This is the progression of my final project for Apparel Studio Design.

My inspiration was the British Royal family particularly since Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle was just the summer prior.

I decided to make a garment that was tailored and feminine, a modern suiting appropriate for an audience with the Queen.

An assignment for my Apparel Design Studio course through the University of Georgia. The first half of the semester was focused on Fashion and Fabric Illustration. I sourced my fabric swatches from resources within the classroom which then lead to my inspiration, flamingos and Palm Springs, California in the 1960s.

These are photographs of my CAD work with Optitex PDS.

I created and graded various garments including a women’s skirt and a child’s jumper and hat. We analyzed and worked with data from a previous sloper as well as digitized patterns.

A part of my course work included working with Optitex Marker to create optimal markers for cutting as well as getting an introduction to Lectra’s Modaris.

My inspiration for my final project in Apparel Digital Design were the fashionable women who are 65+ and living in metropolitan areas. These women have new found celebrity as social media influencers and inspire all ages. The project consisted of several elements including, an inspiration board, featured trends board, knit and print pattern mill cards, a garment design sheet, and the garment assortment compiled into a stylized sales sheet.

For the ‘21-’22 and ‘22-’23 school years, I was a CTE teacher at a public high school. My pathway included the classes of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Management. I also “hired” student interns each semester for Work-Based Learning credit building their skills in professionalism and retail operations.

I ran the school store, or “SBE” school-based enterprise with spirited merchandise as an on-going form of fundraising for the student organization I was the advisor for through my extended day CTE contract. The intra-curricular activity, as they now call them, also meant that I was to recruit students for participation, coach them in business case studies, prepare them for competition, facilitate volunteer opportunities, hold chapter meetings, and attend professional development events. I was proud to have built a great group of students from a starting membership of 0, with 3 students going on to place in their respective competition categories at Region.

Additionally, I was an advisor for junior and senior students, helping them navigate their course schedules, communicating with their parents on their progress, making support suggestions, championing them toward their post-graduation plans, and overall cheering them on as they worked toward graduation. The majority of my advisees happened to be first-generation Americans who were navigating new and unknown trajectories.

There were many other aspects to this position and I learned so much about myself and my community. The teachers at the high school are the biggest advocates for their students and I am forever their fan!

Using a standard plain sloper, I created new hand-drawn paper patterns and muslin samples with design features.

I was the Store Manager for a contemporary young women’s boutique located in Downtown Athens.

My team consisted of 10 college and high-school aged store associates as well as an assistant store manager. I would conduct team meetings and on-the-floor training for styling, merchandising, and selling techniques.

I implemented various strategies for better product turnover and return-customer retention leading to a 16% increase in year-over sales under my leadership as well as exceeding the company’s goal by 2%.

There were many operational procedures to ensure the success of the store. I was constantly conducting interviews, managing inventory, engaging with members of the community, and of course, scheduling and auditing employee hours.

My favorite part of managing the boutique was being a part of the “buzz” of downtown and getting to know so many customers.

Through my assistantship, I taught undergraduate students how to use the dye sublimation printer and heat press to bring their designs to life within the department’s Makerspace. I also tested color ways, dye adhesion and vibrancy on a multitude of fabric swatches for departmental reference.

As Sales & Project Manager, my role continuously evolved while working with a small entrepreneurial business, however it was primarily focused on sales and marketing. One significant project was merging the company’s two brands under one cohesive name and simplifying their operational structure.

I worked with local photographers to style and capture the new feel and direction of the brand. I developed new sales catalogs and web pages for retailers and direct-to-consumer purchases.

Other projects included designing product packaging, streamlining purchase order fulfillment, managing royalty reports, as well as working with various showrooms and road representatives.

My primary role was driving sales at various apparel and gift market shows throughout the Southeast. I helped set-up and facilitate their “temporary” floor presence as well as in their showrooms.

During my time, I helped the business grow and transition from made-to-order, to in-house product inventory, to a hired fulfillment center that could handle the processing requirements of large customers and with customer service integration.

A complete account of my work with this company can be read in my CV which is available on the “About” page of this site.

I submitted this case study for the Fashion Scholarship Fund in Fall 2019. I was awarded a scholarship and a trip to NYC to attend the FSF 2020 Gala.

I chose the analytics prompt which asked for a collaboration assessment using a systematic measurable process.

I researched the collaboration between Adidas and Parley for the Oceans because I was curious to learn more about their sustainability initiatives for recyclable raw material sourcing and within apparel manufacturing.

With a limited slide presentation allotted, I summarized the data of target benefits to be evaluated, the methodology, and the metrics necessary to define and benchmark success. I was to include any necessary investments, including technology, needed by the collaborative companies.

I used Adobe InDesign to create my slide presentation.

Utilizing Lectra Kaledo software, I created a digital collection based off the street style, Surf Culture. This project included an inspiration board, color ways, and a line sheet with various clothing categories. A part of this assignment included creating custom knit, weave, and print patterns as well as designing apparel items.

Using Lectra Kaldeo Print, I created unique two-way prints in various color ways based off of an inspiration image.

