|
||||
Fashion Design
Heather Bradley (Fashion Design, 2006)
Cajun Moon Clothing Co., Nashville, Tenn.
Heather Bradley has been sewing since she was a little girl. She picked up the skill from her grandmother, stitching patchwork garments as a childhood hobby. It wasn't until she began selling her rudimentary creations at concerts that Heather realized she had an untapped talent.
"Everything I made immediately sold at these shows," she says. "I had no idea what I was doing, but people were buying it. At that point, I knew I needed to learn more."
The Nashvillian began looking into design schools, and quickly chose O'More for the program structure and its small classroom size. By the time she graduated, Heather had developed her own line, Cajun Moon Clothing Company - the name inspired from an old J.J. Cale song - that focused on re-purposed designs.
The concept behind Cajun Moon is an individualized garment that caters to the client's personality. Heather takes recycled garments and T-shirts and transforms them into skirts, pillows and girl's dresses.
"Recycling is something I do and I feel pretty passionate about it," she says. "That's how the whole T-shirt thing was born. And I love it - this is where I'm going to stay."
The idea has taken flight. Heather says she's "amazed" at how the line has grown in the past four years. Cajun Moon has clothing in stores across the country, including Florida, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Customers can also order items from the company's website, using either a T-shirt the line offers or their own garment.
"It's really cool to watch it grow," she says. "We have a one-of-a-kind thing."
For more than two years, Heather has also been designing for Little Mave, an East Nashville line that produces little girl's boiler pants. It's carried in boutiques in Nashville and New York, and Heather and owner Victoria McGowen have recently started selling the product at trade shows.
"She came to me with the idea," Heather says. "I've helped her perfect the patterns, and I make every single garment that comes out of that line."
Little Mave's popularity has risen in the past year, too - Heather and Victoria were invited to this year's Boom Boom Room Pre-Golden Globe Awards Gifting Suite, an exclusive gifting lounge for A-List celebrity parents that offers maternity, new mom, baby and children's products. Little Mave was one of 80 lines featured.
"They have a cool vintage look to them. People just eat them up," she says.
Heather held two internships at O'More that she says were vital to her development and confidence as a designer.
The first was in the costume department at The Tennessee Repertory Theatre, where she worked on her sewing techniques and patternmaking - and experienced first-hand the high-pressure atmosphere of backstage. In her second internship with Manuel Exclusive Clothier, Heather learned to work with leather and improved her piping details.
"I incorporated a lot of those components - patent leather, rhinestones, crazy eye stuff - into my senior collection," she says. Her collection, "Optical Insanity," won the Critics Choice Award at the 2008 Eloise Fashion Show.
Heather says that through the tight-knit community at O'More, she fostered relationships that she still holds today.
"So many great memories of staying up until two in the morning doing homework," she says. "Even experiencing the chaos and stress of it all with everyone was cool.
"The environment was really awesome. It fed into the whole creative aspect," she says. "I learned so much there, it's hard to even sum it all up."
To learn more about Heatherd's line, visit Cajun Moon Clothing Co.
Leeann Eubank (BFA Fashion Design, 2006)
whats-in-store, Nashville, Tenn.
Leeann Eubank's talent touches nearly every aspect of whats-in-store, the Nashville wholesale and retail fashion jewelry business whose product has been featured numerous times in big-name publications, including Lucky Magazine. Because she holds the titles of both wholesale account manager and senior designer for the company, Leeann oversees all sales to boutique retailers globally, and manages trade show operations and the Nashville showroom. In the middle of all this, she finds time to lend her creativity to digital and hands-on design projects.
Leeann took owner Dena Ferrell Nance's entrepreneurship course at O'More in Fall 2005, developing a relationship with the teacher that led to Leeann's first job. She's been working for Dena since she graduated from O'More in 2006.
"I have helped grow the wholesale side of our business to a major player in today's marketplace. It's very hands-on, and I get to be a part of so many aspects of this business," she says. "I have a personal investment in this company and its success. It's amazing to see it grow."
After graduation, Leeann immediately jumped into the New York fashion scene with whats-in-store's involvement in the juried Accessories the Show trade event. From there, the leap from local sales to international pitches for the line catapulted both Leeann and the company into quick success.
Over the past six years, whats-in-store has expanded from selling its merchandise to regional retailers and in its flagship Franklin store to reaching boutiques, catalogs and multi-chain stores worldwide. The company work with customers in the United States, Canada, Asia, South America and the United Kingdom - and its products can be seen on the wrists of Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.
