Very few people get the opportunity to be in charge of their specialty upon graduation. I was fortunate to have dived right into the position of Creative Director shortly after my last year at °µÍøTV. Hard work goes without saying, it is expected, but if it wasn't for the curriculum in the Apparel Design major I wouldn't have known how to put together an apparel brand.
The brand I worked for was a small menswear start-up called, Ya Joe. We were a small team ranging from three to four employees and I was the only designer. All responsibility for creating the seasonal line fell on me. °µÍøTV's design program prepared me to tackle such a challenge, I used what I learned from Intro to Fashion and Apparel Production and Evaluation as my road map to get the first season rolling.
Before any designs were created I took a trip to China to visit the factory where Ya Joe merchandise would be manufactured. This trip was to source fabrics that would direct the design direction. With the knowledge I gained from Textiles class with Dr. Copeland, I was able to choose fabrics that were right for Ya Joe's potential customer- that being: easy to care for, functional, and comfortable.
The factory used the Tech Packs I sent them to create samples of all the styles, and once I received them I would check the samples to make sure they were correct and within tolerance of the garments specs. Though I was in constant email contact with the factory, there would still be communication barriers. Lets just say things got done a lot quicker when I would visit the factory and work with the pattern makers and sample sewers directly.
Though I don't work for Ya Joe now, the experience I received was priceless. I learned how to execute a design cycle all the way through production and how the importance of marketing can't be stressed enough. °µÍøTV provided me with the education that prepared me for my time at Ya Joe. Being engaged is the most important advice I could give future students.