Whenever people find out that I’m studying fashion, they always ask me why I chose to study in LA and not in New York. NY is perceived to be the fashion capital of the US, but my main reason of going to FIDM in LA instead of Parsons or FIT is really my major. I’m taking up Apparel Manufacturing Management, a fashion entrepreneurial program which combines fashion design and business management. However, this quote from Tim Gunn (which came out in the LA Times Magazine) made me realize that LA does indeed play a huge role in the fashion industry.
Tim Gunn on Project Runway’s move to FIDM LA – Last year, when we began taping season six and made the move to Los Angeles, I came here kicking and screaming. I was resigned, but I am a New Yorker… There is a sort of New York arrogance that asks, “What does Los Angeles have to offer when it comes to fashion?” But I had been here less than 48 hours when I had an epiphany. In New York, everyone was copying Europe; there wasn’t an original thought. But here, thanks to the film industry, there was this robust incubator for tons of creative ideas. So, I thought, Wait a minute! It’s the home of film and television, of all the high-end red carpets. And then I realized if it’s not happening here, it doesn’t mean anything.
Fashion now a days is a very celebrity driven industry. The top fashion magazines have celebrities on their covers every month and most of the time, who is in the front row determines the success and popularity of a fashion show. Sending a bag or a piece of clothing to a particular celebrity and having her photographed in it is a better marketing strategy than spending a fortune on advertisements. Also, what the celebrities wore to the Oscars are sometimes even remembered better than who the actual winners were. This is why LA, being the entertainment capital of the world, indeed plays an important role in the formation of trends and in determining the success of a brand. Now maybe when Suri Cruise is all grown up, she can wear stuff from my (future) clothing line. Hehe 