Leeann travels to cities all over the United States throughout the year, working at trade shows and selling the product. When she's not on the road, she's wearing all the mini hats that fall under the umbrella of wholesale account manager and designer, from handling customer relations and marketing strategies to the coordination of manufacturing details and materials sourcing.
"That's what makes it great - as a creative person, I'm not stuck in one task. I get to have my hands in different things," she says.
Leeann says the team and its collective effort behind whats-in-store has helped the company take flight in recent years, and land recognition in publications like Real Simple, Southern Living and Country Weekly.
"This great team came together and all the pieces fell in place. Everyone meshes so well," she says.
As for her individual contributions, Leeann points to her education as a large player in the process.
"My background helped grow our line in terms of overall design. I knew about fashion forecasting and trends from school that I could translate into accessories," she says. "Then I had the graphic experience from O'More that helped the marketing side."
Leeann is also a designer for the six yearly collections that whats-in-store develops, including a product line where she designs each piece digitally. She creates the entire Etch collection - a line made completely out of recycled sheet metal - in Illustrator and Photoshop. Celebrities like Jessica and Ashlee Simpson have purchased the jewelry.
When Leeann hopped on the phone, she was in the midst of developing a new style of a specific line for one of their larger clients. The retailer liked certain samples, but wanted them tweaked to fit its clientele.
"I'm taking the jewelry and manipulating it graphically. Then I get it approved and send it to our manufacturers for production," she says. "I'm putting my Illustrator and Photoshop skills that I learned from O'More to use on a weekly basis."
While Leeann has her hands full with whats-in-store, she still finds time to build a custom bridal clientele. Her senior collection at O'More focused on bridal design - she won an award for the collection - and her most recent client was interior design alumna Jennefer Randolph Guthrie, who was married in April. Leeann even wore her own custom gown for her 2007 wedding.
She references an internship she earned at O'More through draping instructor Patti Talbot as an experience important to her growth as a budding designer. Leeann spent her hours at Seam in Spaces, an alteration and custom design shop in Nashville, perfecting her sewing techniques and learning the business.
"I learned an invaluable lesson through her: if I wanted to learn something, it was on me to find out how to do it. I have the ability and the skills to find the answer," she says. "It gave me a certain confidence level."
Leeann is still involved with O'More, serving on the program advisory board for the fashion design department. She says the drive she felt to succeed was cultivated at O'More because of the classroom atmosphere and relationships with instructors and peers.
"I knew what I wanted to do, and I wanted something tailored to that," she says. "You knew that first semester if you wanted to do this or not. I really appreciated that."
To learn more about Leeann, go here.
Ondrea Kurtilla (BFA Fashion Design, 2010)
Dockers Shoes, Nashville, Tenn.
Pretty soon, Ondrea Kurttila will be hopping on planes destined for Asia and Europe for her job as a Dockers footwear design assistant. She'll be landing in California, New York and Florida, on buying and sourcing trips. But before she does all that, she's teaching a spring semester course at O'More College of Design.
The fashion design alum says she has a specific goal for the students in her Computer Aided Design (CAD) class: to give them pointed direction that will help them in their future careers.
"I bring a good perspective," Ondrea says. "You can never have enough experience, and I think this will be a great opportunity."
The two programs - Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop - that Ondrea will teach in the CAD course are ones with which she's intimately familiar. From 3D drawings to detail sheets and tech pacs, Ondrea uses both programs in her daily work for the Dockers men's footwear line. Because she spends ample time designing aspects of the shoes, such as tread patterns and production specifics, she knows the various shortcuts and nuances of each program.
"I want to be able to share the information I've learned, and prepare the students for the real world," she says.
Ondrea says she will bring in contacts she's made at Dockers - other designers with company partners like Chaps, Bass and Levi's - to show students how the process works from start to finish. She hopes this type of in-class application will help them determine how best to apply the skills they've learned to their work after graduation.
"I think I can help them make that transition from taking classes to working as a designer," Ondrea says.
It wasn't long after her May 2010 graduation that Ondrea made the jump from student to designer with a well-known company. She got her foot in the door at Dockers when she met the Dockers CEO at Nine West, the shoe store she managed at Green Hills Mall. An enthusiastic conversation about design segued into an interview that quickly led to the job.
"It's been a great adventure so far," she says.
Dockers' men's footwear goes through two designs each year, in spring and fall. Each season includes 10 to 15 lines, and an intricate process that involves Ondrea on nearly every level. She is an assistant to the two men's footwear designers, which means helping with various facets of their work while maintaining the lines she designs and coordinates.
