Why did you choose Textile Design?
I didn’t really know what I wanted to do coming into Philadelphia University. I knew I loved fashion and I loved art, but I wasn’t sure how I could combine the two. My cousin went to PhilaU for fashion design and she told me to look into textile design. I started looking into the program and came to an open house here at PhilaU. After that it seemed really interesting to me, so I chose textile design and I have loved it ever since. I love the design aspect along with being able to pair it with fashion.
Did you have any expectations coming into the Textile Design Program?
When coming into the Textile Design program, I was very open minded because I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was expecting them to teach me the ropes and see what would happen. So coming in and being able to knit my own samples and learn how to work with the machines was really an exceptional experience. It is very cool to be able to work with your hands and create samples. That is the cool thing about this major, you are constantly creating and making new thing with your hands.
Maddalena then shared more information regarding her study abroad program:
Where did you study abroad and how was your experience?
I studied abroad Fall of 2015, in Scotland at Heriot-Watt University. I loved the area, the culture, the food, and the people there. The nice thing was that a lot of their equipment was similar to what we have here at PhilaU. But their education system was different. Since their program is bachelor of arts they focused more on the art side of design rather than the science. Which made it feel not as realistic as what we do here at our program. It is a very different way of thinking about it all. What I love about PhilaU is, the faculty have you think about the industry and end use of the product.
What were your expectations going into the study abroad program?
I don’t think I went in with any expectations. It was my first time going out of the country. I was just really excited to see other cultures and to see what the differences are compared to the United States. Overall it was a great experience: all the people that I met, all of my peers and professors were exceptionally nice and always helpful. It ended up turning into a really nice community for the time that I was there.
Did you face any challenges while studying in Scotland?
I don’t think I faced any challenges academically. A lot of the courses related to what I was doing here at PhilaU. I was also able to apply what I learned over there to the classes that I took once I got back to PhilaU.
Maddalena continued on by telling us about her internship with Lilly Pulitzer:
I got an internship with Lilly Pulitzer which is a resort wear / women wear company. I got the internship through Career Services at PhilaU; they held interviews and Lilly Pulitzer employees came to interview us. I was offered the internship, I started in June of 2016. It was supposed to be a summer internship, but in August they told me they would love to have me in the Fall if I was interested to continue working with them. So I stayed and during the Spring, they again asked me to stay, and I have been working with them ever since. A couple of weeks ago I got called into a meeting and got offered a job. I’m really excited to have that happen.
How was your experience during the internship?
The internship was great because I learned a lot about the industry, from production to execution all the way to marketing and advertising. Every morning we had coffee chats, and each morning it would be with a different department. So we got to learn about what they did and the different processes that they went through. Lilly involved me as much as possible; they made sure I had a great experience and I learned everything before actually tackling it all.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
Over the Summer I was working in the Color, Fabric, and Trim Research and Development Department. I was working closely with the woven’s development coordinator. My main responsibility was helping out my manager, who was the woven and trim coordinator, I took on a lot of the trim developments.
During the Fall and Spring, they put more of the trim responsibility on me, which was really cool. I chat with the designers. I talked with different vendors oversees, and developed different trims and laces. They put a lot responsibilities on me which I was really happy with, I felt like I met their expectations. As I was there longer, I felt that the designers were comfortable asking me to do, or research, certain things for them.
Was it challenging doing both the internship and taking classes together?
It was interesting trying to balance it all. For my Fall semester I worked two half-days and one full day per week. I was able to leave work and go straight to class. I feel like I balanced it all and it was easy for me to stay on top of everything. During my Spring Semester I had been working two full days which was manageable. But it got tough at times, especially because of how far away the office was, I got home pretty late and I had to do homework for school. It was a struggle but I was able to fit everything in and get it together.
Did you face any challenges during your internship?
Originally when I interviewed with them I was hoping for something more of a print internship, or something dealing with design. But when I got placed in the Color, Fabric and Trim Research and Development Department I was working more with the number side of it. Even though I wasn’t doing much design work, I still feel like I excelled in it. I caught on to it very quickly and I felt it was the stuff that I liked, which is combining the design with the numbers and the hard stuff. Although it wasn’t something that I necessarily expected, it was still a great learning experience.
What were the best experiences during your internship?
I loved learning about the industry and being able to have a lot of responsibilities put on my plate as an intern, and meeting my manager and my bosses expectations. My favorite part would be seeing how everything progressed within a season, such as starting from day one, which is our kick off, and then seeing it go from that to all the different trims, fabrics, and colors. Finally seeing them all being put on garments and hit the stores.
I will be the Color and Trim Research and Innovation Coordinator. Our team is switching from research and development to research and innovation. This means that we are going to be dealing more with researching the future trends and finding what's new and innovative in the textile world. I’m excited to see how it all turns out.
What are your future goals?
I’m versatile in my way of thinking and I feel like I will be good in a lot of things. I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself so I’m stuck doing the same thing for the rest of my life. I know there are so many different opportunities out there. I know I love the design aspect of it all, and I love working with woven and prints but there are still so many different ways and jobs that I could go about those things. I would love to be able to do as much as possible in different jobs. I’m excited to work in the industry and see what I gravitate towards the most.
What would you like to share with potential students coming into the Textile Design program?
Be as open as possible. Don’t put any limitations on yourself. I know a lot of people cast away the idea of going into Textile Design because they can’t draw or design. I think it is not necessarily about drawing or what you are able to do. As long as you can put whats in your mind down on paper, in a design, or on the computer that is what its all about. It is about your ideas and inspirations. So as long as you are able to somehow communicate that through your designs, thats all that matters.
If you had one word to describe the Textile Design Program at PhilaU, what would that word be?
Innovative, somebody here is always doing something that makes me go “ WOW“. Every single day I come across someone doing something very innovative. There is always something new going on.
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