Take a deep breath, students: Life doesn't end after graduation. To prove it, Illinois Alumni paired up five successful graduates with five ambitious students, each with a strong interest in the alumnus's field, each uncertain about the future, for a one-on-one conversation about, well, everything.
Via telephone or in person, for an hour or an afternoon, the experience offered students a chance to peek behind the scenes, to learn about the field from a pro and to ask those questions too scary to ask in class and too specific to ask their parents. For alumni, the discussion enabled them to pass on the knowledge gained from years of experience and to think back to their own first steps outside of the University.
For both, the time together offered an opportunity to put their University of Illinois experiences into perspective and to recognize the most enduring asset alumni share — the good will of their fellow graduates.
When Leila Uslander throws a party, expect to come home with a purse.
Even before she's graduated, the senior in textile marketing already has gained experience helping run two small businesses — her mother's bakery and Uslander's own purse design business, Lynayla, wherein she and a friend make purses from cigar boxes and sell them at boutiques and "purse parties."
In between work, courses and her position as treasurer of the UI Textile and Apparel Group, Uslander thinks fashion may be the industry for her and hopes some real-world experience will prove it. That's why she's excited about spending the day with Caroline Becker Joss '84 ACES.
Becker Joss is the co-founder of and designer for Caroline Rose, an upscale women's clothing label sold in about 500 boutiques and several Nordstrom department stores. With Becker Joss as tour guide and mentor, Uslander will gain access not only to the Caroline Rose headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park but also to the inner workings of the fashion business.
One of the first tasks of the morning is to tour the studio and get acquainted. As Becker Joss shares her history with Uslander, the two walk through the large, well-lit space, surrounded by the buzz of sewing machines and racks of clothing.
"I think I was 4 when I made my first outfit," Becker Joss told Uslander. "It was a little off, you know. A human body probably wouldn't have fit in it."
Fitting clothes is no longer a problem. Over the years, Joss has developed a signature style for her clothing line: fabrics that skim, rather than hug, the body; roll-up cuffs to accommodate different arm lengths; and unique buttons. She also developed a consistent target audience — clothes that suit both mother and daughter.
That fashion savvy comes as a direct result of her education and work experience. Becker Joss got her degree in apparel design at the U of I and completed courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She then worked in the industry a few years before going to law school to learn about the legalities of running a business. Simultaneously, Becker Joss and her mother, Rose, launched Caroline Rose.
Leila Uslander, left, and Caroline Becker Joss talk shop in Becker Joss's Oak Park design studio.
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"My mom and I decided to go out and do it," said Becker Joss of starting their business. "We started in our basement. We just kind of moved up and up."
Over lunch in downtown Oak Park, Uslander relates her own experience in a booming business. She's watched her mom's bakery go from a small operation to a business that mass-produces products for grocery store chain Trader Joe's while maintaining its original clientele.
Becker Joss and Uslander discuss what it's like to work at trade shows, how to juggle all the different tasks necessary to run a business and the state of the University's fashion-related programs. Becker Joss' University studies focused on design, and it wasn't until she began running Caroline Rose, she said, that she realized "how important the business side of things are."
Uslander is realizing things as well. It's that business of fashion — marketing, advertising and selling — that she feels fits her future. "There are so many designs out there, I think I'd be better at choosing," she said.
As the two talk that afternoon, first at the Illinois Alumni photo shoot and then as Becker Joss faxes a fabric payment to Italy, Uslander gets an idea of the daily grandeur — and grind — of a life in fashion.
Which leaves her wanting to play a part in it. This summer, Uslander hopes to get full-time experience at an internship in the fashion industry before launching herself into the business. "I can learn what direction I want to take," Uslander tells Becker Joss, "so I can get an idea of what is my true calling."
