Apparel Merchandising senior Gracie Silverthorn’s fashion dream becomes reality

Even before Gracie Silverthorn first stepped foot on campus as a freshman at Auburn University, she had a plan in mind and exhibited the kind of boldness one needs to be successful in life and looked upon as a leader by her peers.

Being from Ohio, the first bold step in her plan was choosing to attend Auburn University despite knowing little about the school other than what she gathered through her own research and during her high school visit.

Silverthorn, now a current senior in the College of Human Sciences majoring in apparel merchandising (APME) and minoring in business, had zero family connections to Auburn and said she was one of just a few students from her high school that chose to attend college outside the state of Ohio.

“Obviously you hear a lot of fashion programs based out of New York and some others, but I've always wanted to go somewhere down here, just for a change of environment to experience something new,” said Silverthorn. “Looking through southern schools, Auburn obviously had a very good program for apparel, so I was drawn to it. I came to visit, and it was incredible, and I didn't look back.”

What Silverthorn was clear on from the beginning was the field of study she wanted to pursue and that’s where the College of Human Sciences and the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences come into play.

“What led me to fashion was when I was around middle school age, I was watching shows like Pretty Little Liars and Hannah Montana where you can really see the character's personality through what they're wearing,” said Silverthorn. “That's what really sparked my attention, and that led me to wanting to do more styling and fashion-type things. When I was looking into college, that's really the only thing that interested me and I felt super passionate about. Just being able to help people express themselves through what they're wearing.”

Once arriving as a freshman at Auburn, Silverthorn wasted no time getting involved within the College of Human Sciences by joining the Apparel Merchandising & Design Association (AMDA) fashion club and assisting with The Fashion Event that spring. Her achievements and involvement would only grow from there.

REAFFIRMING HER PASSION FOR FASHION

When starting a college journey, it’s not uncommon for a student to declare a major and then later realize they want to make a switch.

While Silverthorn believed she had her heart set on studying apparel merchandising, there was a brief period where she started second guessing if it was a realistic career path she could pursue. An opportunity that arose in May 2025 helped reaffirm her commitment to apparel merchandising and fashion.

“I was up in the air about whether this career was realistic or not. It's so competitive and it can be such a hard market to get into,” said Silverthorn. “I ended up switching my major for one semester, hated it, and went right back to apparel merchandising. As soon as I switched back, I got an email about applications being due for the New York Study Tour. I reached out to the professor, and I asked if there was any way that I could get into the tour? That just felt like the moment for me when I realized okay, I'm going all in on this. This is what I'm going to do once I get accepted to the study tour.”

Once accepted, the five-day trip in May further reassured Silverthorn that the College of Human Sciences and apparel merchandising was where she needed to be.

“I went on that New York Study Tour with Dr. Amrut Sadachar along with about 20 students and that was incredible,” said Silverthorn. We toured everything about the industry. There were a bunch of different appointments that we attended to meet different people in the industry. We met with people that worked in different sections of our industry, like PR, designing and styling. I knew when I was on that trip that this is what I wanted to do.” 

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LANDING A PRESTIGIOUS INTERNSHIP AND DISCOVERING ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN NEW YORK CITY

An important part of the APME curriculum is completing a summer internship and for Silverthorn she not only completed a prestigious internship but made history while doing so, as she was the first apparel student from Auburn to secure an internship with Giorgio Armani, one of the most competitive internship placements in the industry.

Serving as a visual merchandising intern in New York City in the summer of 2025, Silverthorn assisted with a variety of things and worked with a different team member for each week of the internship.

“I would help with the showroom presentation, taking it down and putting it back up and helping when different buyers came in under different appointments for what they were specifically looking for,” said Silverthorn. “I got to go on store visits and most importantly, I got to sit in on a lot of meetings and just watch and write notes on what their everyday life looks like, and how I could see myself in that situation.”

Her other daily responsibilities included working on month-long projects, helping with different launches and making companywide presentations that taught her to put a lot of precision into the work she was doing.

While ultimately Silverthorn landed the amazing internship at Giorgio Armani, her dedication and perseverance were a big reason for it as she applied to 178 internships in all, and it wasn’t until seeing the Giorgio Armani internship opportunity late one night scrolling on LinkedIn where she decided to apply.

That decision to apply at the last minute led to one of her favorite Auburn memories being the day she found out she got the Giorgio Armani internship.

