You don’t have to travel to NYC or LA to earn a top notch fashion degree. Candice Barringer proves you can do it right here in Arizona. This Chic Collegiate has had an awesome journey to a top position in the fashion industry through hard work, dedication, and some super-helpful Arizona schools and internships.
Candice started her fashion education pretty early. In high school, she decided to attend the East Valley Institute of Technology to take part in their two year Fashion Merchandising and Design program. “I had learned so much at EVIT; it was one of the best choices I could have made to start off,” Candice told us.
After earning her technical school diploma along with her high school degree, she was accepted to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She decided not to attend this school however, because (in her own words), “I felt for an associate’s diploma, FIDM was overpriced.”
Vintage By Misty dress for the Giorgio d’Sant Angelo exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum
Candice decided to attend Arizona State University as an Art History major. She wanted to use this degree to still pursue a career in fashion, probably working in a museum with their fashion archives. However, she quickly realized this still wasn’t the path for her.
“I enjoyed my studies of Art History at ASU, but I was feeling really disconnected from any sense of a fashion community. ASU didn’t offer any fashion majors or fashion clubs, so I was feeling really out of my element, especially coming from a two year program at EVIT, where my studies were all about fashion every day.”
After studying at ASU for a year, Candice decided to start in a new direction. She enrolled in Mesa Community College to study in the Fashion Merchandising program.
“I was really excited to be back studying fashion, and I was extremely happy with the education I was receiving at MCC in the fashion program. My instructors were very knowledgeable and all had years of industry experience. I found the rumors of community college education being “less challenging” to be false.”
Meat Market Vintage dress for the ACI Holiday Luncheon
As a part of this program, Candice received many fantastic opportunities, including attending the MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas (such a cool field trip!). She also landed her “dream internship” (one she had been wanting since studying at ASU) at the Phoenix Art Museum as their Curatorial Intern to the Fashion Design department. (To learn more about internships at the Phoenix Art Museum, visit this site.)
“I learned so much during this internship while having amazing experiences: working in the vault filled with designer garments, shoes, jewelry, and couture gowns from 17th century to today, putting up new fashion exhibitions, and planning and taking part in the Arizona Costume Institute events and galas. It was really a special experience.”
In addition to her internship, Candice also participated in the Arizona Costume Institute‘s Nouveau group and volunteered at many local fashion shows. She also maintained her contact with EVIT by serving as the Chairman for their Fashion Advisory Board. Busy girl, right?
Candice received an extra-special opportunity when she was accepted to Teen Vogue Fashion University. During this week long program in New York, Candice got to meet Teen Vogue editors, tour the offices, and attend special seminars with the top people in fashion like Vera Wang and Anna Wintour (But seriously, how jealous are you right now?).
After graduating from MCC, Candice moved to Zurich, Switzerland to spend some time with her family. She came across the perfect job with Oakley Europe, working in the Product Marketing department, specifically in apparel, footwear, and accessories.
“The job itself is exactly what I have been searching for,” Candice told us. “I feel like there are so many possibilities for my future with this company and I love all aspects of my job.”
“I am a strong believer in “everything happens for a reason”. I may have had a small journey in the beginning with selecting a school, but I feel it all happened the way it should and I am so happy where I am now and see it only getting better and better from here!”
You’ve had an awesome career in the fashion industry so far, Candice! We can’t wait to see where you go from here. We know we’ll be seeing a ton of big things from you in the future. And thanks for showing us (and all our readers) what Arizona fashionistas can accomplish!
XoXo Couture in the Suburbs
P.S. Do YOU know an awesome college student in Arizona pursuing their dreams in fashion? Send us an e-mail at lindsay@coutureinthesuburbs.com with more information!
