S3E16: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! Apparel Design Program Assistant Annie Ando

In this our sixteenth (16th) episode, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews the Apparel Design Program Assistant Annie Ando about the Apparel Design program at Seattle Central.

1:16 - Hello Annie!

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Transcript

Evan Franulovich  0:05  
Welcome to Seattle Colleges International Programs and our show 'Conversations with', where we talk to people that help you understand how you too, can be an international student in the United States and why Seattle Colleges should be your first choice. We'll talk to students and staff and agents and government folks, all kinds of people about what you can expect when you're getting ready to apply or travel here, what you'll experience while you're with us, and how it can all lead to an amazing life. Don't forget to check out the Seattle Colleges International Programs website at intl.seattlecolleges.edu where you can find a treasure trove of information about the school, the programs here and best of all, fill out and submit your application. Again, that's intl.seattlecolleges.edu.

Evan Franulovich  1:08  
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with', we're here in a very different place today. We are here in the apparel department. The apparel program is housed here, and I'm with Annie, who's going to tell us all about this great field of study. Welcome. 

Annie Ando  1:27  
Thank you!

Evan Franulovich  1:27  
Yeah, I'm really excited, because I've had students ask about apparel design. They want to know if they can come to Seattle from overseas and study this. We're hoping you're going to answer all those questions. So let's start with the basics. Who are you really and where did you come from? 

Annie Ando  1:45  
Yeah, I'm Annie. I'm a program assistant for the apparel design program here at Seattle Central. I actually am from the Seattle area, and I graduated from the program in 2016. 

Evan Franulovich  2:00  
Gotcha. 

Annie Ando  2:01  
So I am back now. I just started again this year, so happy to be back. 

Evan Franulovich  2:05  
Cool. Does it feel weird to be back as an employee rather than as a student? 

Annie Ando  2:09  
No, not really. I mean, it still feels super familiar, I think just because of all of the time that I spent here, it's kind of crazy that it's been so long. But yeah, everything feels pretty familiar. 

Evan Franulovich  2:18  
Right. And just so people, they're seeing in the background, all this cloth. Where are we? What are we doing in here? What is this?

Annie Ando  2:24  
Yeah, so we're in the kind of like the fabric room. We have all of the supplies in here. So if students need fabric for projects, of course they can get their own, but we also do have a lot of donated supplies here that are available for students.

Evan Franulovich  2:38  
Who donates those supplies, where they come from? 

Annie Ando  2:40  
Various companies, individuals in the area. Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  2:44  
Right. Do students have to pay fee to, like, buy fabric? Or do they have to bring their own generally? Or do you guys just supply everything? 

Annie Ando  2:54  
So generally, it is a mixture of lab fees. These we do supply. They do have to buy some of their own supplies as well.

Evan Franulovich  3:05  
Okay. Well, good enough. Let's get into the program itself. What is the program? What are they learning here, and what does it prepare them for? Why is the program here so special?

Annie Ando  3:21  
Yeah, so our program, it's a two year, six quarter, 95 credit program. The graduating students earn an applied sciences degree, associates of applied sciences in apparel design and development, and then they're ready to just go straight into the workforce.

Evan Franulovich  3:39  
Just head in there. 

Annie Ando  3:40  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  3:41  
So a bachelor's degree to work in this field is not necessary.

Annie Ando  3:45  
It's not. We have a really high employment rate. So generally, when I graduated, I know it was 100% of students were employed in the industry within six months of graduating, and it's usually in the high 90s. And there are a lot of companies around here. Our program is really well known with companies in the area, just for being a really thorough and technical program. All of our teachers have experience in the industry, and they definitely bring that to the classroom, which is super helpful.

Evan Franulovich  4:14  
How many teachers are there? 

Annie Ando  4:16  
How many teachers are there? 

Evan Franulovich  4:17  
It's a large staff?

Annie Ando  4:19  
I think we have, let's see... six teachers? I believe.

Evan Franulovich  4:26  
And total number of students, that includes domestic and international?

Annie Ando  4:30  
Total number of students currently enrolled in the program is about 62. 

Evan Franulovich  4:35  
Right. Before we started rolling, I asked you if there were any international students currently enrolled, but you said no, there's none at the moment. 

Annie Ando  4:45  
I don't believe that there are right now. 

