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Representing Steve Madden Shoes at Macy's

shoes"I never realized how much I love being around shoes until I got into this part of fashion!" says FIDM grad Shannon Nikolewski Cornelsen, Divisional Steve Madden Coordinator for Macy's West. Her position is what's known in the retail industry as "co-op": she represents the Steve Madden brand, but she's employed by Macy's. Shannon manages the Southern California territory of Macy's in regard to their assortment of Steve Madden shoes and their merchandising set-ups, meaning the way the merchandise is displayed. "On a day-to-day level, I go into each store and make sure that they've received their goods and that everything operationally is running soundly--all shoes are merchandised appropriately, and always negotiating for the best real estate, which means the best placement for the brand on the sales floor. A big part of my daily job," she continues, "is making sure the store has the right assortment for that customer, since branches are different."

furniture As a child, Shannon was very creative. She spent every summer at art camp, and says, "I loved making Barbie doll clothes out of toilet paper or out of any weird resources I had as a kid." Now, in addition to coordinating Steve Madden for Macy's, Shannon works as a Stylist on a freelance basis, an ongoing career that blossomed out of a FIDM internship. "I interned for Teen magazine, and it was probably on my third day of interning that I worked downstairs with the photographer, and I learned what a Photo Stylist was. I graduated and was hired by Teen magazine as a freelance Photo Stylist on a regular basis." From there she went on to her first "real" job working for Robinson's-May department stores as a Stylist for their furniture catalogs, where her styling made an impression. "The editors of Furniture Style saw the catalog and liked it so much it ended up on their cover!" she remembers.

Other leads Shannon obtained through FIDM's Career Center led to freelance jobs such as doing window displays and hand-painting evening bags that sold at famed Los Angeles boutique Fred Segal. "There were always gigs that came up, odd freelance jobs that FIDM would get, otherwise I never would have learned about some of these opportunities," she says. "I grew very close with my adviser from Career Placement." Another FIDM job lead led to a full-time position as a Merchandiser for Calvin Klein Underwear. From there, a headhunting firm hired her to be Lead Stylist for a textile manufacturing company that produced high-end bed linens. This in turn led to a co-op position at Macy's for Calvin Klein Home. "Because I was already in the textile business, Macy's created a job for me." With Macy's/Calvin Klein, Shannon traveled frequently to New York, and all over the country opening new stores, or "doors," as they're called in the fashion industry. When she got married and wanted to stop traveling, she made a lateral move to her executive line position within Macy's to Steve Madden.

One thing that Shannon looks forward to in her job is that she's getting to have a hand in deciding the Southern California-area Macy's mix of Steve Madden shoes. "For our most trendy shoes, I choose the assortment for our large shop doors," she says. "I choose which colors and styles will sell for a certain demographic." There are other things about her job that make it interesting. "I love my autonomy," she says, "my freedom. I'm kind of my own boss. I create my own schedule. I work with so many people throughout the day. I can work with a Buyer, then the store manager. I can even talk to the Vice President of Steve Madden on a conference call and walk out and help a customer with Steve Madden shoes."

Shannon, who spent her teenage years in Orange County, California, learned about FIDM via a FIDM rep who came to her high school class. She chose to go to community college after high school but, she says, "I couldn't figure out and refine what I wanted to do. When I went to FIDM and learned about the Visual program, it encompassed everything from illustration to interior design to learning visual display and color theory. [It was] a lot of majors combined into one, and that's why I loved it!"

Orange County CampusPositive words for FIDM flow out of Shannon. "I loved the fact that I was in Orange County the first year and that I was introduced to a bigger city [Los Angeles] the next," says Shannon, who spent her first year at FIDM's Orange County campus. "I liked the way the classes were set up--everything was very hands-on. I can recall two teachers in particular that I really connected with. They just came across so compassionate and talented and patient!" She goes on. "The other thing I absolutely loved was the tools," she says, speaking of the supplies that are provided to each student for every FIDM class. "Everything was really good quality, and you got more than you needed to accomplish a project."

Paris"I attended the European Study Tour, and that's one of my best memories of FIDM," recalls Shannon. "We went to Paris, Florence, Milan, and London. It was fabulous! We went to the Gucci factory, we met designer Paul Smith, and we went to the Salvatore Ferregamo museum," she remembers.

"I learned through FIDM that there are so many jobs for artistically talented people [in which] you can earn a good living and be passionate about your job," says Shannon. "FIDM prepared me for the working world." Shannon is such a stellar grad that for 2 years after graduation she told her story in front of groups of 400 as Alumni Spokesperson for FIDM's Fall Fashion Fair, an event for high school students which showcases FIDM and the Debut Fashion Show. "I was grateful that I took a public speaking class at FIDM! It was really scary, but it was awesome!"

She tells aspiring fashion professionals, "Always be a joy to work with. People remember when you're fun and hard-working and you show up on time and you're passionate about what you do." She continues, "The retail and design world is a small world, and people end up knowing each other." Besides having a family, Shannon would love to have her own cosmetics company one day. "My future goal is to never stop, especially my freelance work, and continue illustrating, drawing, and painting."

Shannon found her path via FIDM's Visual Communications program, which gave her a host of ways to express her creativity in the workplace. With her talents and her FIDM degree behind her, she's succeeding at a diverse array of projects and thriving in the world of fashion!

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication