Career Day 2008 will once again be held in the World Trade Center (WTC) complex, a 3.1 million square foot facility housing...

• Showrooms of gifts, decorative accessories, lighting, furniture, rugs, bed, bath, and linen, fabric, jewelry, toys and design furnishings, plus...
• Fashion Center Dallas, the new home for apparel and accessories, opened in March 2004 offering more than 12,000 product lines.
• The Hall of Nations located on the main-floor of the 15-story atrium is the place for resistration and gathering area before student's will head to the 12th floor for the Opening Keynote Address and outline of the days event. Don't miss this opportunity to see the inner workings of the world's largest wholesale merchandise resource!

Class registration is a two-step process:

1. Email a completed registration form to fgidallas-staff@sbcglobal.net.
2. Enclose a hard copy of the registration form with your payment ($50.00 per student or faculty member, $20.00 for guests attending the fashion show only).

Mail to:

Fashion Group International of Dallas, Inc.

Attn: Career Day 2007

P.O. Box 421109

Dallas, Texas 75342 

Important Information:

• Students may not register for Career Day or enter the FGI of Dallas and TFFC Competitions independently. They must be sponsored by their school or college whether or not a faculty member chooses to attend.
• We will not accept personal checks from students for their registration fee or competition fees. Please send a certified check, money order, or a check from the school, at one time to the Fashion Group office address listed at the top of the page.
• If you want acknowledgment of receipt of Career Day registration, send a self addressed, stamped envelope with your correspondence.
• Seminar/class enrollment will be determined by the order in which each school's registration and payment (in full) is received. No exceptions will be made. FGI of Dallas will begin accepting school registrations on Tuesday, January 1, 2008.  Final deadline for fee registration is Thursday, March 20, 2008, 4:00 pm.
• All faculty must pay the registration fee in order to attend the seminars, faculty meeting, receive a box lunch and have access to the Faculty Hospitality Room. This includes any faculty who are also members of Fashion Group International.
• NEW THIS YEAR (2008) -  All registered students and faculty in attendance will receive a "Dallas Career Day, 2008" Fashion Show DVD.  This DOES NOT include Fashion Show attendees only.
• Any student participating in the competitions must attend Career Day 2008. This means being in attendance by 9:00 am and attending all day.
• FGI of Dallas will not issue a refund. If a student cannot attend, he/she may send someone in his/her place.
• Registration begins at 7:15 am at the World Trade Center main entrance, off I35E / N. Stemmons FRWY. Upon arrival, participants need to pick up their registration packets at the registration desk inside the WTC main entrance in the lobby. Registration packets are distributed alphabetically by school name.
• Breakfast is not included in your Career Day registration fee. Please plan to eat breakfast prior to the Opening Session. Starbuck's coffee (drip, limited barista service) and pastries will be available for purchase (cash only, no credit cards or Starbucks cards accepted.)
• Lunch tickets will be provided to each registrant. If the ticket is lost for any reason, a replacement must be purchased for $10.00. Again, there can be no exceptions.
• Parking at the WTC can be tight, plan ahead.
• The Career Day program will begin promptly at 8:00 am on April 11th, 2008 on the 12 floor of the World Trade Center.
• Guests may attend the fashion show only for a fee of $20.  If you have a guest attending, please meet them at the entrance of the "The Grand Pavilion at the Trade Mart" off Market Center Blvd 30 minutes prior to the start of the fashion show.
• Please use this e-mail address for all inquiries: fgidallas-staff@sbcglobal.net
• WTC address: 2050 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207. For a map and driving directions visit the Dallas Market Center website: http://www.dallasmarketcenter.com/dmc/V40/index.cvn?id=10024&p_navID=73
• Dallas Market Center Insurance requires that no one under 12 years of age can be admitted to the World Trade Center for any reason.
• Please take advantage of the e-mail address for all inquiries.

FGI of Dallas Career Day 2008 Design Competitions

Sponsored by The Fashion Group Foundation® of Dallas, Inc.

And Texas Department of Agriculture

ATTENTION FACULTY... Critical Note:

Before sharing this revised information with students, it is critical that you READ all materials first!