I used Adobe InDesign to create the magazine layout and graphics for this group assignment. I set the direction for each shoot and was the main photographer. The objective was to highlight current trends in Spring 2019 and forecast upcoming trends for Spring 2020.

Each trend is evaluated by colors, fabrics, textures, and silhouette. This magazine includes researched style representations, products available in the market, as well as our group’s interpretations.

Our team took the opportunity to photograph on-location at several iconic Athens establishments including, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, the UGA Latin American Garden, Ike and Jane Bakery in Normaltown, and the Iron Horse statue in Oconee County.

Drawing inspiration from Elsa Schiaparelli’s infamous Lobster Dress, I found an image that reflected her motif. From there I created a tossed print with various color ways, including “Shocking Pink,” with Lectra Kaledo Print.

Learning to use Lectra Kaledo Knit, I created different patterns with four color ways each.

These are examples of me using different swatches to practice my fabric texture illustrations and then representing those swatches within a stylized garment.

My team won the t-shirt design competition for the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. After interviewing students and alumni of the different departments, we used Lectra’s Kaledo Style to develop a graphic that would represent and encompass the various majors within the college. We wanted a design that current students and alumni would be proud to support and wear. The public was able to vote for their favorite design to be available for purchase.

As a Graduate TA, I was able to accompany undergraduate students on a tour of Carter’s Inc. distribution center in Braselton, Georgia, home of childrenswear brands Carter’s, Oshkosh B’gosh, and SkipHop. We were able to see their picking stations, quality control, internet direct fulfillment and their large vendor bays. It was an incredible opportunity to see every aspect of their large operations as well as chat with various managers.

For the last few years I have volunteered as a category expert judge for the Georgia 4-H Project Achievement State Congress Finals for the Fashion Review category.

I am asked to critique student presentations and their final garment in categories such as construction, style, and professionalism.

I enjoy getting to see the student’s work and encourage them to continue their interests in textiles. It has been a pleasure to work with Dr. Courtney Brown, the program specialist, and team each year.

This is an example of an original plain weave I created with Lectra Kaldeo Weave.

A group research assignment, evaluating and debating the Con position for protectionist government policies in regards to the textile and apparel industry.

I wrote the Opening and Position Statements as well as researched topics pertaining to GDP.

Our team successfully debated and prepared our presentation allowing us to win the debated argument which was based off of the class reviews and votes.

Using Adobe Photoshop Sketch on my iPad and my iPencil, I created a greeting card for this group project by hand-drawing and layering graphics from various inspirational images provided by each member.

In between classes on day, I had some time to kill, so I chose to sketch a rendition of Uga, our beloved school mascot, based off a photograph I found online. I ended up using this sketch as my inspiration contribution.

For different celebrations, I have created custom invitations. This has been sporadic projects I have done just for fun, and to play with my iPad and Adobe Sketchbook app.

In January 2013, I traveled to the Navy Yard in Philadelphia home of the URBN Inc. headquarters, which includes brands Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Terrain, Free People, and more. I was invited to interview for their College Summer Internship Program.

I had applied to intern for their newly emerging bridal brand, BHLDN (now Anthropologie Weddings). However, I was asked to interview for the brand Anthropologie.

While I felt the gravity of my interview, I later realized was a pretty big deal since I didn’t work for one of the brand’s retail locations and everyone else I met while waiting for my interview time did, and they were compensated for a weekend of travel.

Honestly, I was *intimidated.* Flying in and out on the same day, it was my first time traveling independently on plane to a big city. My boyfriend’s (now husband) parents had foot the bill for me to go. Needless to say, my nerves got the best of me and I didn’t land the internship, but I learned valuable lessons through the experience and enjoyed walking around their home office campus before rushing back to the airport in fear that I would miss my flight!

In 2019, I attended a class tour with Greg Vessels of Lanier Apparel’s distribution office located in Toccoa, Georgia, home of brands such as Duck Head. The facilities have since closed, but it was interesting to see their operations, including suiting design with Rick Elrod, lock and sorting systems, and logistics packaging and organization.

During my trip to NYC for the Fashion Scholarship Fund gala, I was able to visit Kohl’s New York offices for a panel discussion and brief presentation on their summer internship offerings. Their patio has a picturesque view of the Empire State Building!

A final assignment in my Textile Testing course included filming a lab demonstration. By luck of the draw, my partner and I were assigned Wrinkle Recovery.

My Textile Testing lab partner and I created an instructional video on how to test for wrinkle recovery in fabric by evaluating the change in angle from the fabric overtime.

We followed the prompt of our lab assignment and filmed using our iPhones while conducting our research. I then edited our videos with iMovie and included a voice over, provided by my lab partner, running notes, clip transitions and background music.

Pictured are clips from the final film.

As an alumna of the Fashion Scholarship Fund, I have access to various professional development opportunities including exclusive interviews, industry panels, and networking events. Examples here include interviews with Tommy Hilfiger and Lauren Bush Lauren of FEED (feedprojects.com).