Preparing Our Educators

Yoshioka discusses her path in the fashion industry

Fran Yoshioka addresses the crowd at the Spring Patton Lecture Series.

ATHENS, Ohio (April 25, 2011) – Fran Yoshioka, a fashion trend analyst and OU alum delivered a lecture titled Charting a Path in the Fashion Industry” at the Spring Patton Lecture Series on Friday, April 15. Yoshioka, who analyzes major worldwide trends, brought with her more than 30 years of experience tracking color and fashion trend direction in the apparel, home furnishings and retail industries.

Yoshioka took the many students in attendance on a journey detailing her efforts to break into the fashion industry, a very relevant topic to the many soon-to-be-graduates in the crowd. After graduation, Yoshioka went to New York with a finite amount of cash, determined to find any job involving fashion, and eventually found work as an assistant for a fabric editor of a major national fashion magazine.

“I was typing notes and scheduling appointments, so it wasn’t glamorous work,” Yoshioka said. “But look at where I was--I had entered the fashion industry.”

The key point, Yoshioka said, is that once she broke into the industry, she had more access to opportunities. After that job, her career path went on a self-described “zig-zag ladder” as she bounced around different jobs and organizations, learning and meeting people along the way.

“Never pass up an opportunity,” Yoshioka said. “As hard and uncomfortable as that may be, take the risk.”

By taking on the many opportunities she earned, Yoshioka built enough experience within the industry to get to where she is today. As an analyst, she has worked as a consultant for Walmart, Fossil, Sears, Crate & Barrel, BonTon Stores, Beall's Department Stores and Walrus Brands.

Yoshioka then took the group on a visual tour through her time in London and Paris during February 2011, showing a colorful slideshow of pictures she took at different stores during her trip. Her insights into various color schemes and accessories, combined with her bright presentation, were very helpful to the many students that filled the room beyond seating capacity.

Each quarter during the academic year, the Violet L. Patton Lecture Series features a guest speaker who is an advocate of education and/or human services. Over the years, many graduates of The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services have served as the keynote speakers.

For more information on Yoshioka and her work in the fashion industry, please visit www.franyoshioka.com.

Story by R. Devin Hughes; photo by Mark Brunton.