Evan Franulovich  4:46  
So we want to see you here. Do you have a cap on the number of students that you can allow in a cohort or? 

Annie Ando  4:53  
We allow 40 per year. 

Evan Franulovich  4:55  
40 total. 

Annie Ando  4:56  
Correct. 

Evan Franulovich  4:56  
Of those 40? Do you have a limit on the number of international students, or is it kind of first come first serve?

Annie Ando  5:02  
Yeah, first come first serve. No limit on international students. 

Evan Franulovich  5:05  
Well, that's really great. So I read that we are the most technically oriented design program in the region. That's on the website. 

Annie Ando  5:13  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  5:14  
I kind of want to know, what does that mean exactly? Most technically oriented.

Annie Ando  5:18  
Yeah. So, I think a lot of design schools, especially the ones, I mean now we don't have many in the area, but that were here previously, they focus more on the design aspect of things. Maybe weren't as specific when it comes to the way that things are constructed or taught. Because we do teach, we have pattern making, design, construction, technology, and then the history of apparel design. So I think that because our teachers have so much experience in the industry, we have really great like pattern making teachers, construction teachers that make sure that everything is made to an industry standard, which many schools I think, don't focus on.

Evan Franulovich  6:02  
Well, I took a tour before we started, lots of different machinery here. I mean, can you give me an idea of how many machines there are, or what you have? You are naming off a number of machines. This might not mean anything to some of us that don't do apparel, but maybe for those who are interested. 

Annie Ando  6:19  
Yeah, I wish I could tell you how many machines we have. I really don't know. It's a lot of machines. So we have all industrial machinery. We have sergers, we have cover stitch machines, button hole machines, of course we have a lot of sewing machines.

Evan Franulovich  6:35  
Yeah, it's a big space here. This room is fairly small. 

Annie Ando  6:40  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  6:40  
Out there, it's a lot. Do you know how big this space is? 

Annie Ando  6:43  
It's about 10,000 square feet. 

Evan Franulovich  6:45  
It's really big. There's lots of room to spread out.

Annie Ando  6:47  
Yeah, we've got huge cork pattern making tables, which is super nice. We have our own computer lab. It's really nice as well. 

Evan Franulovich  6:55  
Yeah, it is. Very cool. 

Annie Ando  6:57  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  6:58  
So it also said that on the website that the graduates are prepared for a wide variety of jobs within the industry, including designers, technical designers, pattern makers, stylists, costumers. There's a lot of different jobs in this field. 

Annie Ando  7:12  
There are a lot of jobs. Yeah, a lot of people aren't aware of all of the different jobs that are out there, you know. But there are a lot of jobs, and they all seem to require kind of a lot of knowledge, so I think this is really great program, just to get people ready for whatever different types of jobs. And it's also a great way to kind of learn about all of the different jobs that are out there. 

Evan Franulovich  7:32  
Right. So I think if you talk to your Joe on the street, they're gonna say, oh, all clothes are made in Bangladesh, or all clothes are made in China or whatever. But that's not true, right? 

Annie Ando  7:43  
No, It's not necessarily true. Yeah, there are a lot of things made domestically, a lot of garments. And of course, I mean all of the design process also happens here. Pattern making generally happens wherever the headquarters are, which, many times is in the US. 

Evan Franulovich  7:59  
Right. So sometimes it's designed here, but then maybe stitched together somewhere else. 

Annie Ando  8:05  
Yeah, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  8:06  
Can you tell the viewers, Seattle has quite a few clothing companies. Can you tell us who's in town, and do they work with our graduates regularly? 

Annie Ando  8:16  
Yeah, we have Tommy Bahama, Cutter and Buck, Filson, who else? There's so many. 

Evan Franulovich  8:24  
Rei.

Annie Ando  8:24  
San Mar, Rei is in the area, yeah, as well. There are a lot of different companies here. 

Evan Franulovich  8:32  
Outdoor Research. 

Annie Ando  8:33  
Outdoor Research. Yes, definitely. Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  8:35  
I was thinking of that because I do a lot of hiking. 

Annie Ando  8:37  
That's another good one. Those are all in the area, and we have a lot of graduates also who move to different cities. We have somebody who works at Patagonia. 

Evan Franulovich  8:46  
Oh, California. 

Annie Ando  8:48  
Southern California, yeah. A lot of students move to New York, LA.

