Meet the Senior Apparel Design and Merchandising Students

As our Apparel Design and Merchandising students busily and anxiously prepare for their annual Spring Fashion Showcase coming up this Saturday, I got the chance to sit down with three seniors to get the inside scoop on the major, the designs, and the upcoming show. Here’s what Haleigh Conard, Paige Locke, and Jordan Dollard had to say about their beloved program:

[pagebreak]

Q. Why did you choose Apparel Design and Merchandising as your major field of study at ASU?

A. Paige: I already knew that I wanted to work as a stylist for a fashion publication, and after a year studying creative writing and minoring in apparel, I realized it needed to be my main focus.  I really needed the in-depth and thorough understanding of the industry.

A. Jordan: I’ve always loved fashion and clothes, but I never really thought about it as a career. When I came to college I was a marketing major and hated it. My advisor told me I might as well do what I love in college because I would regret it one day. That day I changed and got into apparel classes and have enjoyed (most) every moment since.

A. Haleigh: I started at Appalachian State as an Exercise Science major.  I took Apparel Construction at the end of my sophomore year, in hopes of taking a class that I actually enjoyed.  After completing the first project in the class, a simple skirt, I felt the most rewarding feeling and knew that Apparel Design and Merchandising was the path of study I wanted to take.

Q. Tell me more about the Apparel Design and Merchandising program at ASU.

A. Jordan: It’s an adventure. We’re challenged everyday and sometimes I haven’t understood why we were learning some things. Everything has come full circle though and proven helpful in other classes, jobs, and internships.

A. Paige: It is much more involved than many people assume.  Much of what we do is project and product oriented which calls for long hours in the sewing lab, the art studio, and computer labs getting our work done.  I feel as you get deeper into the major it is also very self motivated.  The only person that can truly get the work done is you, and you determine how well that work will be done. 

It’s overall a very interesting blend of the analytic and creative parts of the brain.  We combine the merchandising and design sides of the industry, which many other schools do not do, and gives us a pretty nice advantage in job hunting.  We’re required to have a marketing minor, on top of art classes, fibers classes, sewing and construction.  There are so many things required in the industry; we have to be prepared for them through our education. 

Q. Tell me about the upcoming Spring Showcase. (Theme? Music? Location? Etc.)

A. Paige: It will be on Saturday April 27th in the Education Building, with shows at 3 and 7 pm.  We were excited to use our building to show off the new sewing lab and equipment our department got.  There actually isn’t really a theme because we just wanted to keep it pretty clean and focused on the individuals’ collections.  We used a fashion illustration that I drew last year just to really emphasize some other areas of our major.  The music is a compilation that some students put together, again just wanting to emphasize the garments but keep the mood up beat and energetic for the crowd. 

[pagebreak]

Q. Tell me about your collection in the Showcase.

A. Haleigh: My collection is called “American Outlaw,” which is inspired by old album covers.  I am incorporating Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, and Waylon Jennings tee shirts into my designs.  The idea is to turn something gritty and masculine into something pretty and flattering to the woman’s body.

A. Jordan: My collection started as one idea and has changed a lot. Seeing it on paper and seeing it in fabric are two completely different things. My collection is full of girly, feminine shapes and fabrics with edgy touches. There’s a lot of black and leather, but it’s balanced well with pinks, blues and glitter.

A. Paige: My collection is inspired by the surf and skate movement of the 1970s, The Z Boys and Lords of Dogtown; that whole thing.  I’ve always been really attracted to that era and subculture.  And it also somewhat plays into my style.  I started compiling inspirations over the fall semester and coming up with some design sketches.  Originally, I really wanted to do men’s and women’s, but I decided to keep the focus on females.  I used a lot of color blocking similar to the uniforms the guys wore, and colors from the photographs.  I also used scuba material to tie back into the surfing idea, which was interesting to work with for the first time!  I ended up with 4 garments: 3 dresses and a romper.  I’m extremely proud of them and the entire process has really grown my interest in design. 

Q. What are you most looking forward to about Showcase?

A. Jordan: I think I’m most looking forward to all my models getting into their finished garments and walking the runway. I’m going to cry when it happens.  I just know it.

A. Haleigh: Getting to see my vision come to life, having lots of family and friends there supporting me, the after party, then sleeping in the next day.

Q. What is your favorite part of being an Apparel Design and Merchandising major?

A. Paige: I love how my creativity is applied.  I never would have thought I could actually be hired to do something I love.  As much as we might dread spending all night in the lab sewing or looking at a computer screen, there’s a true passion behind it that gets us through those long hours.  And there’s camaraderie between everyone.  We might not wear the same style or brands, but we can all appreciate it. 

A. Haleigh: I love that you learn the correct way to do the technical things, but you also have enough freedom to use assignments as a creative outlet.

A. Jordan: My favorite part of the major is being around like-minded people. I sometimes feel as though fashion is one of those dreams that people say you’ll never accomplish, but, when the other students in the ADM major surround me, I feel as though it’s really an obtainable goal.

Q. What are your plans for after graduation?

A. Paige: I will be moving to NYC in about a month to do an internship with the fashion department at Elle magazine.  In August, I’ll hopefully be finding a job either in New York or LA involving styling.  However, I’ll also be applying for a few positions in design due to my growing interest in this area of the industry.   I have my list of companies developed, but first I need to get through Elle!

A. Haleigh: I have a nine-week internship in Philadelphia, PA with Free People as their Summer 2013 Technical Design Intern

Q. If you could give one piece of advice to a student considering the major, what would it be?

A. Jordan: Enjoy it and give it your all. You can only have a good experience if you try your hardest and learn all you can. I regret not paying better attention in CAD and patterning because those are skills I can’t take to the real world.

A. Haleigh: Loving to shop isn’t the same as loving to create; loving to create and having a vision is what makes you do well in this major.

A.Paige: Make sure you love it.  If you don’t love it, you won’t make it through. 

Come out and see the Apparel Design and Merchandising students showcase their work at the Spring Showcase, this Saturday in the Reich College of Education Building. Shows begin at 3 o’clock and 7 o’clock and tickets are $5.00. See you all there!