"I work equally as a designer, but I also help them fill in as they need help," Ondrea says. "I'm there in case they need patterns drawn, or baseplates designed... things like that. We all work as a team."
The team produces shoe concepts a season ahead, so they're currently working on the spring 2013 collection. They spend months researching trends within the industry, what their competitors are doing, what their target demographic is gravitating towards, and seasonal colors, styles and patterns.
"As far as my actual work goes, I love design and developing a new program or style of shoe," Ondrea says. "[Things like] the tread and structure are so intricate. You can be creative with it."
Once the team begins designing a season, it is a six-month process. From updating patterns and materials to developing new programs, the designers' responsibilities don't stop at the flat layout.
"First we pick what materials we want. Then we design everything from how your foot fits into the shoe to the eyelet of the grommet," Ondrea says. "It's multiple steps and involves many rounds to narrow everything down."
She is thrilled at the thought of traveling the globe with her company. Not only will she get hands-on experience with production factories, but she will also get to see the world while she learns.
"Having the opportunity to see what goes into everything, and experience new cultures and environments all the while, is so exciting," she says.
While at O'More, Ondrea gained experience in facets beyond design. Her sophomore and junior years, she interned with the Nashville label Prophetik. Her responsibilities included alterations and fittings, event management and helping with the line's fashion shows.
"I got to do a lot of great things with him," Ondrea says.
Among them was the MAGIC Marketplace, one of the largest fashion trade events in Las Vegas each year. Ondrea called it an "insane, exciting experience" - an event she attended twice with Prophetik.
All the hard work and time she invested in learning paid off her senior year, when she was awarded the Fashion Critic Award for her runway collection in O'More's 2010 Eloise Fashion Show. The award, chosen by a panel of judges from the industry, is given to the designer whose collection was deemed best overall. Ondrea's pieces were aquatic themed, with flowy garments and "lots of movement."
"I had way too much fun doing the show. It was a lot of work and totally worth it," she says. "It was crazy and wonderful."
Ondrea says her time at O'More was an equally enjoyable learning experience.
"They had classes to test your imagination and see how far you could go with things. It showed us that you don't have to be inside the box," she says. "It helped you take a step back from yourself, and your design, to see what you were capable of.
"It really is a great school."
To learn more about Ondrea, visit her website, or contact her here.
Sarah Mallory (BFA Fashion Design, 2008)
Dolly Parton Enterprises, Nashville, Tenn.
On any given day, Sarah Mallory is wearing a number of hats. One morning, she's a manager at Paper Source in Green Hills in Nashville. That same afternoon, she's writing an article for The Bee's Knees, an eclectic online magazine she recently started with fellow O'More alumna Amanda Womack Klein. And later that night, Sarah is pinning a client's custom wedding dress for her final fitting. Oh, and did we mention she sews for Dolly Parton Enterprises, too?
With all the plates Sarah's spinning, it seems like she wouldn't have a minute to spare in her schedule. But then she mentions the Agape Animal Rescue "Glitter and Glam" Fashion Show she designed this past year, and the freelance wardrobe styling she's done for the likes of The Steve Miller Band.
"My grandmother taught me how to sew when I was 4, and when I was 15 I started my own handbag business," she says. "Since I was small, it's never changed that I wanted to do this."
Sarah's upbeat persona and entrepreneurial spirit both contribute to the go-getter attitude that has lead her down different professional avenues - all paths with potential. She's grabbed those opportunities by talent and a little bit of luck.
"I was working on some menswear at Textiles when I ran into a fabulous man talking sequins," she says. "The next thing you know, I'm working for Dolly Parton!"
Dolly was in New York at the time; the play 9 to 5: The Musical was beginning, and the legendary performer had written music and lyrics for the production. Sarah became fast friends with Iisha Lemming, Dolly's head seamstress and former O'More instructor. Out of the 10 stitchers working, Sarah was the only seamstress left standing when Dolly when was done in New York. Now, she's been working on a three-person team as a consistent freelancer for more than two and a half years.
Because sewing for Dolly Parton Enterprises is part-time, Sarah is a manager at Paper Source - a job that helped inspire the conception of The Bee's Knees, the online fashion magazine Sarah and Amanda began in January 2011. Amanda works from Memphis, and Sarah gathers material from Nashville. Together, they manage a website and a blog that generate ideas and tips, focusing on locally run boutiques, restaurants, artists and designers in their areas.
"We thought, 'We're really crafty and have fun ideas,'" Sarah says. "Why not share it?"
