Jamie Paul Holahan

FIDM graduate and successful fashion designer, Jamie Paul Holahan arrived at his career in a somewhat unusual manner.

Having grown up on the beaches of Southern California, Jamie spent his childhood surfing and snorkeling. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the army and spent 2 years in Germany. He later served as ammo team chief in the Persian Gulf War.

After finishing his enlistment, Jamie pursued his artistic talents and enrolled at The Fashion Instituete of Design & Merchandising to study fashion design. He completed the 2 year program in 1994 and was accepted into the third year advanced study program.

The line of sportswear Jamie designed and produced during his third year was a show stopper at FIDM's annual fashion gala, "Debut". One of the hundreds of industry executives who attended the event, Sirena Apparel Group CEO, Doug Arbetman, was so impressed with Jamie's collection that he scheduled an interview with him the next week. Jamie was quickly hired and asked to produce a line of junior swimwear called Hot Water. Jamie has since gone on to become the Director of Design, Liz Claiborne Swimwear at Sirena.

Jamie's success can be attributed to his personal philosophy. He feels that life is like a game -- you never know if you can win until you play. Jamie also believes that anything is possible if you stick to your dreams and work hard to achieve them. According to Jamie, nothing good in life comes easy.
All swimwear shown was designed by Jamie Paul Holahan for Liz Claiborne.