Fall 2025
Greetings from the Program Chair
Dear Alumni and Friends,
As we close out another remarkable semester, I'm delighted to share the exciting developments and achievements within our Fashion Studies program at Kansas State University.
This past summer brought wonderful opportunities for growth and learning. Our annual Farm to Fashion camp welcomed 15 middle and high school students in July, where they explored fiber, textile, and clothing creation, including fiber and spinning, natural dyeing, weaving, and fashion design. For the first time, we also participated in the K-State in Italy study abroad program, with faculty member Kelsie Doty spending the month of June teaching a course, Fashion in Italy, in Orvieto, Italy. The experience was successful, and Kelsie will be returning to teach the course again next summer, offering our students invaluable international perspectives on fashion and culture.
July 1st marked a significant milestone in our College and program’s history as the College of Health and Human Sciences completed its restructuring. Fashion Studies is now part of the School of Consumer Sciences, joining Event and Hospitality Management and Personal Financial Planning. This new alignment creates exciting opportunities for collaboration and strengthens our connections across complementary disciplines.
Student Experience
K-State Takes the Stage at the Von Maur NRF Case Challenge
This Fall, five Fashion Studies students represented Kansas State University at the Von Maur NRF Case Challenge hosted by the University of Iowa — and they made us incredibly proud. Each student submitted their résumé for potential interviews with the Von Maur executive team, and remarkably, all five were selected for interviews, a distinction not every university received. It was an exciting accomplishment and a testament to the professionalism, preparation, and talent of our students.
Competing universities included UW–Madison (two teams), UW–Stout (two teams), St. Ambrose University (two teams), Central Michigan University, the University of Iowa (two teams), and Kansas State University. Teams were challenged with a high-level retail strategy prompt.
Kansas State University in Italy
Exploring the Heart of Italian Fashion
Last summer, Fashion Studies students traded the familiar rhythm of campus life for something entirely different: the sound of church bells in Orvieto, Italy, terracotta rooftops glowing under the evening sun, and afternoons spent sketching in bustling piazzas surrounded by fashion, food, and history. Through the K-State in Italy study abroad program, students explored the heart of Italian fashion not from a textbook, but by living inside it.
Based in the medieval hilltop town of Orvieto, the program blended culture, design, and academic study into a rich and immersive experience. Each morning, cobblestone streets became the path to class, and every winding alleyway revealed a new discovery, a leather craftsman’s workshop, a vintage boutique, or a weaver practicing traditional techniques passed down for generations. Learning extended far beyond the classroom walls. Guided visits through Orvieto, along with unforgettable day trips to Florence and Rome, gave students front-row access to the artistry, production, and luxury branding that define Italian fashion.
The program’s centerpiece was the Italian Fashion course, taught by Dr. Kelsie Doty, where students traced the history of fashion from Renaissance origins to modern luxury. Standing in the same cities where Gucci and Prada built their legacies brought the lessons to life. Conversations about sustainability and craftsmanship unfolded while watching artisans hand-stitch leather or dye fabric with natural pigments. One student reflected, “Being in Italy helped me see what other cultures value in quality and style. Italians truly support their crafters and designers, and that was inspiring to witness firsthand.”
Little Black Dress at 100
A Century of Elegance, Reinvention & Cultural Influence
This year, Kansas celebrated one of fashion’s most iconic garments through Little Black Dress at 100, a collaborative exhibition presented by the K-State Historic Costume and Textile Museum, the Wichita/Sedgwick County Historical Museum, and the Wichita Art Museum. In honor of the approaching 100th anniversary of Coco Chanel’s revolutionary little black dress, the exhibition showcased elegant examples ranging from couture-level designs to everyday versions once worn by women in Kansas. Opening June 30 and closing November 30, 2025, the exhibition welcomed over 30,504 visitors, each drawn in by the timeless allure of the LBD.
The exhibition received enthusiastic praise. In KC Studio’s Fall Visual Arts Highlights, Brian McTavish wrote that the show offered “a fetching spectrum of LBDs… from pricey examples to commonplace versions that absolutely still have that certain something.” One visitor shared, “If you like fashion even a little bit, you need to see this! These dresses are exquisite, and together they are perfection.”
A centerpiece of the exhibition was a faithful recreation of Chanel’s 1926 design, crafted by Marla Day (K-State '96), Curator of the HCTM and co-curator of the exhibition. Using the only existing illustration, Day draped and refined muslin toiles, perfected pintucked bias panels, and constructed the final dress in delicate silk — bringing history to life through craftsmanship.