Evan Franulovich  8:53  
Of course, those are great, yeah. I know Portland, Oregon has some companies do like, I think Pendleton is in Portland. 

Annie Ando  8:59  
Yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:59  
I mean, they're shoe manufacture. Do you do anything other than clothes? Do you do shoes or is it stricitly clothes?

Annie Ando  9:05  
We're focused on apparel. We do some, like bags, and we do a lot of outerwear. 

Evan Franulovich  9:12  
So do you guys, like, have a fashion show every year? 

Annie Ando  9:16  
Sometimes, at the end of the second year, the students work on creating three looks. So they design them, they make the patterns for them, they construct them, and then at the end of the year, we have a showcase where the students have their own little stands that they can design however they'd like, and they show their looks. And we have a lot of industry professionals that come out, and it's open to the public, so anyone can come and see the showcase. 

Evan Franulovich  9:44  
Is that here in this... 

Annie Ando  9:45  
It's in the school. 

Evan Franulovich  9:46  
It's school, so that's what May, April? they must be... 

Annie Ando  9:52  
June.

Evan Franulovich  9:53  
Okay, in June. 

Annie Ando  9:54  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  9:54  
Wow, that's pretty cool. So if they watch your website, will it tell them exactly when that showcase is?

Annie Ando  9:59  
Yeah, definitely. Social media too. 

Evan Franulovich  10:02  
Check out the social media. If you're overseas and you're thinking about this program, you might be able to see some of the things they're up to on there. Do you have your own social media page, like your own TikTok channel or anything like that? 

Annie Ando  10:13  
Yeah, so It's all school of apparel, design and development. And if you go to our website too, we have links to all of it.

Evan Franulovich  10:20  
You have your own special website outside of the normal Seattle Colleges. 

Annie Ando  10:23  
We do. 

Evan Franulovich  10:24  
Wow. Check it out, guys. You want to give them the link or the URL for that?

Annie Ando  10:29  
Um, so I believe it's if you just go to the Seattle Central website. 

Evan Franulovich  10:33  
Okay.

Annie Ando  10:34  
Then you can find it from there. There's a link to our website and schoolofappareldesignanddevelopment.com

Evan Franulovich  10:40  
Okay, check that out, guys. That's really good to know. I didn't know that. So you were saying that classes are pretty intense. So if a student comes here, what should they expect? Like are they just gonna be here Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, Friday? What's their schedule look like?

Annie Ando  10:59  
I would say that it's going to be a pretty busy schedule. So classes, we have Monday, Tuesday classes, they're six hours long, so the lab is open from 8am to 9pm. So there's a lot of time where students can work on their projects in the lab. But it definitely is a time consuming program, just because we have so much information that people are learning in two years. So it's great in that sense, but it also is quite intense. 

Evan Franulovich  11:27  
Right. Now, Is there any room for electives, or is it, these are the classes you're going to take that'll get you through. 

Annie Ando  11:36  
Yeah, that's yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  11:39  
So you're going to take this, then you're going to take this, then you're going to take that. Okay, because of that, it sounds sequential. 

Annie Ando  11:45  
It is. 

Evan Franulovich  11:46  
Do they have to start in the fall? Or can someone start in the spring? 

Annie Ando  11:49  
They do have to start in the fall. Yes.  

Evan Franulovich  11:51  
Good to know. Is there an application deadline that's different for your program than, say, just your normal, general application?

Annie Ando  11:58  
So there's not. But in order to get into the program, you have to first take our skill development courses, or you can show that you have proficiency in sewing and that you're able to make something. But most students who try to test in don't pass. It's really good just to get familiar with the industrial machines to take those skill development courses. So we have two routes. There's either three classes you can take, so it's 096, 098 and 100 and those start in the fall. So they're fall, winter, spring, so that then in the next fall, you're ready to start the program. Or now we have a more intense program. It's 099, and that one is available in the summer. So it's basically all three of those classes in one.

Evan Franulovich  12:46  
So you could come in the summer, take that, get ready, and start in the fall. 

Annie Ando  12:52  
You could, yes. 

Evan Franulovich  12:53  
Okay, well, that's good to know. If I have a student overseas that is applying as an international student, and you want to see their skills. Do they just videotape themselves? How do you work with international students in an application process? 

