Kara Nicole Hamalainen
Product Development
This course placed a focus on all phases of apparel product development for a targeted market from conceptualization through execution of sample garments for mass production. Topics touched upon in this course included business planning, marketing, market research, distribution, and the product development calendar. Additionally, I learned evaluation techniques on how product development activities support sustainability. Check out the projects that I completed in this course below.
01
Product Development Calendar
To understand moving parts in the apparel industry, I was tasked with creating a product development calendar for a womenswear company of my choice. I reviewed the brand, decided on the number of fashion seasons considering the brand's aesthetics and marketing strategies, and populated a line sheet along with a product development calendar. Click the button below to view the Excel spreadsheet containing my line sheet and product development calendar created for Athleta's Spring 2023 season.
02
Jean Tech Pack
I had the opportunity to create a tech pack for a pair of jeans that I own. In an Excel file, I included 7 different tech pack components with a separate sheet for design, fabric/colorways, construction, specs, BOM, costing, and packaging. I made sure to keep my audience in mind while creating the tech pack and ensured it was as detailed, organized, consistent, and easy to read as possible. Click the button below to view the full project.
Exploration of User-Centered Product Development
03
For the final group project in this course, we were tasked with:
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1. Identifying the user, the sport, and the team uniform.
2. Conducting background research on the sport, common physical activities involved in the sport, and roles of the team uniform for student-athletes.
3. Conducting interviews with three of the student-athletes on the team and determining specific interview questions to ask.
4. Redesigning the team uniforms based on interviewee feedback and identifying core elements/needs/wants that would benefit the user.
5. Developing business strategies for the new design to the average consumer
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Click the button below to view the entire presentation completed by my group members and I.
