MY WORKPLAYCE: ANNE MARIE MANIEGO
Name: Anne Marie Maniego
Location: Bay Area soon to be NYC resident
Occupation: Fashion Designer
Affiliations: Fox Racing / Cymi / Gap Inc.
Background: Anne Marie was born and raised all throughout the bay area with dreams of relocating to NYC. She graduated from FIDM / The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco with a degree in Fashion Design. Anne Marie got an internship directly out of college with Gap Inc.’s Old Navy then began freelancing for an admirable 3 years in boys design specializing in all aspects from knits to outerwear, and denim. She currently designs for Fox Racing Inc. In Men’s Sportswear handling board shorts, fleece, and special make up for special retailers. Aside from working for one of the largest apparel companies in the action sports industry, she also takes great interest in women’s wear, particularly in Mr. Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney, & Balmain. She’s extremely passionate and takes every opportunity she can to design for local companies in SF, LA, and NYC with no restraints. With every inch, every stitch, every seam, she lives to create.
Let’s checkout both her work and home office:
Fox Racing office workspace:
1. 21.5″ iMac
2. Wacom Intuos4 tablet
3. Pantone color chips
4. Fresh Cuts & Undertow boardie doll
5. Alex O’ Loughlin Hawaii 5-0 printout
6. Fox Racing photo booth printout
7. Fall ’12 sneak peek
8. Ian Walsh printout
9. Workbooks
10. Water bottles
Home office workspace:
1. Macbook
2. Blackberry Tour
3. Men’s Nylon Magazine
4. Mini Munny Figure
5. Fairchild’s Dynamics of Fashion book
6. Fairchild’s Dictionary of Textiles
7. Keep Calm and Carry On canvas print
8. Messy cork board
9. Wacom tablet
10. Giant purple clothespin
AWKP: Off the bat, being that you represent the strong independent woman of the 2000′s and beyond, do you find difficulty in designing for an action sports brand primarily targeted towards men?
AM: During my first couple weeks at Fox, I thought I would struggle with understanding the Fox customer without any knowledge of how the company. Fox’s history reflects greatly in it’s products, and literally everyday. I took notes, studied our customer, and soon enough, I was brought up to speed and designing my first board short for Fall 2011!
AWKP: You mention Men’s Nylon Magazine in your home office. A magazine when first introduced back in 1999 was featured primarily as an American woman’s guide to fashion and pop culture. How are you able to pull inspiration from a magazine like that with the absence of any off-road, moto-bike magazines?
AM: Haha, you just reminded me of a time I was in college. I was in the design studio on a Saturday morning drafting out a pattern for an evening dress I was creating for a Dale Chihuly exhibit showcased at the De Young Museum. That day happened to be Open House at FIDM, and as prospective students were taking a tour around the campus, a young lady came up to me and asked, “How do you get inspired by a vase?!?!” I smiled thinking, good grief child! Do you not see the lines? The shape and curves overlaying the vase?! Look at the color, you could easily capture the same effects using organza or something else sheen. She looked at me overwhelmed.. it was cute. To answer your question, a great designer sees the bigger picture. I could look at Vogue and find a great pattern or fresh accent color and translate it into my designs. It’s important to be aware of what other brands are doing, yet keeping your customer in mind.
AWKP: What is it about these Dunnys and Munnys vinyl figurines that make these such a must have on one’s desk? Is there a personal connection between you and this pink little guy?
AM: Absolutely! He’s cute, he’s pink, aaaaaand UO didn’t offer it in purple. Hah!
AWKP: We haven’t seen any Fairchild’s books pop up in any of our other interviews. You showcase two references on your workspace. What has intrigued you about this company to pull inspiration from their design guides?
AM: Fairchild publications are known for their educational resources for fashion, merchandising, retail, and interior design students. Obviously I was given these textbooks while in school, and it’s helped me with just about everything I know!
AWKP: The ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ was a famous poster created by the British Government and introduced in 1939 during WWII to raise moral to the general public. Is it a constant battle everyday to hit your daily goals? How far do you intend to keep fighting/designing till you feel you have conquered it all?
AM: Robert H. Schuller quotes one of the most inspirational words of all time. Here’s one that pretty much sums it all, “High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly, make big decisions quickly, and move into action immediately. Follow these principles and you can make your dreams come true.” As completive as the industry is, you have to be a top-notch go-getter and most of all, stay hungry. The more I crave for it, the closer I get to reaching my goals of becoming a phenomenal designer, at least before I turn 30.
AWKP: You know we had to ask you about this printout of Alex O’ Loughlin from Hawaii 5-0. We assume that 90% of the time your eyes are glued to the screen, would the other 10% be dedicated to at looking at him?
AM: Great question! The whole story behind that photo was when the ladies and I at work were naming our “Top 5″, and Alex O’ Loughlin was my #1. One of the girls printed a huge picture for me and I found him a new home on my wall. Since then, the best part of him being pinned up on my wall was… HE WAS LOOKING BACK AT ME! Sometimes he distracts me and I tell him to look away, but he just can’t stop starring. 
AWKP: Being a huge fan of fashion and pop culture, you are now the one behind the scenes cooking up designs for the masses. Is it tough trying to design one year ahead to stay ‘on calendar?’
AM: It’s really tough, but not because we’re unsure of a trend, it’s selling our pitch to sales to get them to believe in us. They only see numbers and it’s either a hit or miss until it does become a trend. Us designers are pretty confident. *winks
AWKP: Here is an AWKP first. Not only are you an action sports designer but you also model on the side. How serious were/are you in the modeling game? Any projects we should look out for in the near future?
AM: Well, my mom enrolled me in modeling school when I was in high school after so many offers and people pointing out that I’m one of the tallest asian girls they’ve ever seen. I used to hate it because coaches would force me to play ball and volleyball. I tried it out, wasn’t too fond of it and one day, a friend wanted to test out his new camera. It was my first shoot, and I had tons of fun. Afterwards, photographers offered to contribute to each other’s portfolios and I wanted to take it to a new level. Erika from America’s Next Top Model, spotted me walking downtown while on my way to class, and recruited me on the spot for Season 9 of ANTM. I didn’t make it, but that didn’t stop me. I’m actually going to Beverly Hills this weekend as celebrity photographer, Patrick Hoelck, invited me to a casting for his 2nd coffee book. I’m really excited, talk about one heck of a birthday gift!
AWKP: Is Fox Racing aware of your modeling and have they considered using you in any future projects?
AM: Certain people know only because I’d like to keep my modeling separate from the workplace.
AWKP: You graduated not too long ago from FIDM-SF and then eventually earned a great opportunity to work for a huge brand being Fox Racing. What advice would you give young designers in school trying to break into the fashion industry?
AM: Hang in there!! Be patient, but don’t wait too long. It’s not easy, and people will try to break you as in any other industry. Be true to yourself and own your designs. The famous saying, “Work hard, but play harder”. Don’t take anything personal, because they’re just critiques and it’s only to help you grow as a designer with thicker skin.
AWKP: Any final words? Shoutouts?
AM: Special shootout to my family, friends, and my blog readers for believing and supporting me. I promise to clothe you in your very own Anne Marie pieces when my time comes. 
Check out her portfolio here
Anne Marie’s Blog
