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| Liliana Rodriguez received a $600 first place award for the Apparel Merchandising & Management winter quarter apparel promotion competition. |
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| Senior Marlo Bontempo received the $400 second place award. |
For the first time, the Apparel Merchandising & Management (AMM) program awarded two scholarships for its winter quarter apparel promotion competition, thanks to the generosity of the California Fashion Association. Senior Liliana Rodriguez received a $600 first place award and senior Marlo Bontempo received the $400 second place award.
The AMM competition asked students to develop a three-month promotion plan for the AM2/ApparelScapes student-produced clothing line. Both winners' projects involved ideas such as redesigning the department's Web site, additional outreach efforts to high schools, re-branding and updating brochures and other printed materials.
The students also suggested creating a student-run retail clothing store in the AMM building to sell the products. This idea recently reached fruition with a Showroom Grand Opening on May 25. Now operating as a senior-level course, the showroom offers faculty, staff and students a convenient and affordable way to order university apparel specific to their organization or department. Beginning with blank merchandise, the students screen print customized logos, division and organization names.
As part of the university's learn-by-doing philosophy, AMM offers production and retail students an opportunity to create, produce the AM2 clothing line and then sell it in the Bronco Bookstore and at ApparelScapes in the Farm Store at Kellogg Ranch. These activities are closely structured to a real-world industry operation.
The scholarship competition was held in March. Entries were judged on: potential to increase visibility of AM2/ApparelScapes on campus, potential to increase traffic and sales, and potential to attract both the student population and the campus employee population to the Farm Store.
The California Fashion Association is a nonprofit organization established to educate and provide business development assistance to Southern California's apparel and textile industries.