“When I got my Armani internship that day was really, really special, because I just didn't believe it,” said Silverthorn. “It was hard applying for those internships. Late one night at about 3 o'clock in the morning after I had just gotten rejected from a really good internship, I was just scrolling trying to find something. I saw the Armani one, applied to it and then, a week later, I heard back. After a few interviews I ended up getting it, and it was just so rewarding. I'd been so discouraged from the whole process before, and then for it all to pay off and be able to move to New York and live there for three months was my dream to get to do visual merchandising at a luxury company like that.”

For Silverthorn, she credits the College of Human Sciences and the apparel merchandising program and classes for preparing her for the internship.

“What Auburn and the APME program have helped me a lot with is we do a ton of group projects, and you're rarely ever working on a project by yourself,” said Silverthorn. “All of the different team members under the Giorgio Armani visual merchandising department, they all have their own tasks, but at the end of the day, they are getting put into the same slide deck or in the same meeting, so I got to work really closely with everybody in the department, which was super cool to just complete all the tasks, and that's very similar to what we do in a lot of our fashion classes.”

Pictured is an EMBER design Silverthorn created for the Champion® team, helping shape products aligned with Auburn’s culture and identity.

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS, HELP FROM A MENTOR AND ADVICE FOR OTHERS

Rounding out her college experience, Silverthorn was also one of just two Auburn students selected to serve as a representative for the Champion® EMBER Program — a year-long, paid initiative with monthly networking sessions, leadership development and trend and product insight reporting.

Silverthorn provides valuable campus and consumer insights directly to the Champion® team, shaping products aligned with Auburn’s culture and identity.

“The EMBER program is more based on the forecasting and trend-setting side of our industry,” said Silverthorn. “For example, some of the tasks that I've been given, they ship me clothing or accessories and then I take pictures of how I would style them. Girls my age especially are doing the majority of online shopping right now, so it's nice for Champion to know what designs they should be putting out, making sure that they are following the right trends for their next launch.”

Prior to graduating in May, Silverthorn was the recipient of the CHS Study Travel Scholarship that she will use to attend the 2026 London Fashion Tour March 7-15.

Having never been out of the country before, she is beyond excited about the upcoming opportunity.

“I am really interested in the different trends to see how it's different over in London,” said Silverthorn. “I've heard a lot of different things about how Europeans catch onto the trends like six months before America, so I'm just interested to see how it’s different. I don't even really know what to expect, but I'm excited.”

Overall, Silverthorn credited several specific classes and her experiences in New York City for helping shape her solid college experience in the College of Human Sciences. Along with that, she was very appreciative of Dr. Annette Burnsed, senior lecturer and apparel merchandising internship coordinator, in the Department of Consumer & Design Sciences.

“Dr. Burnsed has done the most for me and you can really tell she just cares about her students,” said Silverthorn. “When I was searching for my internship, I would go into her office all the time and ask her what she thought about things and she was always 100% down to help. She's definitely been very, very, influential to me during my time at Auburn.”

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Fashioning a future

Recent College of Human Sciences alumna Caitlin Finger had a hand in everything as it relates to her experience at Auburn while majoring in apparel design and production management and graduating in the spring.

“Gracie is truly an exceptional student. She brings a positive attitude, strong work ethic and genuine enthusiasm into everything she does,” said Burnsed. “She consistently seeks out opportunities to grow, approaches challenges with professionalism and determination and sets a wonderful example for her peers. Her accomplishments reflect both her commitment and her readiness for the industry.”

Lastly, when reflecting on her time at Auburn and when asked what advice she would give to an incoming freshman wishing to pursue a degree in apparel, Silverthorn said the main thing is getting involved and take advantage of opportunities you are given.

“I would say, if this is what you're passionate about, do everything you can to be as successful as possible, because it's such a competitive industry, and you're not going to get a competitive job, or your dream job, if you do the bare minimum and just go through the classes and do just what you're assigned to do,” said Silverthorn. “If you don't take those opportunities, make connections, meet people and really show an effort, then you're not going to be successful in the industry. It really is a major where you must take what you're given and explore on it rather than just completing the assignment for the grade.”

After graduating from Auburn, Silverthorn ultimately would love to go back to New York City to start her career but she’s keeping her options open and has a goal of working in visual merchandising or a showroom.