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Media Relations

AMID students finish their projects, head into the "real world"

Live at IU has followed seniors James DiMartino and Cheri' McDowell this semester as they complete their final projects in the department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design (for previous articles see http://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/6474.html and http://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/6681.html). DiMartino is a student in the department's Fashion Design Culture Group, and McDowell studies interior design within the Design Studies Group. In this segment, we see what they have prepared to kick-start their design careers.

Ready-to-wear Zoo

The first ready-to-wear line from fashion design student James DiMartino is now available. The "Zoo Series" is a line of T-shirts printed with his custom-designed blocky animal graphics. Using American Apparel shirts, he screen-prints creatures like ladybugs, pandas, penguins and pigs and wraps them around the sides of the garments to produce a unique twist on the classic printed tee. He "signs" the items by spray-painting his "JDi" logo on their packaging.

"I think they are creative. I haven't seen anything like them anywhere else," DiMartino said. "The hardest thing with fashion is staying on top of the trends, but there is no trend like this, so at least I know the trend isn't over."

He has established a small online portal for purchasing the ladybug shirts, http://www.jdidesigns.etsy.com, and is currently polling on Facebook for input on which animal he should feature next. "I think the penguin and the lion are in the lead," he said. All of his animal designs can be viewed on the Zoo Series portion of his main Web site, http://www.freewebs.com/jamesdimartino/jdizooseriesnew.htm.

DiMartino is also putting the finishing touches on his couture line, which he'll debut in a Bloomington fashion show on March 21. Following his "James Bond" theme, he'll feature tuxedos, ski outfits, swimsuits and a few creative riffs on the opening credits of the Bond films -- think spy-glamour-meets-silk-symbolism. He's hoping to feature about 20 ensembles, and to hold the event at either the John Waldron Arts Center or the Indiana Memorial Union's Frangipani Room.

"The tough thing now is teaching my models how to walk properly," he said. (All his models are students; two are his male roommates.) "I need to burn DVDs of fashion shows to teach them how it's done. It's so funny, everybody walks every day, but when you have to do it in front of people you mess up."

Resume by design

Prospective employers won't have to look far to discover Cheri' McDowell's design sensibility. The interior design student has infused her resume, business cards and stationery with her classic-contemporary aesthetic, letting everyone know at first glance that she's ready to craft solidly creative environments. Shunning the traditional black-on-white text-only scheme, she's developed a logo, color palette and layout that she hopes will help her stand out as she seeks a spring internship.

"As designers, we're trying to market ourselves with everything we produce," she said. "Something like this can show your graphic sense, and if a firm thinks that's a good match for what they do, maybe it will push you one step further in the process."

Her unusual approach has already scored her two interviews with Indianapolis interior design firms: One with a small, restoration-focused company that specializes in neighborhood re-development, and one with a slightly larger commercial firm that works primarily on corporate interiors. Either one would be a great fit for her internship, she says. She hopes to do restoration work in the future, but the corporate experience would also be a great foundation for her career.

Although McDowell said there is a lot of competition for design internships in Indianapolis, she is undaunted.

"If I don't get an internship, I can job shadow at different firms," she said. "Firms like it when students are interested in what they do."

McDowell also aims to continue developing both the vintage and modern aspects of her designs through hands-on experience. She is hoping to work in a store that restores antique architectural salvage items, and she has taken on a few graphic design projects on the side.

"We'll see what happens -- these are all good networking opportunities. Hopefully there will be someone I know who will know other people who can help me get started," she said.

Indiana University's Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design (http://www.indiana.edu/~amid) is a multidisciplinary academic environment within the university's College of Arts and Sciences that helps motivated students shape their futures in retail and design fields. The department's educational programs offer a blend of academic theory combined with practical knowledge and skill-building techniques to encourage critical, independent thinking by students and prepare graduates to be leaders in their chosen fields. AMID enrolled more than 460 undergraduate majors in the fall 2007 semester.

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