Megan Hitz | Laurell Kuemerle | Joy Young | Heather Cozad | Angela Bees
Megan Hitz (Class of 2004)
Megan Hitz ’04 may have grown up on a farm in rural Oregon, but you’d never know it. After studying apparel design at SPU, Hitz hit the streets of New York City and landed a position at Ralph Lauren. In two short years, she’s already been promoted to associate children’s wear designer. “Moving to New York City was definitely one of the biggest risks I have ever taken,” says Hitz. “I really can’t explain how I made it here, but I know that God has been leading me every step of this crazy adventure.” Although she was drawn to Seattle Pacific University’s many degree programs in design, she wasn’t sure what she would pursue. But, says Hitz, “it just kept coming back to fashion.” She believes SPU gave her a strong technical background in textiles and construction, but most importantly, the experience taught her a lot about herself. “I came to see and understand my skills, my need to be creative, and my drive to make it happen. That’s when everything clicked for me.” Two awesome internships didn’t hurt either — one with Crystalyn B., a handbag designer, and one with Luly Yang, a couture bridal and eveningwear designer. Exerpt from SPU's 'ETC' Magazine - to read more click here (PDF).
Laurell Kuemerle (Class of 2005)
The layout of the apparel design degree is remarkable because it ties in all aspects of fashion, not only designing, and prepares you for a wide range of careers in the fashion design world. During my years at SPU I learned so much more than the basics of sewing and drawing – I gained a foundation of understanding about how fashion affects the individual and the community, and how we as Christians can use our faith and have a hand in shaping our community through fashion. With the encouragement and support of my professors I was able to further pursue my interest in fashion at FIT in New York, which increased my knowledge in fashion and helped me obtain a career in the fashion world.
I am currently an Associate Designer for Saltaire, LLC, a small men’s resort/sportswear line. I design the woven shirts, sweaters, and outerwear categories, which encompasses everything from sketching the initial design – first by hand and then on the computer – sourcing fabrics and trims, creating specs for the garments, and closely monitoring the garment from its initial stage all the way through to production. This job I has given opportunity to travel to Hong Kong several times, where I have met with the company's Hong Kong team and executives, met face-to-face with vendors and worked with the factories that produce our garments. I enjoy the creative challenge and fast pace of the fashion world.
Joy Young (Class of 2006)
In my junior year of high school I debated back and forth what major God would want me to pursue in college. The typical ones I thought of were English, Nursing, Education, maybe Art, however God had other plans in mind. After taking a six-week fashion course at a local art college, I realized that God was calling me into the fashion industry. It was not what I would have picked for myself, but the Spirit’s call to using me in the fashion industry was undeniable. Not only did the Lord lead me into fashion, but He opened the door for me to attend fashion school in San Francisco.
After completing my two years of study, I realized that God wanted me to continue my education. I researched numerous Christian universities and colleges, but found it challenging, if not impossible, to find a fashion program. At the time, SPU was the only Christian university I could find with a four-year degree program in Fashion Merchandising within the United States. I prayed about it, applied, got accepted, and before long I was moving to Washington!
My two years at SPU were amazing. God really used this time to stimulate growth and maturity in all areas of my life. In Family and Consumer Sciences, we talked about serving the three basic needs of humans for food, clothing, and shelter and certainly fashion fits into the mix! Through courses such as Apparel Production Systems and Apparel Design Through Draping I learned the technical skills of fashion and how garments are designed, constructed, and produced. During these courses, we would often get into discussions regarding ethical business practice and what our role as Christians should be in fashion. One of my most favorite classes was Appearance and Human Behavior where we discussed the world’s perspective on beauty, fashion, and appearance versus the Christian perspective. A holistic education is what I greatly gained from being in a Family & Consumer Sciences major and I would highly recommend either the Apparel Design or Fashion Merchandising program to anyone who feels called to fashion.
Throughout all of my courses, I learned that God wants to use Christians to be His representatives in ALL fields, not just in Science or Education, but in industries like Film, Photography, Fashion, and Interior Design. I believe, now more than ever, that in this day and age there is a need for Christians to get involved in these areas of our culture, showing Christ’s love to a world in desperate need. I am so glad that I followed through with the calling God placed on my life, because His will is always perfect in the end!
