Stacey Fries Finds A Career Fit For A Print-cess

Stacey Fries owes her career in textile design to talent, a great college, old-fashioned courtesy, and a passion for the arts. She has always loved painting and drama. Stacey was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles when she was ten. After majoring in drama in college and working for a short period in the entertainment industry, Stacey decided to change gears and pursue a different kind of art. She headed to FIDM and enrolled in the Textile Design Program.

While at FIDM, Stacey won the prestigious "Student of the Year" award from the Textile Association of Los Angeles (TALA). After receiving her award, Stacey wrote thank-you notes to each of the TALA board members. Just three months after graduating from FIDM, Arnold Lorber contacted her about a job at Lorber Industries as an assistant stylist helping to create their print line. He was a TALA board member that remembered her impressive portfolio and was won over by her expression of thanks. Stacey jumped at the opportunity. She says, "It was a great company and I was lucky to have the opportunity to learn so much!"

A few promotions later, Stacey moved in 1991 to Latt Greene as head stylist in the print division. She is rightfully proud of her accomplishments at Latt Greene. When she started working there, they solely manufactured textiles based on the designs of other companies. Latt Greene didn't have their own "open line" of print designs and had not established a name in the industry. Stacey changed all of that. She developed a successful open line of textile prints that clients loved. Her job kept her so busy that she was typically producing a new line—with anywhere from four to ten prints grouped by season—every other week! She decided everything from motifs to colors to fabrics. Throughout the ten years that she was there, Stacey made "Latt Greene" a name recognized for not only manufacturing textiles, but also for unique print designs.

Twice a year her job took her to Paris and the South of France, hunting for inspiration from new prints and fabrics. "Travelling was a major perk. I experienced so many different places and met so many people, it was great!"
Stacey also loved that her job had a major impact on the fashion world. "Designers look to the textile industry to direct and inspire new clothing lines. The upcoming trends in textiles give them ideas and influence their use of color."

Unfortunately, Latt Greene closed its doors in 2001. Stacey moved on to a new position as a designer for Mattel, home of Barbie. She works in their Large Dolls Division and is involved in the design and development of all sorts of new dolls, from concept to completion. So what is a typical day like for Stacey at Mattel? She explains, "It's crazy! I work on a team with two other designers on the development of several different lines of dolls at once. Throughout the day, I make sure that the dolls' clothes and hair are getting made, that their faces are getting painted, and that their accessories are picked out and ready." Stacey often works with outside inventors and manufacturers for these doll essentials.

Stacey has direct creative input on a new doll's overall look. "I help decide on facial features and clothing styles," she explains. Her textile design skills come into play when choosing fabrics and prints for the doll's outfits and accessories.

Mattel keeps up with their young market by constantly introducing dolls with new themes. Stacey says, "We find inspiration for new dolls in lots of places like fashion magazines, retail stores, and trend forecasting shows. Our trend researching process is the same as in the textile and fashion industries, except that we look at what's hot for kids and in the toy market."

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are the computer programs that Stacey uses most often in her job. She adamantly encourages textile design hopefuls to learn these programs, as most design jobs now require at least a basic knowledge of them.

Stacey also advises keeping an open mind about artistic endeavors. "I learned very quickly that when I'm creating something, there is a huge audience of critics beyond my immediate scope that I must take into consideration. Manufacturers, buyers, merchandisers, and of course, customers will inevitably each have different opinions about your designs based on their personal tastes and needs. You can't take negative feedback personally. Just do the best you can do, and make changes if necessary."

Stacey's closing advice is extremely important. "Once you figure out what field you are interested in, then decide what you love most about it. Specialize in the area you love and don’t let anyone discourage you along the way!" That is exactly what Stacey did and her efforts have manifested into a creative, successful, and rewarding design career!

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