Annie Ando  13:11  
You know, I don't know that we've done that before. In terms of the testing in option, that's usually not something that we do. It's just kind of in special circumstances where there's someone who has a lot of experience with industrial machinery and with sewing and maybe with some pattern making too. But we could definitely work that out.

Evan Franulovich  13:29  
Sure. 

Annie Ando  13:29  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  13:30  
Or maybe come for the summer, do that work and then start in the fall. I suppose they could do that as well. But if there's, is there a chance that they could do the summer work and then not get into the program. Is there a risk of that? 

Annie Ando  13:45  
There is. It's generally not a problem. 

Evan Franulovich  13:48  
Okay. 

Annie Ando  13:49  
Because usually we have, we don't have excess students who are wanting to get into the program. 

Evan Franulovich  13:55  
Gotcha. 

Annie Ando  13:55  
But it just depends. I mean, it is a possibility.

Evan Franulovich  13:59  
Okay, well, plan ahead, and they can always reach out to you as well. Right?

Annie Ando  14:02  
Yeah, of course.

Evan Franulovich  14:03  
 They can send emails. You can send emails, either I can provide it to you or one of the other outreach recruiters, or you can send Annie, her information is right on their website, so send them a message. Ask all the questions you want. So you know, they earn an AAS when they're here, let's say they finish their two years, and instead of just going right into the workforce, maybe they are like, you know, I really would like to continue my studies. I want to transfer somewhere and do my junior senior year and get a bachelor's degree. 

Annie Ando  14:35  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:35  
Is that possible with an AAS?

Annie Ando  14:37  
So that is possible. We've had students do that, and I know that some credits have transferred over for them, I'm not sure. We don't have any agreements with other colleges. 

Evan Franulovich  14:47  
Okay. 

Annie Ando  14:48  
In terms of like which courses will transfer over or which credits. So I'm not exactly sure what that would look like. I think it just kind of depends on the school that you're wanting to go to. 

Evan Franulovich  14:58  
Do you know of any local schools that offer a bachelor's degree in apparel design? 

Annie Ando  15:03  
I do not know of anywhere locally. 

Evan Franulovich  15:05  
Okay, so you might have, if you're doing research, you're maybe thinking, hey, I'd like to start at a community college, because you're going to save money, you can start here, do two years and then do your research. Contact those four year schools ahead of time on your own and ask about the process. They can tell you what may or may not transfer, how you can best prepare yourself. But either way, you would graduate with an AAS, so you'd be good to go there. But if you're going to transfer down the road, think about contacting those schools now. Wow, alright. Good to know. How many international students have you had say in the last couple of years? I know you don't have any now, but is it usually maybe one or two per cohort, or maybe just one? Or do you just not see them very often?

Evan Franulovich  15:56  
We don't see them very often.

Evan Franulovich  15:59  
But you would like them? 

Annie Ando  16:00  
Of course, yes. Of course we would. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  16:04  
I know I get interest. I know people reach out to us and they're saying, hey, I hear about this apparel program. Can you tell me about it? So we generally send out information, give them the links and stuff. But we'd love to see you guys come here. We think that adds a lot of diversity, different points of view, regional stuff. I know the culinary program has that it would be great to do here as well. 

Annie Ando  16:23  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  16:24  
Very nice. All right. Well, it says that there's an internship component to the program. How does that work exactly?

Annie Ando  16:33  
That's a five credit course. Is the internship course, and that one requires 165 hours of internship time, so that one generally, students will do in the summer between first and second year, just because then they don't have any other coursework that they should be focusing on, so it gives them a lot more free time. And we work with a lot of local companies. I remember doing my internship, it was really easy to find one, and it was really great  experience. I actually did a couple of them. So it's just a really great way for people to gain more experience, kind of get some industry connections and potentially land a job. 

Evan Franulovich  17:13  
So in these internships, they're not just having you get them coffee, or they're actually having you do things. 

Annie Ando  17:19  
Oh, absolutely, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:20  
Okay. Like what did you?

Annie Ando  17:21  
They're all different kinds. I did one with a stylist, and then also with someone who owned his own clothing brand. So I worked on his website a lot, and just kind of worked with him on creating that.

Evan Franulovich  17:34  
Oh, so you kind of worked on the more business side of it as well. 

Annie Ando  17:36  
Yeah, there are different options. You know, we do learn a lot of computer skills here, like we do a lot with Illustrator and Photoshop and things like that, and we get our own websites and portfolios ready. So we are doing a lot of that side of things as well.

