By Michael Yu, Feb. 15, 2022
As students return to in-person instruction, many may be looking for new clothing or apparel to show their school spirit. Fortunately, the AM2 clothing line, designed by apparel merchandising and management major students in their AM2 class, was created with the goal of being both environmentally friendly and trendy.
The line contains many types of clothing from canvas tote bags to hoodies with the Cal Poly Pomona logo emblazoned on it. Technical Designer Lead Katia Quiroz, an apparel merchandising and management student, explained the inspiration behind the designs.
“We wanted to figure out a collection that would be comfortable enough to wear the clothing both at home and campus,” said Quiroz. “We wanted to stay in tune with trends while also keeping sustainability in mind.”
This year’s designs are focused on showing school spirit. Several of the pieces are decorated with intricate designs containing vibrant green leaves and shining white banners that always keep the CPP logo in focus. There is also a large variety of designs, from a black hoodie that showcases the various colleges at CPP to a dark blue windbreaker that sports a more minimalist design of the school logo.
With sustainability becoming a major focus in the fashion industry, team leaders shared that the AM2 line will be made with re-used materials, such as fabric and swatches, to create more environmentally friendly apparel.
The clothing choices are decided by studying the market and recent fashion trends in the CPP community. Sourcing and Quality Control Lead Mikayla Ford, an apparel merchandising and management student, shared that the clothing is inspired by students and that the team used surveys aimed at specific groups to establish what to design.
After a semester away, this year’s team is currently in the production phase and is preparing to start manufacturing the clothing that will be sold in the campus bookstore in May.
“Right now, we are working on finalizing the sourcing, looking for fabric and also upping our marketing,” said Quiroz. “Once we return to campus, it is just a matter of finalizing who our contractor is.”
This year, the team is making a marketing push and expanding to new areas of social media. Just recently, the team created a TikTok account to market their clothing. The account on recent fashion trends such as a makeup tutorial inspired by the hit show “Euphoria.”
“We want as much attention on it as we can, and I am excited about the outcome,” said Technical Designer and apparel merchandising and management student Emma Hiland.
With the course being offered as a capstone for senior apparel merchandising and management students, it serves as a way for students to gain hands-on experience by creating then selling their products. The students work with company staff to learn more about the industry.
However, the team encountered many complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic such as restricted lab time and increased material prices.
“CPP in general is a learn by doing school, and COVID eliminated the hands-on experience of this class,” said Hiland. “The pandemic has also raised the prices on materials like fabric, making a very big impact on this project as a whole.”
The Apparel Merchandising and Management Department has been hosting the class for the AM2 line since 2001. Throughout these years, the department has won many awards and recognitions ranging from the YMA Industry Award to being ranked fourth in the West Coast by the industry trade association AAFA.
As the CPP community returns to campus, the AM2 team is eager to achieve its goal of creating durable and fashionable clothing for students.
“We want to make clothing for the CPP community that is both comfortable and trending,” expressed marketing team member Ella Baggett. “It is a clothing line produced by students for students.”
To learn more about the AM2 line, the campus community can visit their Instagram page.
Featured image courtesy of Katia Quiroz.