Student Spotlight
Euri Mead - Sustainability Advocate, Researcher, Leader & Outstanding Graduate Student 2024-2025
In the Fashion Studies program, we love celebrating students who lead with purpose and inspire those around them. This fall, we are proud to spotlight Euri Luce-Mead, a doctoral candidate whose passion for sustainability and circular fashion has already made an impact on our program and community. A career change later in life, Euri found not just a doctoral path at Kansas State, she found a home. For her excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service, she was named the Fashion Studies Outstanding Graduate Student for the 2024–2025 academic year.
Euri moved to Kansas to pursue her PhD and currently serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She also works for the Consumption Literacy Project (CLP), a nonprofit dedicated to promoting resource efficiency, waste reduction, and circular systems. As the Circular Fashion Program Coordinator, she launched CLP’s first clothing-centered pilot, the Nearly Zero Clothing Project, here in Manhattan, which partners with local second-hand retailers, with Wildflower Trading Co. being the first.
Fashion Studies Internships
Where Classroom Skills Meet Real Industry Experience
Every summer, Fashion Studies students at Kansas State University step beyond the studio and into real-world industry environments — from corporate buying offices in New York to product development teams in licensed sportswear, to hands-on retail leadership roles, and to marketing and design firms creating brand identities. The Fashion Studies Internship Program, a required four-credit experience, is designed to bridge academic learning with the real world of work — and this year’s students returned with incredible stories, accomplishments, and new confidence in their career paths.
Rather than just learning about the industry, our students lived it. They collaborated with buyers, attended vendor meetings, styled customers, produced technical packs, communicated with factories, organized line reviews, launched design projects, and even pitched creative ideas that informed business decisions. Their experiences reflect the many places a Fashion Studies degree can lead — from retail and buying to apparel design, marketing, and product development.
We wanted to highlight a few student internships from this past term — each one unique, meaningful, and career-shaping.
in the Junior Sweaters and Woven Tops Department. From attending vendor meetings and assembling purchase orders, to analyzing weekly selling reports and presenting to leadership, Natalie gained firsthand exposure to the pace and precision of buying. She participated in both independent and group projects, including conducting interviews with professionals across various departments, presenting findings, and collaborating on recommendations for the Junior Plus Dresses business. Natalie reflects on the experience as transformative, sharing that “working in the fast-paced buying office helped me gain confidence and clarity in her future goals”.
Teegan spent her internship with Outdoor Custom Sportswear (OCS), a licensee of Columbia and Adidas, working directly with product development teams. She quickly transitioned from organizing samples to assuming highly technical responsibilities, which included building tech packs from scratch, revising CADs, coordinating with factories, and preparing materials for line review presentations. Seeing samples arrive that she helped develop gave Teegan her “this is real” moment. The role strengthened her proficiency in Adobe, enhanced her knowledge of garment construction, and refined her communication skills, ultimately resulting in a full-time job offer following graduation.
His role combined branding, marketing, design, and production, making him a versatile and valuable member of the team. Declan managed social media posts, email campaigns, website updates, and production workflows, while also taking on design projects including youth sports jerseys, logos, flyers, and promotional graphics. He gained experience balancing projects, communicating with clients, and coordinating orders, which led him to discover a passion for brand development and sportswear design. Declan shared that the internship helped him identify strengths and areas for growth, pushing him toward a clearer career direction.
At Buckle, Brooklyn began as a sales associate and transitioned into the Women’s Accessories Intern, where she developed sales strategies, created visual merchandising plans, and coached teammates on styling and presentation. Brooklyn learned to track performance metrics, motivate a team, and implement product placement strategies that boosted sales. Through this experience, she gained valuable insight into leadership and guest experience dynamics, while also discovering where her passions fit within the fashion industry. Brooklyn describes her internship as “a highly impactful learning experience that strengthened my selling and leadership skills.”
Closing Thoughts
As we conclude another meaningful and momentum-filled fall semester, we reflect with deep appreciation on the community that makes K-State Fashion Studies such a vibrant place to learn, create, and grow. This semester was filled with student achievements, impactful outreach, groundbreaking research, and countless moments of curiosity and connection — none of which would be possible without the unwavering support of our donors, partners, alumni, and friends.
Your encouragement fuels everything we do. It empowers students to take bold steps toward their futures, supports faculty in advancing research that shapes the industry, and strengthens the collaborative spirit that defines our program. Whether through mentorship, participation in events, financial support, or simply staying engaged with our work, your presence is felt across our studios, classrooms, and community spaces.
As we look ahead to a new year filled with opportunity, we remain committed to shaping a fashion future grounded in sustainability, inclusivity, creativity, and innovation. Thank you for walking alongside us and for believing in the next generation of designers, scholars, makers, and changemakers.
With gratitude,
The Kansas State Fashion Studies Faculty, Staff, and Students