New York Fashion Week wrapped up last month, and when the lights dimmed on the final runway of this year\u2019s NYFW, it marked the end of another season of high fashion, but the beginning of something else entirely. For New York\u2019s college students, the chaos and glamour of Fashion Week isn\u2019t a finish line; it\u2019s a starting line.<\/p>\n
Beyond the flashbulbs and VIP invitations, the week opens doors for young people trying to break into the industry. For students across the city, Fashion Week offers more than a front-row seat. It\u2019s a place to work, learn, and meet people who can shape their future careers.<\/p>\n
As the last looks from this year\u2019s New York Fashion Week fade into the rearview, we spoke with three New York college students who are already turning the lessons they learned into fuel for their next steps, with some speeding ahead and others switching lanes entirely.<\/p>\n
Whether behind the camera, running their own brand, or managing a guest list, these students used Fashion Week to take their first real steps into one of the most competitive creative scenes in the world.<\/p>\n
Matt Barsallo \u2014 Long Island University<\/p>\n
At Long Island University, Matt Barsallo spends most of his time behind a camera or a computer screen. The graphic design student shoots photos and makes graphics for the LIU men\u2019s soccer team, which is how he first started building connections on campus. That same mix of creativity and networking eventually landed him at New York Fashion Week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked with a guy named Anthony, his company is Perspective Saints,\u201d Barsallo said. \u201cI got in touch with them because I got invited to a clothing release party.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the release party, Barsallo mentioned that he did design work. The conversation turned into a collaboration that later brought his graphics to the Perspective Saints\u2019 Fashion Week show.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just got in touch with them and kept texting back and forth, and then he was telling me how he wanted to do a show for Fashion Week,\u201d Barsallo said. \u201cHe\u2019s not really a designer\u2014he\u2019s more of an entrepreneur. He wanted me to get a couple of icons and logos for his shirts, and I made a clothing catalog for him. \u201cThe designs I made were the ones I posted on Instagram,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Balancing both design and photography has become Barsallo\u2019s calling card. \u201cPhotography is so easy to get connections,\u201d he said. \u201cI go over there to do photography work, but introduce myself as a graphic designer. It kind of goes hand in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
That approach helped him turn Fashion Week into more than just a one-off gig. \u201cFor me, what I learned is it\u2019s really good for connections. Everyone comes,\u201d Barsallo said. \u201cI met some people from Jersey, some people from Chicago, from LA \u2014 a bunch of people. It was actually sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s carrying those connections forward. \u201cThe same person wants to make a video for the Afghan Cup,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to help him do some camera work and probably get something designing up there, thumbnails and more, whatever is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between that and his ongoing work with LIU soccer, Barsallo said he\u2019s just focused on building. \u201cYou know, still moving forward.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Desmond Samms \u2014 St. John\u2019s University<\/p>\n
While Barsallo found his path through design, another student built his own spotlight.<\/p>\n
When you think of college students participating in NYFW, it\u2019s most likely helping backstage or behind the scenes. For Desmond Samms, a marketing student from Los Angeles, he skipped all those steps, launching his very own show. NYFW was a turning point for his growing clothing brand, TAGD.<\/p>\n
Samms, who\u2019s been steadily building the brand\u2019s presence on social media and around the St. John\u2019s University campus, said the idea for his first Fashion Week show came almost out of nowhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just started off by one day going to another brand\u2019s pop-up, Corteiz,\u201d Samms said. \u201cJust that whole experience, seeing stuff like that, I was like, \u2018Okay, now I gotta figure out what I can do in Manhattan.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
A few days later, the right message came through. \u201cSomeone hit me up saying she was hosting a large fashion show partnered up with a party planning organization called Lux,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were hosting the \u2018Under Pressure\u2019 fashion show on Sept. 20 in Chelsea.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Samms, that call was all he needed. \u201cI always say the smallest opportunities lead to the greatest blessings,\u201d he said. \u201cRegardless of how quick they seem or however I feel ready or not for fashion, I\u2019m gonna say yes now and figure it out along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n