Evan Franulovich  17:51  
That's really cool. I know that the culinary side of the house, they do the business of culinary they learn to manage a restaurant, those kinds of things. So are there a number of business related classes within the program? 

Annie Ando  18:07  
There are, we have business classes. 

Evan Franulovich  18:09  
And so they're learning to start their own brand, how to market the clothes, what do they do in those classes?

Annie Ando  18:14  
Yeah, just kind of learning about the cycles of fashion, how things work when you need to design things but of course, if you're making things overseas, there's a timeline, and even if you're making them here, right? It's a long process from when you think of your idea to when it's actually produced. So we learn about pricing all kinds of different things that you might need to know, yeah, to either start your own brand or just to be successful working for someone else. 

Evan Franulovich  18:44  
Some of the companies we mentioned earlier, like Tommy Bahama, are they having their clothes produced overseas, or are they actually making some of those clothes here? 

Annie Ando  18:53  
Tommy Bahama is produced overseas. Prairie Underground is another local company that hires a lot of our graduates, and they actually make their garments here. 

Evan Franulovich  19:02  
They do make them here. 

Annie Ando  19:03  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  19:04  
That's really cool. I know of a company, they're back East. I think they're in Maine called Origin, and they make things like jeans, and they started off making Brazilian Jiu Jitsu geese. So they have a kind of a specialty, but I think they're expanding their line. And all their all their clothes are made here in the United States. So hopefully we'll see more of that in the future. You think that's gonna happen?

Annie Ando  19:27  
I think a lot of people are really thinking about sustainability. Yeah, and so Prairie Underground, for example, I know that they're really focused on sustainability. I think that has a lot to do with them, also producing things here?

Evan Franulovich  19:42  
Right. And when you say sustainability, are you really talking about the fabrics that they choose, like, say, Merino wools or hemp clothing or those kinds of things, are you talking about non polluting approaches to the business? I mean, what does that mean exactly?

Annie Ando  19:58  
Both. I mean, there's so many different things. 

Evan Franulovich  20:01  
This is not my field obviously. 

Annie Ando  20:02  
I mean, there's so many aspects of it, but yeah, I mean, using as much of the fabric as you can, right?  

Evan Franulovich  20:09  
Oh, sure. 

Annie Ando  20:10  
Smaller amounts, how they're dyed, where they're dyed, where they're produced and manufactured, has a lot to do with that, too, just because of different countries and different laws and things like. 

Evan Franulovich  20:21  
Right.

Annie Ando  20:21  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  20:22  
Do a lot of people do their internships out of the country? Like, do they fly to France and work at some clothing design place there? 

Annie Ando  20:31  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  20:31  
Do they go to Bangladesh and work in a factory? I mean, where do those internships stop? 

Annie Ando  20:38  
I'm sure that you could do that. Yeah, I haven't heard of anyone doing that. I mean, I know after graduating the program, a lot of people will go to other countries, but during, I'm not too sure about that, but I'm sure that if that was something that you wanted to pursue, it could be an option. 

Evan Franulovich  20:55  
You could be supportive of that. Be creative guys, use your imagination. And if you're an international student, what a great opportunity to maybe go home and work in your own markets or industry there, and then bring that experience back to the classroom. 

Annie Ando  21:09  
Yeah, definitely. 

Evan Franulovich  21:11  
Wow. All right. Well, let's see, you already talked a little bit about applying. Is there anything else that's special in the application process? Do they have to, I don't know, normally, you know, they do an application there's an application fee. They upload transcripts, or, you know, English proficiency exams. These are things that international students do, and you talked about the test. But is there anything else they need to include or that's special when they do apply?

Annie Ando  21:43  
I don't think so. I mean, it's just kind of the general college application, I believe. And then that, and then we also have a computer requirement, so they either need to take the test, I think it's the SAM test, and that kind of measures computer proficiency, so it has a lot of Excel questions on there, or they can take a class, I think I have them here, yeah, so you can complete BTM 111 or BTM 101 which is a word class, BTM 102 or take the SAM challenge test. So those are the options for filling that requirement. 

