Allina Liu ’13 (Fiber B.F.A.) understood the value of gaining real-world experience while still a student at MICA, so her summers were spent interning in New York City, with hopes of gaining the experience and contacts in the fashion industry. The summer before her senior year at MICA, she landed an interned at The Row, a fashion design company established in 2006 by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

“It was so exciting being there,” Liu said when recounting her experience. “They had just won the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for their resort collection and were moving on to their spring collection, which just launched this past September, during fashion week. I did some fabric samples while I was there, and a lot of the samples I did for them were in that show. It was amazing, seeing some of the things I worked on being used in their collection.”

She continued, “It was definitely a good experience. I worked crazy hours, but it was worth it. It was great to be around a really successful company and get to know people in the industry. I wanted to pursue fashion, and I always understood that internships would be a part of my move from college to a career. You get great experience for your résumé, and you get references from people working in your industry. The kinds of things that make it so much easier to get a job compared to others without that experience.”

Liu’s hard work paid off. Today, she is a successful New York-based fashion designer and the founder of the womenswear label, Allina Liu. Her designs have been featured in an array of fashion and culture magazines, including Glamour, Lucy's Magazine, Pressure Paris and Marie Claire, and in 2016, Liu was listed in Elle's “10 New Women-Led Fashion Brands You Should Start Shopping Now.”