Font Size

content body

What we choose to wear each day is an extension of an individual’s personality and for 21 College of Human Sciences Consumer and Design Sciences (CADS) students this meant participating in a unique design challenge to show off their own design interests highlighting what they love about Auburn on Tuesday, April 21.

In its third year, the What I Love About Auburn Design Challenge was led by Dr. Jia Wu, an assistant professor for apparel design and production management (APDP) in the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences, as part of the CADS 2770 Computer-Aided Design for Apparel course, that focuses on APDP students using their apparel design expertise to come up with their own unique textile/surface designs based on what they love about Auburn.

From cowgirl boots, water towers, flowers and a city map of Auburn to traditional Auburn vintage logos like tigers and eagles, everyone’s favorite mascot Aubie and the interlocking AU — the various designs were unique to each individual student on what makes Auburn so special in their own mind.

These designs were then put on display on the digital wall inside the Ralph Brown Draughon Library showing a wide range of textile patterns, 2D fabric swatches, and 3D product simulations, by applied AU colorways and more on wearable items such as scarves and pocket squares. College of Human Sciences faculty members, friends of the college and more attended to serve as judges and vote on their favorite designs.

One of those students participating in the challenge was Hollis Mantle, who grew up in Wyoming and found her way to Auburn where she is now a junior majoring in APDP.

Mantle incorporated a cowgirl boots motif in her design, representing her Wyoming roots and her love for seeing boots being worn by other Auburn students. Although the design process was meant to be a challenge, Mantle ultimately said it’s nothing but rewarding.

“I think the hardest part was executing all of it,” said Mantle. “I’m still very new to Adobe Illustrator so it was a little bit of a challenge to work with that, but I think it was easier because I was working with so many personal motifs and things that really meant something to me. I love the fulfillment of this challenge and seeing all my classmates and we tend to stress out and say, ‘Oh this is bad’ but then you see everything on the big screen and see all the designs shine and it’s really special.”

“I think one of the most impressive things this year is our student’s willingness to experiment with AI like ChatGPT and Gemini to explore something new. I think they are very open-minded to incorporate emerging technologies, which is really encouraging to see.”

Dr. Jia Wu, assistant professor for apparel design and production management

A newer aspect of the What I Love About Auburn Design Challenge is the willingness to integrate portions of AI into the designs.

“I think one of the most impressive things this year is our student’s willingness to experiment with AI like ChatGPT and Gemini to explore something new. I think they are very open-minded to incorporate emerging technologies, which is really encouraging to see,” said Wu.

Maci Beaty, a junior majoring in APDP, spoke of the willingness to use AI and how it’s challenging at times, but it’s also been beneficial for this particular challenge and moving forward in the future.

Related content
...
Show love for Auburn

Human Sciences apparel merchandising, design and production management students created a wide range of textile patterns, 2D fabric swatches, 3D product simulations, colorways and more as part of a 2025 Design Challenge called "What I love about Auburn."

“I think as an apparel design student, trying to task with AI and ChatGPT can be challenging for us,” said Beaty. “You can draw what you want on a piece of paper and then trying to bring it to life on an actual digital platform is really challenging. I also think it benefits us so much because on our 3D presentation you can see how it comes to life and it helps the human eye see what the design will look like in real life form on a scarf. I think this class and challenge is just really helping prepare us to be successful in the real world and industry.”

The design challenge was created by the College of Human Sciences Advancement team who worked in collaboration with the CADS department to give students a real-world experiential learning opportunity. The students were tasked with creating and presenting original textile designs that highlight the extraordinary talent within the department and the college, which is used as a means of showing the department’s excellence. Following the judication process, one of the best textile patterns will be printed for real wearable products this year.

Recent College of Human Sciences alumna Caitlin Finger participated in and won the design challenge when she was an APDP student in 2024 and had the satisfaction of seeing her Auburn design printed on scarves and ascots that are currently for sale at the Auburn University Bookstore. The 2025 winning design by Emma Rees will be for sale towards the end of this year.

In the coming months, these current apparel students hope to join Finger and Rees, and see their own design chosen and worn by others in the future. However, no matter which design is ultimately chosen, all 21 students gained knowledge and design expertise that will be invaluable moving forward.

For more information on the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences, click below.

CADS