Evan Franulovich  22:21  
Well, there you go. So if you have more questions about those, reach out and you can get that information. All right. Can you we already talked about it's only fall quarter. It says that there's a required orientation a week before, but is that in addition to what they have as an international student, because there is an international student orientation that's a week before classes. What's your orientation all about?

Annie Ando  22:46  
Yeah, so our orientation, we just kind of go over what to expect in the program, you know, because a lot of students don't know about the apparel design program, even if they're in the prerequisite or skill development classes, just kind of talking about lab hours, things like that, they can purchase their kits for the year, and just going over, yeah, class structure, things like that. So it is really important.

Evan Franulovich  23:13  
So when you say kits, what does that mean? Is that like a toolkit? 

Annie Ando  23:17  
It is kind of a toolkit, yeah. So it supplies that students need for the year, just to get started. 

Evan Franulovich  23:21  
So I'm guessing. What? Scissors?

Annie Ando  23:23  
Scissors, paper snips, kind of special scissors for pattern making. Pins, thread bobbins, bobbin cases. 

Evan Franulovich  23:33  
Cool.

Annie Ando  23:34  
Yeah, rulers.

Evan Franulovich  23:36  
If they're coming from overseas. Can they, I mean, is that list of stuff in the kit online. Can they pick that stuff up before they got here? Or do you guys have your own special kit that everybody has to get?

Annie Ando  23:47  
I mean, technically, they probably could if they wanted to before they got here. But our kits are really well priced.

Evan Franulovich  23:55  
Cool. 

Annie Ando  23:55  
And they have really good items that will last throughout the year. We get a lot of use out of them, so it's good to have quality items. 

Evan Franulovich  24:04  
Right. 

Annie Ando  24:04  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  24:05  
So if you're a hairdresser, like hairdressers get very attached to their shears and their scissors. And does that happen in this industry? Or cooks, you know, they've got their knives and nobody touches their knives. Does it get that way? Does it get territorial?

Annie Ando  24:19  
Definitely, yeah. You have your own pencils, your own special scissors for everything.

Evan Franulovich  24:26  
Yeah, right on. I thought maybe that might be the case. 

Annie Ando  24:29  
Very important to have good tools, for sure. 

Evan Franulovich  24:32  
All right. And now it says that the credits are 95 and that they will have that capstone project you talked about, the end of the year, some of the things that they do. What are the other kinds of classes? Can you just give me a rundown of some things that they'll do that they might expect? Also a question I have is. You know, if I'm a philosophy major or a history major, I would definitely have to take maths and sciences and maybe physical fitness or whatever, to have this very broad prerequisite. 

Annie Ando  25:12  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  25:12  
Do you guys have to do those kinds of classes? Like, would someone in your program have to take a history class? Or is it a very special history class? Would they have to take a math class?

Annie Ando  25:21  
We have history of fashion. 

Evan Franulovich  25:22  
Oh, okay, so it's specific to you.

Annie Ando  25:24  
It is, yeah, and there is a lot of math intertwined in the classes. For example, pattern making. We have pattern grading, and those include a lot of math, a lot of fractions. So it's definitely good for students to, you know, know about fractions, and to kind of brush up on that beforehand. We definitely recommend that, just so that they have a smoother transition into the program and they're not getting caught up on those little details. So those definitely have a lot of math aspects. Yeah, and then we have business of fashion, history of fashion, technology. There's a lot of really cool technology that we use now. 

Evan Franulovich  26:01  
There's a lot of cool technology out there. 

Annie Ando  26:02  
Yeah, and we have so many resources available to students. We also have a lot of guest speakers, because we have so many graduates who are in the industry and have been in the industry, you know, all around the US, all around the world. And they'll come in and just kind of talk about their experience and give advice for getting jobs and things like that.

Evan Franulovich  26:22  
Do we have anybody famous that's graduated from anybody with their own clothing line that someone might recognize? 

Annie Ando  26:27  
We have Rafael Soto who has Proto 101, I know they have a location in Westlake, and also I saw one recently in Bellevue square. So that's a clothing brand. He was a graduate from here. Yeah, we have many graduates who have started their own clothing line. Ken Downing, he's the creative director I believe of Halston currently. 

Evan Franulovich  26:52  
That's cool! 

Annie Ando  26:52  
Yeah. He's had some really major roles. 

Evan Franulovich  26:55  
What would be the barrier to starting your own clothing line? Is it just, is it a difficult industry to get into. Or if you have a creative bent and you are persistent, it generally can work out. I mean, I don't know much about the industry.

