By Lena Moreno, May 12, 2026
The Bronco Bookstore filled its retail space with racks of clothing from the 2026 collection of apparel merchandising and management students that released April 29.
Items in the five-piece collection from the senior capstone class AM2 included the Billy Crewneck, Billy T-shirt, Bronco Stride Sweats, Bronco Pride Zip Hoodie and Stampede Vest. The AM² marketing team described the collection on Instagram as “Made for everyday wear, comfort and versatility.”
Every piece has a vintage and oversized look, design choices AM² team members intentionally developed throughout the academic year, according to team lead and technical designer Bianca Mora. The Billy Crewneck, for example, contains front pockets like a hoodie and the Bronco Pride Zip Hoodie had a color block design with an “S” shaped zipper.
This year’s release was designed, sampled and produced by AM² students who handled the full development process to bring the collection to life, according to Mora.
Through both roles, Mora helped create two of the vests and sweatpants. She also worked with the bookstore’s marketing team and was featured in one of the bookstore’s campaign banners styling the zip-up hoodie.
“Marketing will come to us to take photos and model the clothing we sell here and for AM²,” Mora said. “Of course, I wanted to participate in something I had involvement in.”
Mora used her experience as both an AMM student and Bronco Bookstore employee in the project. This helped ensure every garment met the standards of not only AM² but also the bookstore buyers, according to Mora.
Similarly with dual roles, Lukas Barkume, the AM² patternmaking team lead and production manager, said he stretched his responsibilities across each development stage prior to the launch.
“For patternmaking team lead, I oversee all the pattern makers,” Barkume said. “There’s three of us in total and we revise the patterns from last semester. We also develop markers, which are basically the cut plan of the fabric in order to maximize the amount of fabric usage.”
In his production manager role, he oversees all AM² teams such as quality control, technical design and marketing, according to Barkume.
Barkume said his leadership with his AM² colleagues guided the collection from concept to completion. Barkume described the process as “having pans in different pots,” ensuring every garment met the standards of the department and bookstore buyers.
To uphold a financially viable line, AMM students completed nearly all design details in Building 45. As a result, AM² produced approximately 400 pieces for the bookstore, according to AMM Professor Seoha Min.
Min has taught the senior capstone course since 2019 and said she sees every student’s dedication for this project.
“They really want to showcase their creativity from this product, but their target audience is Cal Poly Pomona students,” Min said. “So, they have to negotiate the reality, simplify it and try to make it more wearable so that it’s better received by the community.”
Min said the course mirrors a real-world industry setting for the students, allowing them to balance creativity and marketing skills. This also marked an over 15-year collaboration between the bookstore, she said.
The reception of the launch extended beyond the AMM department. A steady crowd of students and supporters like CPP provost and vice president Terri Gomez gathered at the start of the 1 p.m. release.
Isabella Lugo, an electrotechnical systems engineering technology student, was one of the first to browse the collection. Lugo said she saw potential with the Stampede Vest by customizing it with fabric paint for a more personalized look.
“I really liked it because it kind of reminds me of like California/Los Angeles streetwear,” Lugo said. “The sweats with the ‘Broncos’ in the front are also really cute.”