PLEASE DESTROY ALL PRIOR YEARS COPIES OF CAREER DAY DOCUMENTS! Please use only forms and guidelines for Career Day 2008. Do not provide students with copies of old materials.

Required Forms:

Students are required to use the forms provided by FGI of Dallas and TDA to complete this project. If you experience any trouble in downloading / accessing the forms, contact FGI of Dallas or TDA for a hard copy. See below for current contact information.

Entry Requirements and Fee:

• Beyond the actual Career Day 2008 registration fee of $50.00, there will be no additional entry fee charged this year for the design competitions.
• There is a 3-garment limit to the number of entries per student. Time allows only about 175 garments to be shown on the runway, so there is no guarantee that all submitted entries will be shown. Please advise your students to focus on quality rather than quantity, since good quality strengthens the chances of an entry being shown. All show selection decisions rest with the judges. Their decisions are final.
• Final qualification is dependent upon the student's registration, check-in by 9:00 am and attendance throughout the day of April 11, 2008.  Late registration will be accepted at the door until 10 am, only. The fee will be $60.00 and class selection is not guaranteed.
• Guests may attend the fashion show only for a fee of $20.  If you have a guest attending, please meet them at the "The Grand Pavilion at the Trade Mart" off Market Center Blvd 30 minutes prior to the start of the fashion show.

Entry Checklist and Qualification Guidelines:

• All MAILED Entries must be received in the FGI of Dallas office on or before the deadline of Friday, March 28, 2008 by 4:00 pm.  Should you desire to hand-deliver your 2 options are: Thursday, March 27th (8:00 am - 4:00 pm) and Friday, March 28th (8:00 am - 4:00 pm). No entries in any form will be allowed after the later date!
• All entrants must attend Career Day all day and be present to win. Please be prepared to interview with the judges if necessary. Bring a portfolio if available.
• All entrants must be a college-sponsored participant and be enrolled at a 2-year or 4-year institution in a fashion program. These competitions are not open to graduate students.
• A student from a 2-year school may enter for 3 years only. (This gives a part-time student time to finish the curriculum.)
• A student from a 4-year school may enter for 5 years only. (This includes any transfer student from a 2-year school, e.g., if a student has entered twice before transferring, he/she may enter only three more years)
• Garment(s) must be designed and constructed by the student, including all pattern work, meeting all the requirements and deadlines as outlined by the instructor. The student's signature and the signature of the student's instructor on the information sheet verify this.
• Any student who has been employed as a professional designer is not permitted to compete for prizes or scholarships.
• Any student enrolled in graduate school may not compete for prizes - even if said student is taking undergraduate classes.
• All entries must be pre-approved by school design instructors for quality of design and construction
• Student must have met deadlines set by each school and their guidelines prior to our own.
• All entries must be current school year projects. Prior-year entries may not be re-entered in 2008. Any garment entered in either competition last year will be eliminated.
• All entries must have labels permanently sewn into each piece, including accessories. Label must include name, school, garment classification, and fiber content.
• All women's garments must be industry standard size 8, height 5' 8" to 5' 10".
• All men's garments must fit chest 40, waist 32, inseam 31, and height 5' 11" to 6'. Ease should be added when fitting to dress forms and measurements should be checked as older dress forms vary.
• Student must meet all "Standard Competition Measurements" criteria.

Potential Reasons for Disqualification:

• Entry was received after the deadline
• Instructor's signature was not present on the Student Information Sheet
• Student was not present all day for Career Day beginning at 9:00 am
• Incomplete paperwork making fair judging impossible
• Inferior garment construction/quality (e.g., garment coming apart)
• Garment missing sewn-in name, school, classification and fiber content ID label
• Student contacted FGI of Dallas office to inquire about garment package arrival or tracking issues. (Student should insure and track package with shipping service.)

Potential Reasons for Low Scoring:

• Garment inappropriately hung (such as use of cheap or bent wire hangers), making judging difficult... indicates lack of student pride
• Garment entered in large or inappropriate category
• Poor quality, poor workmanship or poor/inconsistent fit or sizing
• Not following instructions
• Sloppy or illegible paperwork
• Sloppy presentation of garments