Textiles and Apparel Studies Outreach Programs

Summer 2019 FCS Teachers Workshop

Our First Annual FCS Teacher Workshop, held July 25, from 9 am - 3 pm,  was a success with nearly 30 attendees! Teacher attendees participated in hands-on, collaborative activities that included converting t-shirts into totes and cross-body bags. They discovered new teaching ideas; a textbook give-away resource; industry contacts for student internships, guest speakers, facilities tours, future student employment opportunities, and student study abroad opportunities.

Industry guest speakers from Delaware included: Alayna Aiken, founder of Kenya Gather, who teaches women in Africa to sew; David Johnson, founder of LODE shoe company, who donates shoes to children in need; Eli and Sher Valenzuela, and Ashley Wolfe from First State Manufacturing (FSM), who sew for our military and create commercial products; and Jill Wolfe and historian Bill Ayrey, from ILC Dover, who sew spacesuits and more, and just celebrated the Apollo 50th Anniversary.

This event provided teachers with complimentary refreshments and lunch, mileage reimbursement, and a certificate of completion.

Teachers enjoyed the day networking, collaborating, and being inspired! Here’s what participants said about the event:

Summer Fashion Camp at Delaware State University

Delaware State University hosted a Fashion Camp July 8 - 12 with 14 students participating and eight receiving certificates of completion for attending all five days of camp! Middle and high school students learned how to sew, dye fabric, and more. This crash course for Beginner fashionistas enrolled in this course received foundational experience in preparation for careers in fashion such as trend forecasting, styling, visual merchandising, textile design, fashion design and costuming. In only five days, students learned to dye t-shirts to create fabulous handbags and about iconic fashion designers, heard from knowledgeable guest speakers, watched inspirational videos about the industry, and took a field trip. These students received more than sewing instruction; they discovered the behind-the-scenes aspects of fashion and experienced a world of career possibilities.

Students who participated in the camp shared the following:

• “I enjoyed learning about designers and dying fabrics”
   
• “This camp was excellent because it covers so much about fashion in one week” 
   
• “I enjoyed being exposed to a variety of beautiful fabrics (aka textiles) from different parts of the world. In addition, I enjoyed learning about historical fashion designers and their influence in the world. Also, I liked learning how to hand-sew and use a sewing machine.” 

Click here for a video of DSU’s 2019 Summer Fashion Camp

2019 Mentor Program

Four undergraduate students from the Textile and Apparel Studies (TAS) program successfully completed DSU’s 2019 Mentorship Program. This program provides mentoring opportunities to undergraduate students based upon their GPA and a professor’s recommendation. This competitive program offered these four students the opportunity to showcase their fashion knowledge, skill, and talent through afterschool programs at the Boys and Girls Club, crafts for senior citizens at Dover Place Assisted Living, a one-week Fashion Summer Camp for middle and high school students, and the FCS teacher workshop.

Given the challenge to teach others sustainable projects in fashion, these students taught a diverse range of topics from converting used t-shirts into totes, to how sewing on buttons. Throughout the summer, these students presented on various fashion designers, dyes, and fabric dyeing techniques. Using their transferrable fashion skills to help their community, these students impacted community members who ranged from age 3 to 96 by sharing their passion and expertise in textiles and apparel by teaching attainable life-skills within their community.

Click here for a video of DSU’s 2019 Mentors Program

Why choose a career in Clothing, Textile and Fashion Merchandising?

• Offers challenging, exciting, and financially rewarding career opportunities
• Currently provides over 1.4 million jobs and more in the future
• The textiles and apparel enterprises remain a critical part of U.S. economy
• Demand for services in the fashion industry is strong

Job Opportunities

For more information, contact:

Dr. Virginia Rolling
Fashion Instructor/Extension Specialist
102G Ag Annex (BLDG 47)
Delaware State University
302.857.6442
vrolling [at] desu.edu