Video by DJ Vicente
Many middle school students are intimidated when learning principles of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Fashion FUNdamentals, a summer enrichment program sponsored by Colorado State University’s Department of Design and Merchandising, seeks to engage students in STEM through hands-on activities tied to fashion design and product development. Fashion FUNdamentals is unique in intertwining creative expression and fashion design with technical skills, helping students find their footing in the STEM world while giving them confidence to try new and creative things.
For two weeks in June, students engage in interactive experiences including designing clothing and textile prints unique to each student, opening them up to new possibilities in future interests and careers in the field. This year, from June 12-23, 38 students participated in the program.
Fashion FUNdamentals was developed by two faculty members in Design and Merchandising, Professor and Department Head Karen Hyllegard and Professor Jen Ogle, and has been operating since 2015.
Weaving together STEM and creative expression
The overarching goal of Fashion FUNdamentals lies in providing accessibility to the field of STEM for young students.
“Fashion FUNdamentals students are positively impacted by participating in the program because it is geared towards promoting self-confidence,” said Sara Dudek, program manager for Fashion FUNdamentals. “Students approach these very technical aspects of the program, things our college students are learning… it’s an opportunity for them to give it a try, in a really supportive environment.”
The technical programming for Fashion FUNdamentals features activities meant to explore all aspects of STEM in fashion. Projects include the creation of garments in apparel construction, engaging in both body measurement and sewing, as well as print design in Photoshop, alongside apparel technology and engineering, featuring hands-on experience with a 3D body scanner, as well as working in CLO3D, a virtual modeling program.
Students learn about the fundamentals of textile science, including the microscopic viewing of fiber characteristics and how textiles react to dyes. They also learn about the math and technology used to inform space planning and store design and to establish product cost and price, which are central to product development and retail decision-making.
Participants engage in textile print design, by creating unique designs in Photoshop and printing fabric with the digital textile printer in the Nancy Richardson Design Center’s fabrication lab. Students also used the state-of-the-art laser cutter in the Nancy Richardson Design Center to create stylistic elements as part of their shoe design course.
“With fashion and STEM, it’s nice because they just go for it,” said Payton Gonzales, graduate student in Design and Merchandising. “If you do that at a young age, it distills that confidence in them.”
Tying community and skills together
In addition to technical programming, students participated in social programming at Fashion FUNdamentals. One aspect of social programming students take part in is body positivity and media literacy, where students learn the effects of social media on body image, and how to build self-confidence in one’s own body.
Students also learned about historic clothing and textile preservation at the Avenir Museum Design and Merchandising, where they were given a hands-on viewing of many different garments and observed different eras of clothing styles that are part of the department’s outstanding collection.
Students also visited the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center where they learned about nutrition and healthy eating. They interacted with the Human-Animal Bond in Colorado therapy dogs, outfitting them with bandanas that they designed and learning about the research behind therapy dogs.
To cap off the program, students showed off their own clothing designs developed over the 2-week program, modeling their one-of-a-kind fashions on the runway for peers and family members alike.
The fashion show not only highlighted their developed skills but also a heightened level of confidence in themselves and their experience in STEM and creative design, skills that will help these students as they continue toward new opportunities.
“I hope the participants learn that fashion is more than just designing clothing, there is so much more that comes into it, especially when it comes to STEM… and I hope they learn to try something new, even though it might be scary because you never know what you’re going to produce and it could be something super cool,” said Morgan Davis, a graduate student in Design and Merchandising.
“I hope that the students walk away from Fashion FUNdamentals thinking that STEM is not as intimidating as they think it is,” said Dudek. “There’s room for creativity in those fields, and they can try it, and they will be able to do it.”
Gratitude for sponsors and partners
Fashion FUNdamentals is made possible by Dave and Wendy Folkes through their contributions to the Kathryn T. Bohannon Memorial Fund, The Bohemian Foundation, as well as the contributions of many private donors. Additional thanks to CSU partner programs, including the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Human-Animal Bond in Colorado (HABIC), a center in the School of Social Work, each of which further enhances experiences within Fashion FUNdamentals.
The Department of Design and Merchandising is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.