Apparel Merchandising, Design, & Production Management in CADS Department at Auburn University

Happy Halloween! 🎃

Happy birthday to our amazing leader, Dr. Young-A Lee!!!

We were thrilled to host over 100 apparel students and 13 esteemed members of our Apparel Advisory Board in a series of virtual round table sessions today! 💻✨ Despite the challenges presented by Helen, our students had the incredible opportunity to gain valuable insights on interviewing, internships, career planning, and professional skill sets from industry experts. 🎓👔 A huge thank you to our Advisory Board members Kevin Causey Kirsten MacNeill Christy Carlisle Smith Blake Rhodes Patrick Klesius Jim Sinor Dana Peacock Brittany Trapp Sarah Jane Levine Gerry Monroe Jennifer Blackmon for sharing their time and expertise and to our students for their enthusiastic participation! Together, we continue to build strong connections and bright futures. 🚀 #CareerGrowth #ApparelIndustry #FutureLeaders #ProfessionalDevelopment #ThankYou Young-A Lee Dr. Annette Burnsed Veena Chattaraman Angie Lee Jung Eun Lee Wi-Suk "Wis" Kwon Dawn Michaelson, PhD Ann Presley Amrut Sadachar, Ph.D. Dr. Karla Teel Jia Wu

ExVoto Vintage: Hiring in Rosemary Beach Location!

Tatum Snelling Molly Bell SWATCH by AMDA

Job Opportunity for Apparel Design & Production Management Graduates

This month's #FSFAlumniSpotlight: Mecca Hodge! A 2020 FSF Scholar and 2021 “Post-Modern” Scholar, Mecca graduated from Auburn University with a B.S. in Apparel Merchandising, Design, and Production Management, and landed her current role as an assistant buyer at Neiman Marcus in 2021. (Check out the second photo to see her on stage at #FSFLive 2022, where she introduced Neiman Marcus Group CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck as one of our 2022 Honorees!) "Winning the scholarship and being exposed to numerous career opportunities was my initial goal, but the connections gained—both directly with fellow Scholars and indirectly through the Summer Scholar Series—are the extra bonuses that have lasted for years. FSF recognizes the needs students have beyond college curriculum and provide a support system that lasts well beyond graduation. So thankful for the impact FSF has had on my career and excited to see the same for future FSF and “Post-Modern” Scholars!” –Mecca Hodge Thanks for sharing with us, Mecca! Click here to read more of this month's Alumni Spotlight: https://lnkd.in/dnj868Cv

Olivia Smith Minor: International Human Sciences and Business Current Company: Jimmy Choo Job title: Sales Associate What from your days at Auburn has helped you the most? Time management I learned from being in leadership with Apparel Merchandising and Design Association and the The Fashion Event at Auburn University! Also, organization and confidence I developed throughout my 4 years at Auburn. What is your favorite thing you have learned at your company?  I’ve learned your network and connections are so important. It is crucial to invest time into relationships so you will have people to lean on when you need it most and you can do the same in return. What has been the most challenging part of working at your current company?  I’m lucky that have the support system I do including Auburn faculty and my fellow alumni! Life after college is what I expected but it’s more expensive and harder than I thought. People can be unpredictable and the superiors can be the problem. You will continue to grow and develop. So everyone is adapting and changing around you constantly including yourself. It’s important to find a workplace where you are truly valued and appreciated for your efforts and where you see an opportunity for growth. War Eagle!

London Reeves Current Company: The Bronco Nation Job title: Merchandise Product Manager Job description: Remote job where I manage all things merchandise-related for Bronco Nation! From the creation of new designs and seasonal collections to the importation of items to our online store, I manage this whole process. We are officially licensed by Ford, so I work with their teams to make sure all of our items are approved by them. We also have live events that we go to, so I create merchandise plans for each event and curate what we want to send where based on previous sales and regional data. Sometimes I can travel to these events and work as a sales rep in the booth, meeting community members and learning about buying patterns and trends in new locations. I also oversee all sales for our 3rd party brands that we have on our website and manage these accounts for vehicle accessories. What from your days at Auburn has helped you the most? There are so many things I learned at Auburn that have been so beneficial in my job. Textiles was a very important class because it’s helpful to know about the fabric composition and what will or won’t shrink/what is best for each environment. We are very outdoor-focused and so we deal a lot with waterproof or water-resistant fabrics so it is helpful to remember some things from that class. Retail planning was also extremely important, learning all about the 6-month plan and open-to-buy. Right when I started this job I was asked to create a 6 month plan and I looked back on class notes that I had saved… I would highly recommend doing that!! Also, I can’t remember the exact name, but there was an advanced Excel class I took my senior year that I truly thought I would never need to use and I truly use so much of that every single day. VLOOKUP is your friend! What is your favorite part of working at your current company? So many things! I am truly so blessed to work with the team that I do… the people are so great and I appreciate them more than they know! The Bronco Nation is part of a larger company that is a creative advertising agency, so I get to work a lot with creative-minded people and I love bouncing ideas and brainstorming. That has been cool for me to get to listen and learn from so many people who are ahead of me in their careers and learn how they got there and honestly just take in any advice. One of our newest team members did retail planning for American Eagle and then Carhartt so it has been cool to be mentored by him. No day looks the same for me because there are so many moving parts, and I also love getting to travel out to events and meet people since most days I work remotely at home.

Congratulations to Milayna Montgomery for receiving the Phi Kappa Phi Susan Stacy Entrenkin Yates Scholastic Achievement Award. Each Spring Semester, the Auburn University Chapter of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) presents scholastic achievement awards to outstanding junior students. Criteria for the award include outstanding scholarship, activities, and character, and recipients must have completed a minimum of 61 credit hours by the end of the previous Fall Semester. Milly Montgomery (Apparel Merchandising Junior) has been selected to receive one of AU chapter’s 2024 Susan Stacy Entrenkin Yates Scholastic Achievement Awards. Additionally, there is a monetary award associated with this award. Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society dedicated to the promotion of academic excellence in all fields of higher education. More than 1,000,000 scholars have been inducted into this prestigious society. Congratulations Milly on your outstanding academic record.