Wednesday, January 4, 2012

NYC impressions

highline2011 brought major change concerning my daily routine. Many years of self-employment (and maybe sometimes overindulging myself in its independence) made me desire a new challenge. I decided to move to New York City where my business partner Ilias is opening a jewelry store which is representing Mimi Vert. I also applied at Parsons and was offered a scholarship to continue my studies at my favorite Design College. My new life includes a tight schedule, fixed deadlines and lots of exciting new projects. Some can be viewed here (thank you Timo)
The first months of going back to university were pretty tough and I had serious doubts about managing it next to my other ventures. However I slowly got used to it -how boring would it be if it was easy anyways- and I successfully finished my first semester. My recent experiences and commuting from Brooklyn to Manhattan made me discover and even appreciate a less glamorous (compared to my numerous previous visits) but more real side of the city. Ok, I still dislike riding a crowded subway but this is just one among few negative side effects of living in NYC. And it is worth it. I'm not only learning useful design tools next to lovely and talented people, I'm also in the heart of the most inspiring place of the world. The new versatile tasks take a great amount of my time and they might slow down the current growth of Mimi Vert. Yet I'm convinced that all these new inputs will eventually benefit our line. For the close future my studies, a new collection and the store will be keeping me busy and hopefully excited. My plans about moving back to Switzerland though are postponed, but just for a few years..
sohoparsonsnyc miriam josifront of St. Patrick's Cathedral, opposite to the store in the Olympic Tower on 645 Fifth Ave (opening next month)