I’d describe my style of design as sophisticated, feminine, whimsical, and wearable. After working with spreadsheets and organizing clothes all day, I enjoy tapping into my creative side to design women’s wear. Before graduating with a degree in fashion design and fashion merchandising from SPU, I moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology, studying fashion merchandising management. I learned from professors highly experienced in the industry and interned for a few prominent designers.
I moved back to Seattle to finish my bachelor’s degree at SPU, before taking a position at Amazon.com as a merchandising coordinator for their imaging apparel photo studio. I am responsible for the influx of merchandise by organizing, separating, and planning for multiple model types. In a few years, I would like to have a better handle on the operation and production side of running a profitable design company.
I want to learn from bigger corporations as well as smaller apparel design startups to see what not to do and what works well. In the end, design is my passion, and if I was able to design clothes all day long, while running my own company, I would be a very happy person.
—Tamra Van Wyk '10