Annie Ando  27:09  
I mean, I would say it's difficult. You know, starting any business is difficult, there's a lot of overhead costs, generally. But I mean, you can also do it on a smaller scale, especially with social media these days, if you have a following and you have people who are interested in buying things that you make, I mean, there's really no limit on, you know, what you can do. 

Evan Franulovich  27:29  
Sure.

Annie Ando  27:29  
Very limited resources.

Evan Franulovich  27:32  
It seems like a lot of it is, correct me, if I'm wrong, but it seems like a lot of clothing, selling of clothing is really about marketing. Like, for example, Under Armor, you know they were, they used to be nobody. 

Annie Ando  27:45  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  27:45  
And then they just are like this billion dollar company now. 

Annie Ando  27:48  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  27:48  
But it seems like they're just making the same kind of stuff that a lot of others, like Adidas, Nike are doing. 

Annie Ando  27:54  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  27:55  
So it seems like a lot of what contributed to their success was just great marketing. Would you agree with that, or do you think there's a lot more to it? 

Annie Ando  28:03  
I would agree. I would say there's a lot more to it. I would say they're a very big company, you know, obviously,  they're able to compete. They make things that people want to wear. Yeah, I mean, I think they have good quality products. Maybe they don't look super unique, but maybe that's also not what people want.

Evan Franulovich  28:21  
Right, maybe not. 

Annie Ando  28:22  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  28:22  
It seems like there's a ton of sportswear out there. 

Annie Ando  28:25  
There is a lot of sportswear.

Evan Franulovich  28:26  
And more and more, there's a lot of outdoor gear, especially here in the Northwest. 

Annie Ando  28:29  
Oh, there's so much here, so many companies. 

Evan Franulovich  28:32  
Which is pretty cool. 

Annie Ando  28:33  
Yeah, definitely. And there's so much that goes into the outdoor gear, you know, so many aspects.

Evan Franulovich  28:38  
Yeah, right, and different kinds of materials, I mean, like gore tex.

Annie Ando  28:42  
Yeah, lots of technology, very technical. 

Evan Franulovich  28:45  
So is there a particular area that you like personally? Any high fashion?

Annie Ando  28:52  
I'm more into just fashion, clothing. I mean, not necessarily anything that's super technical, not really outdoor wear, yeah, and probably just things that I would like to wear. 

Evan Franulovich  29:03  
Nice! 

Annie Ando  29:04  
More fun. 

Evan Franulovich  29:05  
Well, that's really great. I think this is very cool. I hope you guys will check this out. Apparel design has been here and will be here for a little while. Give them a call, send them an email, talk to them about the program, and get excited, because it's really cool. Anything else you want to close with, like something I didn't ask? That maybe you want to make sure that they're aware of?

Annie Ando  29:26  
I think that's it. I mean, we're always looking for new students. We love students who are really enthusiastic and who really want to be in the apparel industry. This is a great program, I mean, it's such a great resource to have here at Seattle Central, especially because of the cost. It is a very intense program, but students are really prepared to go into the workforce, and you learn so much in just two years. 

Evan Franulovich  29:47  
Right. Okay, guys. Well, thanks so much for your time. It's great meeting you. 

Annie Ando  29:51  
Thanks for having me.

Evan Franulovich  29:52  
Thanks for the tour. 

Annie Ando  29:52  
Yeah, of course. 

Evan Franulovich  29:54  
Check it out, guys, check out their site. Learn all about it. Hope you'll come, apply be an international student in the apparel design department. Check us out every Wednesday here at Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with' Don't forget to like and subscribe. Thanks again. 

Annie Ando  30:09  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  30:09  
Have a good night. 

Annie Ando  30:10  
Bye! 

Evan Franulovich  30:13  
Bye!

Evan Franulovich  30:13  
'Conversations with' is painstakingly crafted for you by the Seattle Colleges International Programs department and supported by the lovely folks here on our campus. This show is produced and edited by me Evan Franulovich. We welcome your emails and questions about coming to Seattle Colleges. Please reach out to us via our website or just give us a rating and a review on Apple podcasts as this helps others discover the show. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube at Seattle Colleges Intl, that's Seattle Colleges Intl. And be sure to check out all of the shows here on 'Conversations with' Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.