After years of designing and merchandising, graduating seniors in the apparel, textiles and merchandising program will have the chance to showcase their projects tomorrow in this year’s senior exposition.
Charles Freeman, apparel, textiles and merchandising instructor, said the exposition will encompass several aspects of the program.
“The projects are going to be namely senior projects that will be ranging anywhere from garments and original student design, to projects that involve sustainability and repurposed products to merchandising, store plans and branding strategies,” he said. “There will be extremely creative, original designs up to retailing, selling and the financial aspects of the program.”
The seniors in the program have been creating their projects since the beginning of their college career.
“They have been working on some of these projects for four years. It’s basically a compilation of their best work that they have done at their time at Mississippi State,” Freeman said.
Freeman teaches a visual design course that shows seniors the roots of design principles and how design can create better products. Seniors will gain an understanding of color, texture, shape and line.
“I also teach a course which shows the manufacturing aspects of the apparel business as well as pattern making and construction classes,” he said.
With the skills taught in the program, seniors will be able to branch out and have careers in technical and creative design, as well as visual merchandising.
“We have students that are staying in Mississippi because they want to open their own boutiques. They really want to contribute to the local economy and local culture of the fashion here in Mississippi,” he said. “But after May, it’s going to be an explosion of fashion students that will be sent all over the world.”
A guest speaker from JC Penny will be attending the exposition to give a speech pertaining to what seniors can do when they graduate.
“We have Robin Cox coming in from the JC Penny headquarters in Dallas. She is the merchandising planner for the women’s casual line who is also an MSU alumnus,” Freeman said. “She will give a keynote address to students about her career path after leaving MSU and how she got to the current position she is in, as well as the different opportunities that are available for our students at MSU in the apparel industry.”
Rylee Tomlinson, senior human sciences major, helped plan the exposition and said very detailed projects will be on display.
“Merchandising students will feature projects like retailing portfolios where we have to ‘operate’ our own store for six months,” she said. “We have to plan everything for the store. Right down to the color of the paint on the walls and the music we will play in the store along with the merchandise we will sell. Design students will showcase design lines, design portfolios and actual finished garments.”
Vanessa Angel, senior human sciences major, will be displaying projects from her fashion portfolio in the exhibition.
“My portfolio varies from an Egyptian-inspired clothing line to fashion trend boards. However, my favorite project that I created was a ‘New York Lookbook’ that I made while I was in New York last summer for the apparel, textile and merchandising NYC Study Tour,” she said.
Angel said her goal after graduating from MSU is to become a merchandise buyer from a high-end retailer.
“I really enjoy blending mathematics with fashion and also mixing that in trend research. Fashion is so great because it really is a reflection of current events, history and art,” she said.
Anyone may attend the senior exposition in the Lloyd-Ricks Watson building at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon.