NYC Public High School Students Visit Tapestry HQ for Intro to Careers in Fashion
For the third year, Tapestry joined in the 2024 Career Discovery Week, an initiative led by Partnership For New York City that brought together over 100 of New York City’s leading corporations and professional firms across sectors, to provide thousands of high school students with exciting hands-on career exploration and immersive experiences outside of the classroom.
In March, students from New York City’s High School of Arts and Technology visited our Hudson Yards offices for a full agenda of educational experiences. Their day kicked off with department presentations that shared perspectives of the day-to-day of various cross-functional teams at Tapestry and its brands, including presentations from Consumer Insights & Strategy, Retail Finance, FP&A, ESG & Sustainability, and Distribution Operations. Department representatives gave a glimpse into their own professional journey and provided insights into their experiences, to help increase the student's awareness of potential future career paths. Next up on the agenda was a tour of the Coach atelier, where the students got to learn about Coach's rich history in craftsmanship and materials, and see how some of our products come to life behind the scenes.
The students were excited to put some of their learnings to use for their “Product Design Challenge,” where they were tasked with ideating on a new product for any Tapestry brand. Drawing inspiration from International Women’s Day and one of our Tapestry Foundation focus areas, the design challenge focused on two key themes: 1) a product with a sustainability tie-in, and 2) a focus on women’s empowerment, through the design concept, marketing, or other strategic components of their new product. Over 25 Tapestry volunteers supported the students with their projects as they worked in teams to design and story-tell their new innovative product. From their functional “Checkmate” Coach bag, to their “Coachtopia x SW” sustainable handbag, the audience was amazed by their endless creativity exhibited throughout the afternoon.
The five student groups presented their concepts to our panel of judges including Iris Coker, Director, Content Strategy at Kate Spade; Kim Matsoukas, Director, Sustainability at Coach; and Juliana Naso, Senior Director, Merchandising Strategy at Stuart Weitzman.