Joy is currently working as Assistant Merchandising Product Manager at Athleta Inc. in Petaluma, California.
Angela Bees (Class of 2007)
My dream to swathe women in beautifully cut designs began as a sophomore in high school. I had always been artsy and in love with God’s artistic creations, but it was at this time in my life that I started to appreciate the marvelous intricacies and complexities of the human form. I wanted to highlight and complement with clothing this greatest of God’s designs – us!
My education at SPU was instrumental in developing a skill set to reach my goals of becoming a well-rounded fashion designer. Resources upon resources were available to satisfy my hunger for knowledge. The fashion program itself opened my eyes to the unique role clothing plays in our lives – its ability to express and meet emotional, cultural, social, and physical needs and associations. My skill set grew exponentially as I studied pattern drafting, draping, illustration, and apparel construction. I gleaned business information from apparel industry classes and my business minor. My mind was wrapped around the cyclical nature of fashion through study of the industry’s history. Most importantly, however, I came to see that fashion was a calling God had placed on my life. In a culture fraught with eating disorders, obsession with appearance, and self-esteem issues, now more than ever the fashion industry needs Christian designers who value and serve the inherent beauty and diversity of the human form. Nature speaks of the Creator’s love for variety. As a designer, I seek to follow in the original Designer’s footsteps and serve the variety of people He created.
I cannot speak highly enough of SPU’s fashion program and faculty. A professor closely familiar with my work was the catalyst launching me into the technical design area of the industry. She introduced me to the area in her class, Apparel Production. I discovered in this class that determining and delineating a garment’s construction and fit satisfied my desire to problem solve and meet the wearer’s needs. She saw in me the talent necessary to be a technical designer, and encouraged me to pursue the career. It is because of her mentoring that I am the technical designer I am today!
My time at SPU was a remarkable journey, a remarkable journey that readied me for an even more incredible future. My utmost thanks to the University for preparing me for the next stage of God’s wonderful plan!
Angela is currently an Assistant Technical Designer in Women’s Sweaters for Nordstrom, Seattle WA.
Heather Cozad (Class of 2008)
Heather Cozad, who graduated cum laude with a degree in textiles and clothing, spearheaded an unusual student-designed fundraising fashion show. Heather explains how the project developed.
“I took a political science class called 'International Peace and World Order,' which helped me realize how interconnected fashion is with globalization, social issues, and cultural identity. Part of the class was to create a project that related to the subject of the class. I decided to put together a fashion show to illustrate this concept. It took many months of brainstorming, collaboration, and research to the get the project going. Our final idea for the event was to show the roles, both positive and negative, that fashion plays in our lives through a show consisting of borrowed costumes, original student designs, music, and a video presentation. We showcased four collections: “Fashion as Military Power and Oppression,” “Fashion as Environment,” “Fashion as Cultural and Religious,” and “Fashion as Social Justice.” We titled the show ‘Gas Masks, Stilettos, and Designer Jeans: A Story of Fashion and Our Lives.’
I discovered that to hold an event on campus, it’s necessary to have campus support. After some initial roadblocks, I finally sold the idea to the head of the department, under the condition that it would be completely student-driven and a fundraiser for local nonprofit agencies. Through an opportunity to be a part of “Project Red Dress,” (Seattle's version of Project Runway), I made connections with Seattle's industry association, the Fashion Group International (FGI). I took the fashion show idea and plan for implementation to a meeting with the board of FGI, and they decided to sponsor us for $2,000. This was a large enough sum to cover all the costs of the event. This meant we could donate all of the proceeds from the entry fees, raffles, and a percentage from vendor sales to our chosen charities, YWCA's Dress for Success and the Queen Anne Helpline.
With a team of 12 dedicated students, the help of campus clubs Fashion Group and Sophia, the show turned out a great success and we raised $1,400 for charity. The whole thing was a difficult task to pull together. I questioned my sanity on multiple occasions as to why I took this on, with a full class schedule, working, and being in the Air Force Reserves, but I had an overwhelming sense that this was something I needed to do. The results were completely worth it.”
Heather is currently pursuing a commission with the Air Force Reserves in the international affairs department. She is also looking for a fashion-related job with either a sustainable or fair trade emphasis, as well as developing her own line of clothing and accessories created from recycled materials.