Many high school students know that if they want to major in business, medicine or education, UW-Madison is the right choice for college. But when considering fashion design, the Midwest does not immediately leap to mind.
Although UW-Madison is not widely publicized as a great place to learn about fashion, the Textile and Apparel Design program is not only one of the most comprehensive majors on campus, it's also one of the most competitive.
Students must take a series of design courses before applying for the major. Once they can finally apply, only 15 students each are accepted for the textile focus and apparel concentration.
In the TAD program, the first three years are spent on the UW-Madison campus and students have the option to study their last year in Madison or at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. TAD's partnership with the FIT allows the students to complete a Bachelor of Science degree at UW-Madison, as well as an Associate of Arts degree from FIT.
UW-Madison junior Sonja Nesse is focusing on apparel design and will attend FIT for her fifth year of school. Nesse said there are many varying types of people who go into fashion design at UW-Madison.
\It's really interesting the mix of people at the beginning,"" she said. ""You have students who always knew they wanted to go into design and never wanted to do anything else and then here's the people who look at fashion magazines and see the celebrities and glamour and want to be a part of it. They don't realize it's hard work and really competitive, but that's the fun part.""
Despite the possible advantages of going to a technical school to learn design, Nesse feels she will have a greater understanding of consumers and the world in general from going to a liberal arts college.
""I think it's important to get a wide range of skills,"" she said. ""You can't just go into the business knowing how to draw and make patterns. It gives me a step above the people who just went into art or design.""
UW-Madison junior Jennifer Thompson is also in the apparel concentration, but after taking a variety of classes on campus, she realized she would benefit from studying business as well.
""Sophomore year you start learning about the industry, and the skills you learned [first-year] start coming together,"" she said. ""After looking into everything, I saw that the U.S. is so market-driven. Ninety-five percent of design is not Ralph Lauren or big-name designers and what you do are drafted out designs, so there's not much creativity and I'm looking more into the business aspect.""
Both girls said they were initially worried about attending a school in the Midwest-far from fashion centers of the country-for fashion design.
""I'm from Minnesota and that's a little more fashionable than Wisconsin, but you have to grit your teeth and have faith in the program,"" Thompson said. ""I was more concerned with the fact of if the FIT would really happen. You don't imagine New York when you're in Wisconsin... What restored my faith at Madison was the fashion show my freshman year. I was really impressed with the runway and all the student work.""
Nesse agreed the fashion show, which is put on through the Textile and Apparel Design Student Association, is one of the high points of TAD.
""[The fashion show] has been really good in the past, but we want to make it bigger and get non-majors involved,"" she said. ""It's not just for people who like clothes. It's a lot of fun and a good experience for anyone.""
Anna Stevens, a TAD professor at UW-Madison, said she especially enjoys watching the students transition from inexperience to professionalism.
""They learn how to start from the concept or design idea,"" she said. ""Then to developing sketches that explore that idea, to then making a pattern of that garment and integrating their knowledge of textiles by making a fabric selection or even making their own fabric, to then finally having a final product that is portfolio-ready, runway-ready and consumer-ready.""
Stevens said integration and communication with TAD alumni are key components to the success of the program. Alumni are currently working in all areas of fashion and the textile industry and for designers such as Dana Buchman, Anne Klein, Gap, Express and Kohl's.
""Having them contact me when they get their first job is a magical thing,"" Stevens said. ""It feeds me when they contact me and say 'I need an intern and I want one of the students from the TAD program' or 'We're hiring entry-level designers, who would be a good fit?' Of all the goals I have for the students, that's the ultimate satisfaction for me.\
