Alumni Catch Up: Marquies Smith

Marquies Smith graduated from Jefferson with a Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Design in 2020. He currently works as a design assistant at FITE Fashion. We caught up with him to learn a bit more about how Jefferson prepared him for his career and where he is now. Check it out below!

How did you choose Fashion Design as a major?
“I picked fashion design as a major because it allowed me to fully express my creativity by creating silhouettes, garment structures and a new perspective on fashion.”

Who are your design heroes?
“My design heroes are Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and currently the brand Schiaparelli has my attention. All these designers embody the fantasy of fashion. I love avant-garde.”

Tell us about what inspires your work.
“My work is inspired by sculptures, forms and exaggerations of the female form. I enjoy designing clothing for women that are already confident and demand the attention of everyone.”

What was your favorite class and why?
“My favorite class was Problem Solving which really allowed me to develop a garment starting from a nontraditional format. The use of different materials other than fabric allowed progression with developing the sculptures/shapes I love to make.”

What advice would you give an incoming student into the Fashion Design department?
“The advice I would give the current students is to learn as much as possible and really pay close attention to every design/sewing technique taught by the professors.”

What surprising skill, technique, or method did you learn in school that you are still using today?
“The most important skill I learned in school is to learn the fabric and listen to what it’s telling you, each fabric I worked with in school needed different applications and sewing finishing.”

What do you love about your current job/workplace?
“I love that my current workplace allows me to do mostly everything I learned at school and have hands-on experience such as garment finishes, sourcing fabrics for a collection, researching concepts for new designs, and working with real models for fashion shows.”

What has surprised you the most about since you joined the workforce?
“While at Jefferson, I had professors guiding me which I relied so heavily on. Now as a graduate, I’m surprised that I’m able to make accurate decision making on proper design techniques in fashion.”