In a professional career, one may be called upon to conduct research and deliver findings in professional settings. No matter h

FMM 325: Final Project Guidelines and Grading Guide

Overview The final project for this course is a professional production challenge which will be submitted as a PowerPoint presentation. This project will require students to develop a comprehensive, sustainable apparel collection as a fictitious private-label manufacturer. The student will research and create concepts to produce the garments as detailed in the design brief. Students will also merchandise the collection. Students will acquire the capability to act quickly to solve manufacturing and production challenges as they arise. This will also give students an opportunity to learn how to properly document recommendations with a specialized standard in mind. The final product represents an authentic demonstration of competency because students will emulate a collection based on a design brief, which are currently used by professionals in the apparel industry. The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Three, Five, and Seven.

Guidelines The Design Brief: An Organic Planet Season: Spring/Summer

Directions: Seeing a radical change in our global climate, we are forced to think differently and act more responsibly in our approach to design. We need to simplify, be more resourceful, and understand more clearly what our impact on the planet is based on the decisions we make. For this season, we are going on a journey to Bali, a place closely connected to the Earth, where people live in balance with the land through their resourcefulness and spiritual reverence. Be mindful and respectful of the Balinese people and their customs. We choose to blend in with our surroundings while still retaining a sense of self. Clothes that can be tied or wrapped and layered, almost sculptural in effect, are preferred. Minimize the use of hardware, and if it is absolutely necessary, make it meaningful. All fabrics are either organic or recycled, with an absolute minimum of waste left over. Zero waste is ideal.

Colors: Reflecting the Balinese people and their respect for the connection of all things natural, we will use the four elements as our guiding inspiration for color, creating a sense of balance and harmony in the collection.

• Earth: warm browns such as cinnamon, teakwood • Air: white, glass or metal, ice • Fire: tangerine, saffron, fuchsia • Water: aqua, oceanic blue

Your role: designer, merchandiser, sales, marketer, buyer

Milestone One: Paper: Targeting The Sustainably Minded Customer In task 2-3, you will submit a short paper of 2–3 pages. Determine your target market category and how and why these consumers embrace fashions that are made of environmentally friendly fabrics. You should research and define your product’s targeted customers and describe their characteristics.

Description of a Target Market: Occupation, gender ratio, average age, geographics/location, psychological shopping habits, demographic, and lifestyle preferences. Gauge the importance of sustainable products to this customer. For example, if you are creating for kids’ wear, indicate age(s) of child; however, you will need to think of a profile for the primary caretaker of the child (parent, grandparent, guardian) so that you can market to the caretaker properly.

By Module Two, you should have an idea of the market category you are choosing for this garment line, and you may choose ONE of the following: women’s, men’s, juniors, petite women, plus-sized women, or kids’ wear. Indicate the subcategory/style description, for example, sportswear (everyday wear), activewear (such as yoga wear), playwear, or sleepwear. Remember, you will be using sustainable fabrics, so keep in mind which target market would benefit best from eco- friendly garments.

Keep in mind the size range of this collection. Choose the appropriate size range for your market category. For example, if you are doing kids’ wear, you may choose to target toddlers (size range is 2T-3T-4T). An example of junior girls’ sizing range is 0–15.

The format should be a short paper. This milestone is graded for the quality of the research/data you uncover and validate (cite all information), compilation of the information, the content of the descriptions of each the features of your specified target customer, and the way the data is expressed as it applies to this project. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: PowerPoint Presentation #1 In task 3-3, you will submit a PowerPoint presentation of approximately 5–10 slides. Students will determine fabrics to be used for the market category they choose. Referring to the design brief contents, the recommended fabrics include organic cotton knits, hemp (wovens), and organic and cruelty-free wool. Fabrics to avoid: synthetics (exception: materials that are either recycled and/or have a low impact on the environment). Include pictures of swatches of fabrics with a description of the fabric, source, cost, and care instructions. Explain how these fabrics are better than conventional fabrics and safe for the environment and healthier for people to wear. Include images of the garments in this collection.

Market Category: Choose ONE market only: women’s, men’s, juniors, petite women, plus-sized women, or kids’ wear. Indicate the subcategory/style description, for example, sportswear (everyday wear), activewear (such as yoga wear), playwear, or sleepwear. (Create a mood board of visuals that express the direction of this collection).

