Meet one of my former assistant designers who found me years later, here is her recommendation after hearing about Melo International _The Melo Project Runaway for the Youth 2015 April 3, 2012 Letter of Recommendation for Tina Melo To whom it may concern, I met Tina Melo back in 1986 when I was working for Bernard Chaus in Manhattan as an Assistant to the Fashion Director, Marina Victor, while aspiring to a fashion design position. During my time there I met many designers within the company, among them a very energetic and bubbly Assistant Fashion Designer, Tina, and we became fast friends. At the time I was working during the day full-time and still enrolled in the Fashion Design program at F.I.T. working toward my degree at night. Tina moved on from Chaus and on to a position as Fashion Designer for the Billy Jack / Nilani Inc., another design house in Manhattan. Quite unexpectedly after Tina’s departure from Chaus I received a call from her offering me position as an assistant fashion designer working for her within the Sweater / Junior Sportswear Division. I stated my concerns as a still-at-the-time student not having a degree just yet. Tina immediately made me feel at ease by stating that whatever I did not already know from my classes and exposure at Chaus she would most definitely teach me. I accepted and true to her word she made me feel right at home in an environment that can be exhilarating but intimidating at the same time. She showed tremendous patience in teaching me the ropes of being a Knitwear Designer from learning everything pertaining to doing research of color concepts, yarns, yarn gauges, embellishments such as gems, trims, and fabrics for concepts on development the next season line. I grew in confidence in my position there but not before having learned a vast amount of things from Tina such as garment specing, grading, layout sketching and garment finishes and more. My time spent within this company and as one of Tina’s assistants was one of the happiest times of my life. I never forgot her generosity of giving so selflessly of herself to help me obtain a position in my dream career. Tina moved on to greater areas of her career outside of the Billy Jack / Nilani company but even through the years I remembered how she was the exception to the rule, the opposite, to the self-centered stigma attached to the Fashion Industry and I often thought of where she would be in the world. In 2011 while reminiscing about my time in the fashion industry in the 1980s Tina Melo immediately came to mind and I decided to reach out to her. I did a web search and found her TK Melo Project website and read through how that fun-spirited girl I knew back then grew into the successful designer, teacher, and activist that she is today. After rekindling our connection and friendship I have to say that her energy and passion for fashion and contribution is cumulative with all her years in the industry, it just continued to emerge in bigger and more positive ways. I believe in her vision of fusing Fashion and Children’s Projects, because of her personal experiences, her passion and also because it is in her nature to make a difference in children’s lives. You only need speak to her to see what is reflected in my written word. She made a difference in my life and she can continue to make a difference in anyone’s life through her T Melo Projects and through the generosity of support systems. It is clear that whatever she puts her mind to she will achieve and succeed and more importantly make a difference. Tina has my full support. I could not describe her as anything other than bright, energetic, genuine, positive and generous. Regards, Betsy Rosado The Dali Museum St. Petersburg, Florida
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 23:46:51 +0000
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