Talking Shop with Jory Rapps of Fashion Friday

Jory Rapps graduates in two weeks from Southeast Missouri State University. As the culmination of an independent study, he organized Fashion Friday, a fashion block party that's the first of its kind for Downtown Cape Girardeau. The event takes place Friday. Rapps is an interdisciplinary studies major with an emphasis in fashion merchandising, business and interior design.

Q: How did you become interested in fashion and design?

A: I always had an interest in fashion. Even when I was young, I never picked up Vogue magazine, but I was picky about what I wore and paid attention to what other people were wearing. I moved around a lot, I grew up as a military brat. The Air Force brought me to Cape Girardeau. I was always the new child. I found I could recreate myself with what I wore. I learned about how much of a difference clothes made and then learned about the psychology of clothing. Clothes are art, psychology and business. I'm not a designer; I don't make the clothing. Fashion is a huge global industry and there are a lot of opportunities. It is very serious and professional, but fun.

Q: What is Fashion Friday?

A: It's an event created like Vogue's Fashion's Night Out. It was created to get people to come out and shop and stimulate the economy. It was a worldwide event with celebrities. It will be a cool event in Cape Girardeau. We have a lot of stores people don't know about. I want to bring people down here and get out of the mall and see cool stuff. Stores are doing discounts and giveaways, and there are mini-events inside each store. Stash is having a local designer showcase. There will be live mannequins, photographers, jewelry design presentations and more.

We have Main Street shut down from Broadway to Themis Street. We'll have a live DJ in the street and a red carpet. We wanted to create a New York street and bring the excitement, fun and shopping. We have a hot dog vendor. It's not just here on Main Street; Annie-Lauries will have styling and Philanthropy will have live music. It's not just for fashion, but for everybody. There'll be an after-party at the Library from 9:30 to 11 p.m.

Jory Rapps, right, talks with Jill Hoehne, co-owner of Stash, 40 N. Main St., about Fashion Friday at the Cape Girardeau store.

Q: What made you decide to add business education to the mix?

A: Anything in fashion can translate into business. There's marketing, public relations and accounting. Anything with business can be merged in fashion. I did a marketing internship with Donna Karan and worked on Excel spreadsheets and mailers and stuff that doesn't sound so glamorous. There were opportunities I sought out on my own.

Q: In 2011, you completed an unpaid internship with the fashion label Donna Karan. How did that experience shape your career direction?

A: It solidified and validated I was in the field I was supposed to be in. How I got the internship was fate. I was supposed to go to Florida to visit my father, but the flight got canceled because of a thunderstorm in Houston; hail damaged the plane. I ended up taking a connecting flight to New York. I had an old friend there I hadn't talked to in years, so I called her up and we rekindled the friendship. She had a contact at Donna Karan, so it was a thunderstorm in Texas that sent me to New York.

The internship helped me figure out the parts of the business I wanted to do. I'm a natural at marketing and I love to do event planning. I'm putting in multiple 15 hour work days, but I wake up and can't wait to get started. The rush of the last minute is what makes it exciting.

Q: Based on your experience, how can students make the most of their time in college to prepare them for the working world?

A: Create your own opportunities. Don't wait, trust your instincts. Some things will be fated to you and seize those, but make your own opportunities. I volunteered at Fashion's Night Out at Urban Zen, which is a side project of Donna Karan that helps children in Haiti. Not as many people would know about it so I went down there to volunteer and they were excited to have me.

Q: What's next for you

A: New York. I fell in love with the city. There are fashion shows, photo shoots and red carpet events everyday. I've got to get a job and I'll see what happens next. I've been planning since I got back. I'm saving money, and sold my house and my furniture, and I'm going to sell my car and I'm risking it all.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: We have a lot of good sponsors like Velocity Electronics, Old Town Cape, ILuvLocal, who are willing to help and have been awesome. Dr. Erin Fluegge Wolff at Southeast has been awesome.

Fashion Friday's festivities are scheduled to begin 10 a.m. Friday and run through business hours. For a schedule of mini-events at stores, visit www.fashionfridaycape.com.

apicar@semissourian.com

388-3648

Pertinent address: Downtown Cape Girardeau, Mo.