Construction/Description: For this line, you will conceptualize the garments (six tops and two or three bottoms and two pieces of outerwear). Think and work like an artisan. Every piece should have an element of hand detail such as embroidery, appliqués, or carved buttons from wood. Create a mood board of visuals on a slide or two that express the direction of this collection for the specified customer.

You may find pictures/photos or create your own illustrations of the garments in this line. You will not be graded on your drawing abilities (or lack thereof).

The format should be in a PowerPoint presentation. This milestone is graded for the quality of the research and compilation of the information and the way it is expressed as it applies to this project. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: PowerPoint Presentation #2 In task 5-3, you will submit a PowerPoint presentation of approximately 5–10 slides. Students will determine the location of production, the packing required, how distribution will take place, and the retail price of the garment. Students will also re-evaluate the garment collection and ensure that it has been properly merchandised and is marketable. Students will describe each step of production and evaluate its impact on the environment.

Production: Think about location of production/manufacturing. If produced domestically, indicate where and why. If garments are produced off-shore, indicate where and why. Remember, you are producing an eco-friendly, sustainable product, so make sure your choice is the best when it comes to sustainability.

Packing requirements: Think about sustainable packing requirements. (Example: Will you use hangers in packaging?). Source for all items that will be necessary for packing and shipping.

Delivery: Be sure to indicate by what date production has to be completed and how and when delivery of goods will take place. How will the products be shipped?

Order total: 4,000 pieces (break this down per sizing—will you want more of larger sizes than smaller sizes, or vice versa? Remember to keep your target market profile in mind).

Retail price of each unit: Be sure to keep in mind the costs of the garments (wholesale costs) and what the profit margin will be (retail prices).

The format should be a PowerPoint presentation. This milestone is graded for the quality of the research and compilation of the information and the way it is expressed as it applies to this project. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone Three Rubric.

Milestone Four: Final Presentation In task 7-3, you will submit your final PowerPoint presentation of approximately 15–30 slides. Combine all of the milestone projects as well as the additional information as set forth by the final milestone assignment. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the main elements of the final product. The contents should reflect all of the components from each milestone that you have submitted throughout the course. If feedback suggested that you change, update, and/or modify any component, those changes should be incorporated or addressed. Present a step-by-step PowerPoint presentation about how you would meet the challenge of having this order produced, having it in-store for the season specified, marketing it successfully to the primary target audience AND secondary market, and producing it as sustainably as possible.

Other things to consider including in your presentation:

1. What key information would you need to supply to the manufacturer about this sustainable collection?

2. Could any of the steps be expedited in order to speed up the manufacturing process, all the while not losing sight of maintaining transparency of the sustainability of production?

3. How will you merchandise these garments and promote the benefits of being an eco-friendly collection? How will buyers and other retailers respond to these sustainable garments?

Include any images, URLs, or other documentation to support your findings. In addition, your presentation must include the following: title, your name, and references. This milestone will be graded using the Final Presentation Rubric (below).

Things to keep in mind: Think of the styles you are creating/purchasing for the target market and the number of outfits you can create from the collection. You want to make sure that you create balance that can be merchandised by color, grouping of fabrics, and, ultimately, the overall end function of the outfits.

Deliverable Milestones Milestone Deliverables Module Due Grading

1 Paper: Targeting the Sustainably Minded Customer

Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

2 PowerPoint Presentation #1 Three Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

3 PowerPoint Presentation #2 Five Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

4 Final Presentation Seven Graded separately; Final Presentation Rubric

Final Presentation Rubric Format: Written components of project must follow these formatting guidelines when applicable: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and discipline-appropriate citations. Final project should be 15–30 slides, not counting the title page/slide and references.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Development: Fabric, Production

and Retail

Concepts effectively demonstrate good design development and most of the main milestone topics as they apply to the sustainable theme. Cites multiple examples to validate each choice

Concepts adequately demonstrate good design development and many of the milestone topics as they apply to the sustainable theme. Cites a few examples to validate each choice

Concepts demonstrate somewhat of an understanding of the design development; some of the milestone topics as they apply to the sustainable theme are met. Many improper choices were made for the final result

Concepts demonstrate little or no attempt at the design development of the design brief. Milestones are not met. Poor research and inadequate understanding of the sustainable theme

