As part of their study trip to Las Vegas, 15 apparel students completed a project using the FAVES app to stock a retail store with items from the Magic and Offprice shows.
Fifteen U-of-A students in apparel merchandising and product development recently completed a study trip to Las Vegas, where they attended the Magic and Offprice trade shows and completed a group project.
The trip in August gave the students from Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences a direct insight into the largest trade fair in the clothing accessories industry.
Magic also includes several educational seminars. Students participated in Trend Alert: What’s Hot, What’s Happening & What’s on Trend; future-proof your retail business; The Circular Fashion Wave; E-commerce: creating an online experience; and Building for Fashion’s Future sessions with industry experts.
The group, led by Associate Professor Laurie Apple and Instructor Lance Charamie, also participated in the Offprice Show, which provides a wholesale marketplace for anyone looking to source products, make valuable connections and place orders to fulfill the best deals in inventory.
“Students have learned the value of using seasonal closeouts and over-produced cheap goods to help maximize open dollars and increase a store’s bottom line with high margins,” Apple said.
“The Las Vegas study tour was an educational experience that allowed the students to see an important trade show in the apparel industry and make observations related to the interaction of apparel buyers and sellers,” said Cheramie. “The students had the opportunity to explore both the Magic Trade Show and the Offprice Show. They were also able to compare and contrast the different venues.”
For their project, the students had to use the Faves buyers app. The app is a digital technology platform designed to help fashion, apparel, home and décor retailers maximize shopping.
In collaboration with Ulla Hald, the app’s founder and CEO, they were divided into four groups representing four different “shops”. Each group named their business and received a $500,000 budget. With Faves, they had to stock their store with items from Magic and Offprice exhibitors.
The groups presented their projects, including store items and budgets.
“The students worked as teams and focused on assortment planning, staying on budget and how to stock their stores with a mix of trendy and affordable items,” Apple said. “This project also allowed them to work with technologies currently available to retail buyers to improve their efficiency and planning while in the market.”
“This project helped the students understand the dynamics of a clothing company in relation to buyers and entrepreneurs,” said Cheramie. “In addition, the students learned about new tools and their applications to optimize business decisions as responsible buyers.”
Those on the trip included Kyrah Bailey, Josie Brown, Ava Graves, Josie Edwards, Exizabeth Bauer, Dawsyn McRae, Natalie Knapp, Calvin Phillips, Alyssa Truong, Ella Paton, Brooke Bugos, Maggie Haas, Mackenzie Knight, and Rihana O’Malley other Julia Roller.
Magic is a high-energy fashion experience and home to the largest selection of on-trend young contemporary clothing, footwear and accessories in the industry. By fusing scale with curation to drive commerce, creativity and connections, Magic joins a global audience of retail buyers – from big box to boutique – along with influencers, media and industry thought leaders.
About Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College offers life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the fields of food, family, environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life. and will be the candidates of choice for employers looking for leaders, innovators, policymakers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, the former governor of Arkansas and longtime US Senator who put the state on the map in agriculture nationally and internationally. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.
About the University of Arkansas: As the flagship Arkansas institution, the U of A offers internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to the Arkansas economy by imparting new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and workplace development, discovery through research and creative pursuits, while providing training in professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation ranks the U of A in the top 3% of US colleges and universities for research activity. US News & World Report ranks the U of A among the best public universities in the country. See how the U of A works to create a better world at Arkansas Research News.
