My Academic Course Work

Fashion History

During my time at the University of Delaware I have taken classes from product development, merchandise planning and brand management. One of my favorite courses at UD has been fashion art history. The changes and evolutions of clothing has always intrigued me. One of the main reasons I wanted to go into fashion was my interest in clothing from the past. Unlike many other industries fashion is a cycle, although it is growing and expanding the silhouettes and trends stay the same. Through my time as a student, I was able to develop a deeper insight about fashion from the 1900’s to present, while expanding my knowledge on why we wore what we did and the adaption of clothing to the present. I was also able to examine the influence of various ethnic groups, their cultures and clothing practices on Western apparel fashion and textile arts during the 20th and 21st centuries. I now better understand and appreciate the diversity of social and cultural influences on fashion, by recognizing the inspiration of historic and cultural dress on contemporary fashion.

Global Apparel and Textile Trade

Another one of my favorite courses at the University of Delaware was Global Apparel and Textile Trade and Sourcing. During this course, I was able to grasp global interdependencies that influence production, distribution, and consumer consumption. I studied the roles of government, industry, and consumers in the global economy with a focus on the apparel industry by analyzing practices to improve sustainability in production of apparel. Fashion is a global industry that is constantly growing. My time in this course gave me a deeper insight in communication through different global industries within fashion. I will be able to take my understanding in this course into departments such as product development and merchandise planning.

Fashion Art History

Another course I thoroughly enjoyed, was Fashion Art Studio, as it was a creative outlet for me. It allowed me to be imaginative by researching colors, trends, and silhouettes. It was a breath of fresh air within my normal course load. Throughout fashion art studio I was able to use the right side of my brain. I was introduced to design through the physical application of various art media as applied to the study of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional design. During the semester, I studied design criteria and artistic objectives as they relate to the environment. I learned about line, silhouette, color, typography, Photoshop and much more. I will use this information because I fully grasp the idea of proportions and colors within the aspect of design. I was able to use my hands, express my vision, and push my creativity throughout this class. One of my favorite aspects of the class was learning how to use Adobe Photoshop. It was a software I always wanted to learn how to use and will continue to use in the future.

Natalie+R.+Smith+Fashion+project+project+3.pdf

Photoshop project from Fashion Art Studio

Spec pack final.pdf

Product Development

Lastly, during my senior year at the University of Delaware I enrolled in advanced product development. People in product development must constantly negotiate with vendors, while thinking of innovative solutions. It is important to always balance a business and creative mind. To work in product development, you truly need to comprehend the ins and outs of a garment. You basically are creating a recipe for hundreds of people that you have no control over. If you do not include every tiny detail something will go wrong, and in baking terms your cake may not rise. Through this process I now understand how complex it is to develop and manufacturer even the simplest things we wear everyday. My final project was to create a spec pack for a pair of compression leggings. Throughout the project I had to develop and measure point of measure, bill of materials, fit comments, and minimum constructions. I was able to develop a real love for the process of design and need for product development. To the right you can see the final spec pack.

Report abuse