands had a more extravagant area than others depending on their budget for the show. The showrooms displayed a variety of merchandise from skiing and snowboarding jackets and pants to sunglasses and goggles to actual skis and snowboards.

While the vendors had their individual style to go with the brand image, generally the theme of the products at the show were a very contemporary look.

No longer is outwear purely for function, but also for making a statement of the individual’s style. Colors are brighter and the fit is more formed to the body with the use of more technologically advanced materials and construction of outerwear.

The more advanced the materials of jackets and pants get, the less bulky, more comfortable and more stylish they become.

The whole area was flooded with retail buyers examining the products available for the upcoming season. Since this event happens only once a year, buyers were making very large purchases.

The associates working at each of the vendor booths were all friendly and willing to talk about their lines. They were open to sharing their stories about how they got started in the industry. Many people I spoke with were interested in knowing where I was from and what I was doing at the show. A good number of exhibitors at the show were from Colorado and went into the snow sport industry from their background in participating in the sports while growing up.

Attending the show was one of the greatest experiences in the beginnings of my fashion career.  I got to see first hand how the buying and trade show process works. I met a lot of industry professionals who gave me valuable information and advice in sharing how they got started in their businesses.

Fashion columnist Erin Nalli can be reached verve@collegian.com.

Happy 2011 from the Collegian design team.

Here’s a brief list of our staffers here on design:

Alexandra Sieh - Design Editor/Copy Chief

Hired on as a designer almost 2 years ago, Alexandra has worked her way from designer to Design Editor, now responsible for managing the design, copy and cartoon desks. From special sections to graphics to illustrations, she maintains the visuals of the paper, serving as visual graphics designer and late night manager, preserving style and flow while still introducing new elements to the pages. It’s up to her to push limits and bring new designs to the pages, drawing in interest and intrigue to even the simplest stories.

Greg Mees - Chief Designer

For his job, Greg takes on a good portion of the responsibilities, monitoring page flow and designing both inside and cover pages to achieve clean, appropriate design. He works with our designers and other editors to make sure content is coming in, and is currently in training for the Design Editor position next year.

Jessica Gibbs and Erin Nalli - Designers

Each day, these two work on whatever needs to get done, creating clean designs for even the most mundane pages. Their jobs are often tedious, but rewarding when creative opportunities arise. Both with long histories at the desk, they’ve excelled at perfect design, always striving to eliminate errors until we have a seamless product.

This team has grown together, ultimately bonding and becoming a great desk for the Collegian. Each work together and bring their best to the night’s work.