Capstone Q&A

For Auburn Apparel Design students, the Senior Capstone Design Collection is the culmination of their four years of design experience. Every design student has to complete it before graduation, but what exactly is Capstone? What should you expect? Below is a Q&A that will hopefully answer everyone’s most asked questions about the class.

When will I be taking Capstone?

Spring of either your junior or senior year! Capstone is only offered in the spring.

Which classes best prepare me for Capstone?

CADS 1740, 2800, 2750, 3750, and 4800. You must take these prior to Capstone, as well as the prerequisites before them.

What projects will we have in the class?

You will have only one project, your Capstone Collection. Your team will identify a target market, conceptualize designs, source the materials, make the slopers, prototype and produce the final garment(s) and create a tech pack for each piece of the collection.

Will we be doing this by ourselves or in a group?

You will be in a group of 4-5 designers, and will have to work as a team to choose a design concept and create a collection that you are all proud of.

Can our collection be anything we want? What are the stipulations?

You have the freedom to work creatively, but the collection must represent a brand extension of an existing apparel brand or a collaboration between two apparel brands. There is much research and development that goes into this. And the collection concept must be done in collaboration with your teammates!

Will our designs be featured in The Fashion Event?

Yes!! Your collections will be shown at the event, as well as a short video describing your collection and sharing a behind the scenes look at the design process. Your capstone collection will also be featured in this years’ Fashion Event Lookbook!!

“This course was created to mimic how industry creates a new collection with all of the steps in the process including finding a model that you will create your garments for. Slopers will be made for and fitted to your model. Then the prototype is made and fitted for your model as well as the final garment. It is the most exciting yet challenging course you will take at Auburn.”

- Dr. Karla P. Teel, Capstone Professor

“At POINT3 I mainly help with production and samples, so everything we learned in Capstone about tech packs and measurements was great preparation for my internship.”

- Joey Fairfax, Capstone Class of 2022

“A production line is dependent on a multitude of tasks such as research, conception, production and postproduction processes which require time management and organization. Capstone gave me an opportunity to not just think out of the box as a designer but also helped me prepare for my internship at the Creative Concepts Dream Lab where I performed a wide range of deadline-based tasks for various client brands.”

- Ayesha T Ali, Apparel Graduate Student