The founders say that the magazine is a Southern girl's guide to shopping, cooking, family advice, home design and events. Ultimately, they'd like the magazine to complement, and lead to, a bridal studio that houses invitations, bridal and bridesmaids gowns, and alterations - all under one roof.
"Amanda's my sister," she says. "We always joked in college that we'd make it work together, and now we get to."
Sarah's background in graphic design and print media contributes to The Bee's Knees blog and its needed print material. Though she has talent in graphic design (add it to the list), don't expect her to abandon her dream of fashion design.
"I got a lot of graphic design in fashion courses, but fashion is everything to me," she says. "Graphic design is kind of like a bonus to what I do."
Sarah - who worked in the O'More admissions office and was a member of the Student Government Association - was as successful at the school as she has been since graduating. She nabbed the top award at the 2008 Eloise Fashion Show for her collection of tropical-inspired pieces.
"The business plan for a lingerie boutique is what won me the award," she says. "I had everything picked out for the store. Down to the ribbon for the boxes and the tissue paper. Opening it is still a goal of mine."
Sarah says that she knew long before her senior year in Louisville, Ky., where she would attend college.
"I first applied to O'More when I was like an 8th grader," she laughs. "But seriously, I wasn't any older than a sophomore. There was no other option for me."
While at O'More, Sarah helped design print and online materials for the Eloise Fashion Show, helped with different design projects while interning in the development office, and became a staple in the student governing body.
"The best part for me was the people," Sarah says. "They got us through in a fun way. It's those people in the office that get you through the stress."
Sarah enjoyed her co-workers so much that she's kept in touch with many since her '08 graduation. Each year, she holds a Christmas party - one that she says 10 O'More employees continue to attend.
"I made the most amazing friends while I was there."
Sheena Winiarski (BFA Fashion Design, 2011)
New York City
Since moving to Nashville in 2004 to support her husband's music, Sheena Winiarski had been searching for the right outlet to help her reach her dream. When she visited the O'More College of Design campus, Sheena knew she had found it.
In May of 2011, she graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in fashion design.
"I had been going to a community college in Michigan at the time," Sheena says. "I did some research online because I had wanted to go into interior design. When I came to Tennessee and saw O'More, I thought ‘I have to go there!' I'm a shy person, and the idea of hands-on learning and small class sizes was so appealing."
While a newlywed's budget wasn't conducive to her dream, Sheena didn't give up. She worked and put herself through Columbia State Community College, studying business so that when she went to O'More she could focus solely on her design work. Four years later, Sheena reached her goal.
"I was 24 when I started at O'More," Sheena says. "I really enjoyed it as an older student. I wasn't right out of high school, and I knew that I was paying for it myself. I had a purpose and focus for being there."
That determination helped guide Sheena through some tough decisions. Once she began taking classes, it became clear that her passion was in a different area of design.
"I felt that interior design was too cut and dry for me," Sheena says. "I realized fashion is where I wanted to be."
A self-taught sewer, Sheena immediately adapted to the creative stages of fashion design with her classes in pattern-making.
"I love the process of fashion," Sheena says. "Most people don't like pattern-making, but I do. Rulers, pencils, straight lines, 90-degree angles - that's what I love. My mind thinks very tailored."
Sheena credits O'More instructor Kevin Crouch, whom she had for design studio (her junior collection) and fashion major (her senior collection) classes.
"Kevin was amazing," Sheena says. "I loved all of my teachers because they understood and communicated well. And Kevin was really encouraging - funny, and serious at the same time. He's so knowledgeable too. I could ask him how to make something, and he knew."
She says that Kevin helped her to develop ideas further.
"Kevin challenged me to create," she says. "He encourages you, but he doesn't tell you what to do. You're encouraged to think more than what you're thinking, but not necessarily told what to think. I was taught to think beyond me, to think outside of what I typically would."
Sheena put that in-class experience to the test when she interned for the exclusive New York label Sachika as an assistant designer in the spring.
"I helped with design and patternmaking, adjusting and cutting," Sheena explains. "I did some hand sewing as well."
During the internship, Sheena participated in her first New York Fashion Week. She says that O'More helped her prepare for the madness of the event.
"It was so exciting to see a New York Fashion Week show, to see it backstage," Sheena says. "It was the craziest backstage though. There weren't enough shoes for the models, so they had to exchange shoes literally the moment they came off of the runway. The director said that the chaos didn't reflect on stage, and I think doing work study for O'More by helping out at fashion shows helped me be prepared for it."
Now, Sheena is doing freelance work with stylists and looking for more opportunities in the Big Apple. She says that her time in the classroom has given her confidence both in her styling work and in life in New York.
