International Manufacturing & Product Development Graduate Thesis Presentations

Resumes don't get any juicier than this! Seven FIDM students from the International Manufacturing & Product Development Advanced Study Program delivered their graduate thesis presentations this past Wednesday where they related their first-hand experiences in global apparel manufacturing throughout Europe and Asia.

Over the course of nine months, they were involved with all phases of product development, including trend forecasting and analysis, production, sales, and finance in the global marketplace. Guess, Jelata, Dockers Khakis®, and Wilkes Bashford were the four companies selected for the students to work with in developing a new line. Presentations included design boards with fabric samples, clothing sketches, inspirational images, pictures of target customers, as well as the actual clothing displayed on mannequins or worn by models.

Daisy Boese, whose project was to develop a women's sportswear line for Dockers Khakis®, presented several skirt and top combinations for women 35 and older. Based on her research, she determined her target customer is partial to "stylish comfort" and affordability. As a result, she chose stretch fabrics and easy-to-wear cuts. The overall design of her line was influenced by the convergence of nature and technology with drawstring and pull-cord elements combined with soft natural colors and knit fabrics.

For the Guess company, Tyson Saucier and Afi Howell presented a menswear jeans line. Their target customer is the 18-24 year old male who may be attending college and has disposable income to spend on fashion because he still lives at home. Inspired by "street couture" and technology, where old styles are mixed with new and edgy elements and fabrics, their line relies heavily on denim to make a statement –especially where leather is traditionally used. By using "fashion" denim, which is a lightweight and strong blend of cotton and polyester, the mix of street and techno is clearly presented–especially when the denim uses a modern or retro weave. They also presented their "stealth button down shirt" where the buttons are hidden by a front flap and the sleeves end in short style cuffs.

Carlos Nanez and Alma Gonzalez developed a back-to-school line for Jalate. Their target customers are plus-size teens. After conducting focus groups with overweight teens in Milan, they discovered that these girls wanted to wear the same types of fashionable clothes that are usually only available in smaller sizes. In order to deliver what the girls wanted, they designed clothes with trendy elements that were placed near the face or edges of the outfit, such as interesting neck closures, cuff details, or pants with ankle accents that would focus attention away from the waistline.

Kimberly Wright and Joshua Christensen presented a line called "Red Label" for Wilkes Bashford of custom-tailored suits for female executives. The clothes are modern, colorful, and stylish and are designed to meet the needs of new female Internet executives who need assistance with dressing for their new work and social activities. Mr. Wilkes of Wilkes Bashford attended the presentation and heartily approved of the designs, saying that he intends to display them in his store window.