Apparel Merchandising Students Gain Global Perspective on China Study Tour

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Clinical associate professor Kathy Smith (third from left) and 11 apparel merchandising and product development students with some of their hosts during their 16-day study tour in China.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Students in the apparel merchandising and product development program in the U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences recently completed a study tour in China to learn more about the apparel industry.

The trip included stops in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Beijing. Students combined apparel merchandising, product development and business visits with multiple aspects of the apparel supply chain and retail industries.

Eleven AMPD students from the Bumpers College's School of Human Environmental Sciences joined clinical associate professor Kathy Smith and interim dean Lona Robertson for the 16-day faculty-led trip.

"This study tour enriched the classroom educational component," said Lisa Gaddy, a second-year AMPD graduate student from Springdale. "I saw first-hand how the manufacturing process works and observed the production of apparel."

"It opened up my perspective to the broader fields of work I can go into after graduation," said Elisabeth Trecek, a junior from Kansas City. "Trips like this really help you grow independently and branch out into other cultures. It was an amazing experience and I can't express enough how much I recommend it to other students."

AMPD study tours are researched and developed to provide students unique opportunities to learn about interactions between manufacturing, marketing and merchandising in the apparel industry. The experience gives students a global perspective, and improves their marketability and competitiveness in the job market.

"I grew up loving fashion and my mom started a boutique while I was in high school," said Madison Todd, a sophomore from Claremore, Oklahoma. "I knew immediately I wanted a career in the field and learned from the professors how much this trip would affect my career. Fashion had always just been fashion. After going to China, I realize there are so many other career options in the fashion world."

Apparel merchandising and product development students met with South China Agricultural University (SCAU) faculty and students in Guangzhou. Students visited the largest wholesale fabric market in South China and attended senior portfolio student presentations by SCAU students, experiencing Chinese fashion and culture through one-on-one interactions. Additional academic components included a fashion trend forecast completed in the U.S. with a comparative analysis of Asian trends in different cities, pre-trip retail store research with a visit to retail shopping districts, and research of companies to be visited in order to discuss trends and issues with industry professionals.

Cultural experiences included visiting a traditional Chinese embroidered costume exhibit, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and a tour of historic Hutong communities in Beijing. The last night, AMPD students and faculty participated in a traditional Chinese cooking competition.

"I was able to make connections with people from businesses all over China," said Alison D'Antonio, a senior from St. Louis. "Getting out of your comfort zone is necessary and traveling is a great way to push yourself into trying new things and figuring things out for yourself."

"After this trip, I am better able to talk about product development, supply chain, merchandising and overseas business operations," said Kelli Howell, a junior from Fayetteville.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.