Hoffman has found success in her professional life through her determination, commitment, and passion. Her willingness to take on challenges and opportunities to learn has landed her several positions. \u201cSoon after I graduated, I found an internship, or really, a factory job through Craigslist that pushed me into fashion, which can be a difficult transition to make. This helped me get it on my resume,\u201d she says with triumph.<\/p>\n
In the position, she produced beadwork, jewelry, and embroidery samples for Ralph Lauren, Lizzie Fortunato, and other major New York designers. And, it led to her becoming embellishment production coordinator for the same company, where she managed the development and production of bullion, embroideries, and trims for designer brands including J. Crew and True Religion.<\/p>\n\n
Later, at Vera Wang, Hoffman worked as an associate designer in bridal and made-to-order lines. She had the opportunity to do a lot of handwork through the making of print and embroidery samples that were then sent to India for further development. Hoffman also developed bridal fabrics using laser cutting, hand painting, screen printing, and fabric manipulation techniques. She first learned many of these skills at the College.<\/p>\n Her advice to students: \u201cWhile you are in school, you need to try everything and be fearless. Intern as much as possible. Don\u2019t be turned off from a job that doesn\u2019t sound right; it may just be your dream job.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Alumna Eleanor Hoffman became interested in design first through fine arts classes in painting and sculpture. \u201cAt the end of high school, I got into textiles and fibers,\u201d she says.\n\nInformed by a friend about NC State, Hoffman ventured to Raleigh for the first time to visit the college. \u201cI was amazed by the studio space and the great student work on the walls,\u201d she exclaims. \u201cI chose the College of Design because of the mix with Art + Design and the Anni Albers Scholars Program.\u201d This program, named after perhaps one of the most influential textile artist of the 20th Century, offered a double major through the College of Design (Art + Design) and the College of Textiles (Textile Technology). Hoffman graduated in 2011 with a bachelor\u2019s in Art + Design with a concentration in fashion and fibers.\n\n[gallery columns=\"2\" size=\"medium\" ids=\"2747,2748\"]\n\nCurrently she lives in New York City and works as the associate print designer at Mara Hoffman (no relation), a designer fashion label that creates vividly colorful swimwear, children\u2019s clothing, bridal, and active wear. \u201cI get to make beautiful things all day,\u201d Hoffman says. \u201cI love everything about my job. In the same day I can be hand painting, doing illustration on the computer, or working on a garment. I love working in fashion.\u201d\n\nHoffman uses many of the skills and passions she acquired from her time at the College. \u201cThe main thing that projected me into my current career is the Art2Wear fashion show. I saw it my first year and I thought it was the coolest environment, and I knew I would participate. Vita Plume was my mentor for my second year, and she helped me push the fiber aspect of my work.\u201d\n\nAssistant Professor of Art + Design Katherine <\/a>Diuguid also made an impression on Hoffman. \u201cShe really inspired me to learn more about embroidery and embellishments.\u201d Hoffman also visited a local designer, Sarah Yarborough from Raleigh Denim and discovered \u201cthere were alumni who were doing some of the things I wanted to do.\u201d In 2009 Hoffman was the recipient of a YMA (Young Menswear Association) Fashion Scholarship Fund. She was able to visit New York City and meet others in the fashion industry.\n\nHoffman has found success in her professional life through her determination, commitment, and passion. Her willingness to take on challenges and opportunities to learn has landed her several positions. \u201cSoon after I graduated, I found an internship, or really, a factory job through Craigslist that pushed me into fashion, which can be a difficult transition to make. This helped me get it on my resume,\u201d she says with triumph.\n\nIn the position, she produced beadwork, jewelry, and embroidery samples for Ralph Lauren, Lizzie Fortunato, and other major New York designers. And, it led to her becoming embellishment production coordinator for the same company, where she managed the development and production of bullion, embroideries, and trims for designer brands including J. Crew and True Religion.\n\n[gallery columns=\"2\" size=\"medium\" ids=\"2749,2750\"]\n\nLater, at Vera Wang, Hoffman worked as an associate designer in bridal and made-to-order lines. She had the opportunity to do a lot of handwork through the making of print and embroidery samples that were then sent to India for further development. Hoffman also developed bridal fabrics using laser cutting, hand painting, screen printing, and fabric manipulation techniques. She first learned many of these skills at the College.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_2751\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"436\"] NC State Design alumna Eleanor Hoffman encourages current students to take on new challenges and opportunities, to be fearless, and to intern as much as possible. The invaluable experience gained from taking a chance could lead to a dream career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":4499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[9,16],"class_list":["post-2743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-experience","category-uncategorized","tag-art-design","tag-art2wear"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Full](\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/6MARAHOFFMAN_CREDIT-682x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a> Full length, sequin embroidery gown, Mara Hoffman.[\/caption]\n\nHer advice to students: \u201cWhile you are in school, you need to try everything and be fearless. Intern as much as possible. Don\u2019t be turned off from a job that doesn\u2019t sound right; it may just be your dream job.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"