Feb. 13, 2024
Contact: Deidra Ashley, ashleyde@missouri.edu
If you’ve stopped by The Mizzou Store lately, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a Champion grey Tiger sweatshirt near the back section of the store. Not only is the design a ‘90s-inspired vintage take on athletic apparel, but it was also made by University of Missouri seniors Sydney Brockman and Addison Jett.
As part of the Textile and Apparel Management (TAM) 3480 Technical Design class, students collaborated with the popular clothing brand Champion to design a line of retro Mizzou apparel. The process provided real-world experience in everything from conceptualization to design and distribution, always with the end goal in mind — product placement in the store. Brockman and Jett’s line was recently selected as the class winner, and their full collection will be available at The Mizzou Store this fall — an extra special reward for the pair, who both work at the store as associates.
Threading together partnerships
This is the second time Mizzou students have partnered with Champion in this kind of partnership. At the start of the project, students were tasked with researching Champion’s customer base and trend predictions to understand the style elements that would resonate most with consumers. After noting the heavy ’90s influence in future clothing trends, each team geared their focus toward a sporty-prep core aesthetic.
“We were really inspired by old Mizzou and the vintage pictures from Savitar,” Jett said. “We did a lot of research on the historical aspects of Memorial Stadium and Faurot Field, and we wanted to create a line that brings old and new Tigers alike together.”
Assistant Professor Kerri McBee-Black guided students through the competition, inciting creativity and partnership between the student designers and Champion. Providing industry experience and networking is an important aspect of the project.
“The importance of a contest like this for our TAM students is that they get to interact with an industry collaborator,” McBee-Black said. “They get to learn the expectations that are going to be present when they go out into their careers. They have to get feedback and critiques and apply that and figure out how to satisfy their consumer based on the needs of that particular company.”
Working with a real-life brand also allowed students to apply skills from previous Mizzou classes in a more hands-on setting. Getting to utilize what they’d learned — including performing consumer research, practicing computer-aided design and even working in a team — were supplemental perks of taking the course.
“Mizzou prepared me for this project from start to finish and taught me to work in a group setting straight from freshman year,” Brockman said. “Working with Addison really helped me develop my skills as a designer better, just by seeing things from a different perspective. In the design world, you're always going to be in a team, so it’s important to learn how to navigate that.”
The Tiger crew neck sweatshirt designed by Jett and Brockman is currently available at The Mizzou Store, with the full line of Student Made designs launching later this fall.
Story written by Audrey Brown