"You can't learn everything in school," she says. "But O'More helped me know what I'm doing and to be confident enough to go out there and do it."
That determination that took Sheena from O'More to New York and into the job market is something she says prospective students at O'More need to succeed.
"You're going to get out of it what you put into it," Sheena says. "You have to push yourself to be focused and have a reason to be there. Push yourself, because you can do as much or as little as you put your mind to. It's all up to you."
Stacy Pelerossi (BFA Fashion Design, 2010)
House of Stella, Brentwood, Tenn.
Stacy Pelerossi didn't always have a clear vision for her future. Like most high school students with graduation looming, she was unsure of where she would want to go to school and what she would want to study. But she knew she loved fashion, and after a campus visit, Stacy knew that O'More was the place for her.
She was excited, even if a little unsure of her ability to make it through the intensive fashion design degree program. But she credits O'More with helping her gain confidence through small class sizes, a knowledgeable faculty and the opportunity to learn from them one-on-one.
"Starting out, I had no confidence in my drawing or sewing ability," Stacy says. "But they made it easy for me. Everyone was very approachable and eager to share their experience."
With fewer students in her classes, Stacy felt at ease asking questions since there were not hundreds of others vying for the professor's attention.
"Sometimes I feel afraid to ask questions. But it just seemed comfortable to me."
Another benefit was having industry professionals there to answer those questions.
"It's hard to learn things when a teacher is reading out of a book," she says. "These instructors are all fashion industry leaders, and I related to them more. I knew they actually knew what they were doing."
As her confidence grew, Stacy's work began to blossom. She participated in three of the College's annual fashion shows - attended by hundreds - which she describes as a reward at the end of the year.
Today, Stacy is co-owner of her own store, House of Stella in Franklin, which epitomizes her aesthetic of "scary pretty." She lovingly calls her style "grunge Minnie Mouse," playing on two conflicting ideas.
"I like the pretty with a hard edge because it's much more interesting," she says.
In addition to exclusive brands other stores in the area are not carrying, House of Stella also features illustrations by Stacy on note cards and some of her own hand-crafted accessories.
She credits O'More with giving her the skills she needs to compete in the fashion industry and run a business by teaching her about design and merchandising and helping her hone in on her vision.
"I was pushed even further for style," she says. "My teachers understood everyone's style. I never felt like I had to tone it down. They really want you to have your own vision and know that no one else can tell you what to do."
At only 23 years old, Stacy hopes to expand her inventory with more of her own designs in the future, but for now she is happy running her business. And when customers ask her about design school, Stacy always shares her experience at O'More.
Brooklyn Byrd (BFA Fashion Design, 2009)
Johhnie Q, Franklin, Tenn.
Sometimes, your mother really does know best. At least, that's the case for 2009 O'More graduate Brooklyn Byrd when it came time for her to pick a college.
"My mother was the one that had suggested O'More," Brooklyn says. "I was unaware that is was even in town, but I loved the idea of going to college where all classes were focused around the past, present and future of the Fashion industry. I also knew that I did not want to attend a gigantic university, so the moment I saw the campus, I fell in love and wanted to be there for my college experience."
Once her classes began, Brooklyn, a fashion design and merchandising student, really began to feel at home.
"I adored every class that let me draw or get creative on paper and had originally wanted to be a designer," Brooklyn says. "I learned quickly in my Construction classes that may not be my calling in life, but I found the business side to the industry to be equally exciting."
Brooklyn's experiences outside of the classroom helped to shape her career path as well.
"My internships really helped seal the deal on where I was headed in my professional life, and my business plan turned into the real deal for creating Johnnie Q," Brooklyn says.
Brooklyn's store located on Franklin's Main Street. Family was her muse once again when it came to creating a theme for the shop.
"Johnnie Q is inspired by my grandmother, Johnnie Floreine, and grandfather, David Quitman Byrd," Brooklyn says. "They would have been married 66 years this year and their love story was everything I wanted to base the store around. Their black and white photos are everywhere and that's why I chose a black and white theme. It lets the product stand out on a classic background. The classic color combination and a boudoir setting lets Johnnie Q stand out from other stores on Main Street in Franklin."
The opportunity she was given at O'More to let her creativity take her style and focus on her own path continues to shape Brooklyn's plans for Johnnie Q.
"I am always planning on new ideas for the store and what direction I would like for it to go, but I know that Franklin's Main Street is an amazing home base," Brooklyn says. "In the future I would love to open other locations and expand in its current location. I have big plans but I like to keep them top secret until I am able to act on them."
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||