Tucked away in a corner attic room of the Niccolls Building, students in the University of Idaho Apparel, Textiles and Design Department (ATD) can be found threading sewing machines, tracing fabric swatches and sketching garment designs.
On weekday afternoons the room, filled with rows of sewing stations, color wheels, sketch pads and boxes of unused fabrics, hosts a variety of students collectively producing designs in a clutter of organized creativity.
The eclectic studio space is what UI senior Sabrina Rice said makes learning in the ATD department so interesting.
“The studios are just amazing and fun,” Rice said. “We have some great new technology and equipment that basically allows us to create almost anything we want.”
Rice said she would not be able to follow through on some of her projects without the use of the department’s work room.
Apart from the equipment, Rice said it is the feeling she gets from her classes and the studio that allows her to express her design style. Although the studio is small, she said ATD students are given plenty of room to be creative.
“We have to be responsible for carrying our design through, but we can basically be as creative as we want with our designs,” Rice said. “It’s about being authentic to our tastes and ourselves.”
Rice said she once thought fashion design would fit into her life as only a hobby. But with the allure of the ATD department, she couldn’t shake the idea of fashion becoming a career.
Her style and taste have evolved over time, but Rice said she found the department helped her to hone in on her skills and focus.
“I just decided to make the switch, because as you get older you realize, screw it, I might as well do what makes me happy and create interesting clothing while doing it,” Rice said.
Many other students who join the ATD department found themselves cultivating a love of fashion at a young age, especially UI senior Royce Grassl.
Grassl said he designed and constructed his first garment in high school, but his fashion aspirations began at a much younger age.
“My mom taught me how to dress growing up. She would tell me things like never to wear plaid on plaid and pair this fabric with that one,” Grassl said. “So, styling has always been really fun, and when I realized U of I had this program, I just had to jump in.”
It may be hard to teach, but Grassl said the professors in the ATD department have taught him to strengthen his creativity.
“But, I’ve also grown a lot in terms of using technology and applying it to my designs,” Grassl said. “You don’t realize it, but there is so many different pieces that go into apparel, even if it is simple.”
Grassl said those outside the major and industry often don’t understand the difference between apparel and fashion. He said apparel is what consumers find and purchase in clothing stores every day, and fashion is what can be found on seasonal runways and in luxury brand stores.
Although Grassl said he prefers to sketch and create high-fashion garments, having a solid foundation of knowledge in apparel is one of the most important aspects of being part of the ATD department.
A thorough understanding of apparel is what Erika Iiams, a curator and lecturer in the ATD department, said she and other professors aim to teach their students. She said they encourage students to find a target market and design.
“Everybody wears apparel, but not everybody is interested in fashion,” Iiams said. “We help the students focus on the apparel side of the industry, not just high fashion. I think that’s what makes us stand out.”
Iiams said students often enter the ATD department with a knowledge of the industry, but ultimately find there is much more to design than they originally imagined. She said the apparel industry is constantly changing, so it is important to keep students up to speed.
“We meet with industry advisers and find out what skills are lacking in current programs across the country, and as instructors we make sure that our students receive what others aren’t,” Iiams said.
It is the whole design process — from sketch to final product to merchandising — that Iiams said the department strives to teach students. She said this approach to hands-on learning is what makes the roughly 10 students that graduate from the department each year so successful in the apparel industry.
Iiams said real design teams take into consideration many factors of the industry before taking to their sketchpads. Merchandising specialists, budget teams and manufacturers — to name a few — must all meet before a single design can be produced.
She said senior ATD students are currently learning about this design process by creating costumes for the university’s spring opera performance. The students will sketch and construct costume designs for the opera, and act as a real design team.
“This is where they really learn and get creative,” Iiams said. “It all starts here.”
For Iiams, “here” means learning begins with hands-on activities in the design studio, but she also said it means the Pacific Northwest.
Iiams said many students dream of finding careers in Los Angeles or New York City, but the Pacific Northwest hosts a plethora of apparel options for aspiring design students. She said some of the most popular athletic wear is housed in areas not far from Moscow.
The growing side of the athletic wear industry is what brought Santos Vargas, a UI senior, to the ATD major in the first place.
“Having been a college athlete and knowing about the functionality and fit of athletic garments, I always think, ‘Oh maybe this could feel better or fit better,’” Vargas said. “I like finding and creating garments that can endure both physicality and the outdoors.”
Whether it is a piece of athletic wear or a higher fashion garment, Vargas said producing any sort of design requires a detail-oriented mindset.
“A lot of people, when they come into this major, don’t actually realize the time consuming part of it, but that is my favorite part. So much attention goes into each piece,” Vargas said.
He said the construction of a garment often brings him into the studio two or three times a week outside of class. Even the most basic designs can take anywhere from one hour to one week to produce. But, Vargas said it is important not to rush the quality of any design.
Vargas said he originally gravitated toward the business side, rather than the design side of the apparel industry. But, after some time acclimating to the learning style within the ATD department, Vargas said he grew to prefer designing over merchandising.
“When you create something out of nothing — that multiple people could end up wearing either regionally or around the world — it’s a great feeling,” Vargas said. “Nothing quite compares to that.”
Vargas said he has noticed that the apparel industry is always changing what it needs from potential designers. But, he said he feels ready to approach those changes thanks to his versatile learning experience in the department.
“Everything seemed more simple when I first started this major. Designs were drawn by hand, but now all of that is changing,” Vargas said. “Tech plays such a large role in design now, so I’ve really tried to learn all that I can in regard to that.”
Vargas said being successful in the program is all about being creative and doing so through learning to use different tools. He said he’s excelled at the technical skills of designing garments, but not without hours of practice.
“When I first entered the program, I basically had a simple sewing knowledge,” Vargas said. “But over the last three years I’ve learned all the tech, attention-to-detail I possibly can.”
Rice said along with the detail-oriented mindset and versatility that is required of a successful young designer, passion for the work they do is key. However, she said staying creative and fresh can be a challenge among all the other demanding aspects of design.
“It is easy to be intimidated by this industry, but you can’t let it scare you, because you will just get swallowed right up,” Rice said. “It’s important for us all to be hardworking and committed to design, but I think it’s more important to be creative, innovative and keep the passion alive.”