A former FIDM Fashion Club President at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, Sydney Fanning is a former competitive figure skater who designed her own costumes. In addition to earning degrees in Merchandise Product Development, International Manufacturing & Product Development, and Business Management from FIDM, she also interned at Vans, O’Neill, and Halston and enjoyed study tours to Paris, Milan, and Hong Kong. We caught up with Sydney to learn more about her inspiring journey.
Tell us about your position at Five & Two Marketing: I am currently a “Creative” at Five & Two Marketing and my responsibilities range from social media management to creative direction for our agency’s clients. My day-to-day tasks range from digital design, print design, and web design to product photography and email marketing.
What was your experience like being a FIDM Fashion Club President in high school? Our chapter came together in creative ways and collaborated with other clubs on campus to make an even bigger impact. My high school experience as FIDM Fashion Club President and Student Council President amplified my passion for leadership development. My high school experience is what gave me the bug to later run for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society presidency at FIDM!
Why did you choose to pursue three different degrees at FIDM? Starting school, my goal had always been to become a designer for an action sports brand. The tools that MPD gave me right off the bat along with a referral got me in the doors at O’Neill early in my education which shaped the caliber of internships I was able to capture moving forward. From MPD, IMPD provided me with a killer portfolio and incomparable global industry experiences. I chose to continue knowing a bachelor’s degree was always my educational goal.
How did traveling to places like Paris, Milan, and Hong Kong as part of your FIDM education complement what you were learning in the classroom? As a visual learner, shipping me off to see production and manufacturing in person gave me another level of understanding, not only an understanding of the apparel industry, but production for any industry! Seeing processes and techniques in action allowed me to make realistic and creative suggestions to production solutions way earlier on in my career.
