Journal Reflections in Student Learning: Morgan State FCS Students Share During the Pandemic

The following are journal reflections written by Morgan State University Family and Consumer Sciences-Fashion Merchandising students in 2020, during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we navigated through a semester that should have had students completing practicum credits, they instead wrote about recouping the time and identifying alternative endeavors that would still meet course objectives. <br/>Many emotions were shared through these journal entries—fear, discouragement, disappointment—but they weren't all negative emotions. Some included hope and perseverance. There was even a journal entry written on a successful costume designer (guest speaker) who challenged them to think of innovative ways to design for a post-COVID-19 apparel industry. The entries below, written during the spring semester—January 2020 thru May 2020—are in chronological order, listed by date. They were written by 13 different students.<br/> It is my hope that readers experience a level of empathy and acceptance for themselves after going through this pandemic. It has been an unprecedented year. Hopefully, you will be encouraged by the freedom of expression that is evident in the entries below.

Collaboration of 3D technology and fashion innovations: A creative accessory development assessment

In this study, we examined student experiences surrounding the utilization of 3D printing for accessory production by fashion merchandising students enrolled in an Apparel Construction and Evaluation course at a historically Black university. The students designed and produced a sustainable 3D accessory prototype, and at the end of the course, completed a survey on their experiences surrounding drafting and the design-making process using computer-aided design (CAD). Faculty in the Apparel Construction and Evaluation course collaborated with Department of Technology faculty to help advance students' design skills in mass manufacturing in the fashion industry. Each student completed a month of impactful technology experience by creating sustainable prototypes of 3D accessories for their end-of-year fashion showcase held annually in the department. Results were compiled from student-completed surveys administered at the end of the course. This research was undertaken with the primary goal of assessing creative learning and was focused on three objectives: (1) to have students rethink and develop their own sustainable accessory line; (2) to provide students with real-world fashion accessory applications and (3) to increase students' understanding of computer-aided methods of design through 3D modeling, shapes and figures.

Learning punk through its products: Combining fashion merchandising practices and pedagogy to develop a subculture of resistance

Punk is a lifestyle, ethos and perspective that deals with social unrest and personal discontent. Learning models are applied as framework in this research to contemplate how punk is learned and enacted as a lifestyle by going through daily fashion merchandising and social practices, such as how punks engage with artefacts and the rules of their scene. The punk subculture uses a pedagogy to their fashion production and consumption, employing the garments of their sartorial style with community interactions to create and symbolize their ethos. The community interacts in unision as newcomers to the scene learn from established participants, take in the knowledge available to them, and shift to self-produced ideas to develop their individualized punk ethos. This study used qualitative online surveys, in-person interviews and social media discussions from self-identified punks in the United States and Canada, as well as archival visits to punk-themed collections in order to analyse the experience of individuals who produce, consume and communicate their punk ethos through their garments.

An Interview with Petra Slinkard Nancy B. Putnam Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts

This article contains an interview with Petra Slinkard, the Nancy B. Putnam Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Ms. Slinkard is the first to hold this position at the museum and has held it since February 2018. Prior to this, Ms. Slinkard was the Curator of Costume at the Chicago History Museum. She has a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising, a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, and a Master of Science in Fashion/Textile History. Over the course of almost ten years, leadership at the museum endeavored to create a plan that would mobilize its fashion and textile collection and reinvigorate its active collecting of fashion objects. This year, the museum opened a new wing that has allocated a specific venue for showcasing exhibitions dedicated to the exploration of its fashion collection. What follows are excerpts from a conversation between the author and the curator. Topics include the Fashion and Textile Collection at the Peabody Essex Museum, the new Fashion and Design Gallery, and the accessibility of the institution’s collection.

The Role Stress Has on the Creative Process of Problem-Solving Projects: A Case Study of Individuals and Collaboration

This study examined interior design and fashion merchandising students because they creatively solve everyday consumer problems and employers competitively screen graduates for their creative and collaborative abilities. Students in these fields not only have to fulfill course requirements, but they also must exhibit a high level of creativity and be able to work with others. To examine the influence stress may have on the creative process of problem-solving, students working alone were compared to students working in teams. From this central focus, the study explored three research questions (RQ). RQ1 asked if stress is more likely to occur when students work alone as opposed to working in teams. RQ 2 pertained to what parts of the design process are stressful when working on a team as well as what parts are stressful when working alone. RQ3 dealt with how students deal with stress when working alone, and how do they deal with it when working on a team. The research study employed a mixed methods approach involving an online 29 questions survey developed by the researcher that asked students to rank their perceptions using a five-point Likert scale. At the end of the online survey students answered one open-ended question that captured students’ perceptions of stress. The outcomes indicated that individuals working alone and in teams had specific stress indicators at different points throughout the problem-solving assignments. Additionally, the study showed the value of social connectivity and freedom to select team members.