Students design in spare time
The Princeton Review describes how “hallways turn torunways” as SMU students take their daily stroll to and fromclass each day. A campus full of fashion gods and goddesses issomething students have become used to, but many are surprised tohear of the fashion entrepreneurs who lurk behind the scenes.
Many impressed to hear of the successful business advances thesestudents have made throughout their college careers. What mighthave started as a simple hobby has now turned into a way to keepmoney in the checking account, create amazing connections, aid inselecting a major and even take one step closer in finding apassion or zest in life.
These are not the typical ironed-on-designer-T-shirt companies,lemonade stands or friendship bracelets.
These fashion lines range from clothing and accessories soldthroughout the nation to eclectic home furnishings.
Many of these business owners could live down the hall in asorority house or in the apartment duplex next door. They arefull-time students who also keep busy with campus activities suchas Greek life, student organizations and clubs and even SMUathletics. Jessen Wabeke, a junior advertising major and CCPAminor, has created his own line of art-inspired skater T-shirtsover the past year.
Motivated by a friend’s mom who mentioned the idea to him,the Loveland, CO native set forth to establish Valor Apparel.
Once Wabeke had the idea in his head, “it stuck with[him].”
While the business is mainly a one-man show, Wabeke buys designsfor his shirts from SMU art major and artist Taylor Robenalt.
“I do the conceptual stuff,” Wabeke explains, of his”popular-art-focused” shirts.
Once he gets Robenalt’s ideas, he typically runs them by acouple of his friends to get their opinion before selling them toskate shops back in Loveland, a couple places in Houston and tostudents on campus. The shirts run about $15 a piece.
“I focus on selling the shirts to startup shops,”Wabeke explained. “If I walked into a chain of skate shops,I’d be completely blown off.”
Wabeke, a freestyle swimmer for SMU men’s swimming anddiving, has very little time for his business during school.
“Right now,” he said, “I’ve put [thebusiness] aside for school and I’ll get stuff going overChristmas.”
Wabeke would like to pursue this career once he gets out ofschool, checks out the market and gets the money he needs.
His ultimate goal is, “to have this actually take off andbe able to manage it all and not work too much.”
Meanwhile, on the accessories end of fashion, Graham Barton, asophomore art history major, established just graham, a customjewelry business at the age of 13.
Barton was just barely a teen when she discovered a hidden loveand curiosity for rare beads and stones. She soon taught herselfhow to create jewelry using different designs and layouts. Itdidn’t take long for her to establish herself in her hometownof Nashville, TN, and be mentioned in a local magazine.
The article referred to Barton as a “budding jewelrydesigner” and a true “businesswoman.”
“I just started casually selling to friends andparents,” she shyly admitted, “and it eventuallyevolved into a business.”
Barton’s exotic talent of beading results in personalizednecklaces, earrings and bracelets. She conducts most of her saleswith small boutiques in Nashville, museum gift shops and differentclients searching for pieces for weddings and other specialevents.
“I hate reproducing, so I’m always looking fordifferent approaches,” Barton explained. “I like toexperiment and play around until I come up with something that Ilike.”
After attending a two-year course at the Studio Jewelers Limitedin New York City, Barton realized her passion for art and apossible long-term career in jewelling.
“I loved the school in New York,” she said. “Ihad my own workbench and metal work tools…it was very handson.”
Barton has goals of eventually attending the GemologicalInstitute of America to study unfamiliar beads, stones andtechniques that could go into her designs.
With the support of SMU students and Barton’s friends, shehas continued selling her creations at varying prices during hertime in Dallas.
“You’d be amazed at how much people want to supportcreative endeavors,” Barton explained.
Fashion, however, is not limited to eccentric portrayal ofclothing.
Alice Bell, creator and founder of AB Designs, has spruced upmany dull bedrooms and clammy college dorm rooms with herbright-spirited home accents.
From painted frames to bulletin boards, dry erase boards towooden furniture, this sophomore advertising major from Lexington,KY knows how to add just the right amount of spice to an otherwisemenial room.
“Anything I can find that’s wood, I’llpaint,” Bell admited.
She began her zest for decorating two years ago as a way torelax and procrastinate while studying for high school tests.
“I just started painting things for my friends for theirbirthdays,” Bell explained, “I began withchairs…they all loved them and wanted more!”
The creations, sold mainly to clients in Lexington and SMUstudents, are always brightly painted, including ribbons, flowers,stripes or polka dots to give an individualized touch.
Kristy Owen, a devoted client of Bell’s, gets tons ofcompliments on her AB Designs decorated room and “lovesAlice’s unique art style.”
With a summer job at AJ’s Casuals, a designer clothingboutique in Lexington, Bell is able to see what goes into fashionbusiness.
She would “love for [AB Designs] to go beyond college, butfor now it’s purely for fun.” Whether or not thesestudents go on to be the next New York fashion guru, they now havea great advantage of knowing what is involved in business and howit all comes together.
Nicole Musselman, a 1992 SMU graduate, is founder and designerof Koch Handbags, a line of functional yet fashionable purses andbags.
Musselman feels it is great that there is an”entrepreneurial spirit” on SMU’s campus, andthat this could really “pave the way [for these students] tostart their own company after college.”
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs professor ChrisAnderson founded Classic Sports Logos in 1997. The simple,retro-style apparel brings back authentic logos of teams andleagues from the 1950s to the early ‘80s.
“Frequently,” Anderson explained, “businessesthat students begin in college either lay the groundwork for futurebusinesses or serve as creative outlets that aid in the developmentof entrepreneurial thinking.”
While the majority of SMU students exert their energies onacademics, extracurricular activities and outside jobs, afashionable few have been able to color the campus with sharptrends and bright ideas.