30

Target Market Exhibits an exceptional knowledge of the target market and intended audience. It is clearly explained and reflects understanding of the customer’s needs and lifestyle

Displays knowledge of the target market and intended audience, but has not done enough research about the necessary production or buying patterns

Displays limited knowledge of the intended audience and has not completed enough research with regard to production or buying patterns

Displays no knowledge of the intended audience, nor is there any understanding of the necessary production or buying patterns

25

Layout and Format Excellent format and layout attract the reader and present collection with continuity, balance, and visual emphasis

Format and layout attract the reader; acceptably present collection with continuity, balance, and visual emphasis

Some understanding of format and layout is demonstrated, but overall the collection is not presented with continuity, balance, and visual emphasis

Format and layout show little to no understanding of continuity, balance, and visual emphasis

25

Overall Presentation Presentation is nearly flawless, neat, concise, and professional; it is an example of research that is portfolio-worthy

Presentation is clean, neat, concise, and somewhat professional; some content must be corrected to be deemed portfolio-worthy

Presentation has content that must be corrected. A good attempt was made in the overall presentation, but improvements must be made before it can be deemed professional and portfolio-worthy

Presentation had no clear course and was not well prepared. Work was carelessly put together

20

Earned Total 100%

FMM 325 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric

In a professional career, one may be called upon to conduct research and deliver findings in professional settings. No matter how extensive the research or accurate the conclusions, a weak presentation can undermine an argument. A presentation is a tool to assist in making an argument. When creating presentations, students develop skills in researching an issue, synthesizing the information, organizing data logically, and presenting findings in an effective manner.

Principles of an Effective Presentation:

 You may utilize a product such as Microsoft’s PowerPoint or Google Presentation to create your presentations.

 There are various template designs that you can find on the web for your presentation. However, first consider your presentation from the perspective of your audience prior to selecting a specific style. Distracting backgrounds, large blocks of text, all uppercase fonts, elaborate font styles, grammatical errors, and misspellings are distracting. Be consistent with the style of text, bullets, and sub-points in order to support a powerful presentation that allows your content to be the focus.

 Each slide should include your key point(s). Do not place large blocks of text on the visual. Your presentation is not a means of presenting a short paper. In an actual presentation you would not “read” from your slides but rather use them as prompts.

 Any notes or narration you would use in delivering this presentation to a group should be listed in the “notes” section of the slide.  References should be listed at the bottom of the slide in slightly smaller text.

 Use clip art, AutoShapes, pictures, charts, tables, and diagrams to enhance but not overwhelm your content.

 Be mindful of the intended audience and seek to assess the presentation’s effectiveness by gauging audience comprehension (when possible).

Below are some links that offer helpful tips and examples for developing your presentations:

Making PowerPoint Slides

Really Bad PowerPoint and How to Avoid It

15 PowerPoint Presentation Tips

Requirements of submission: The presentation should be 5–10 slides in length and should be submitted as a PowerPoint presentation. Appropriate citations

must be used.

Rubric

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Content: Inquiry and Analysis: Sustainable Fabrics

Includes almost all of the main elements and requirements; provides in-depth analysis that demonstrates complete understanding of sustainable fabrics and materials; accurately depicted the main steps in apparel production

Includes most of the main elements and requirements; provides in-depth analysis that demonstrates complete understanding of sustainable fabrics and materials; almost depicted the steps in apparel production

Includes some of the main elements and requirements; provides in-depth analysis that demonstrates some understanding of sustainable fabrics and materials; some of the steps in apparel production were portrayed, but some missing

Does not include any of the main elements and requirements; does not provide in-depth analysis of sustainable fabrics and materials; little to no information about the steps in apparel production was provided

25

Critical Thinking Draws insightful conclusions that are thoroughly defended with evidence and examples that show a strong understanding of sustainable materials in fashion

Draws informed conclusions that are justified with evidence that shows some understanding of sustainable materials in fashion

Draws logical conclusions, but does not defend with evidence; not enough information to prove a basic understanding of sustainable materials in fashion

Does not draw logical conclusions and does not show any understanding of sustainable materials in fashion

25

Organization Slides are organized in a logical way that complements the central theme; transitions are well-paced to create a natural and engaging flow

Slides are organized in a logical way and transitions are paced so that the material is easily accessible

Slides are organized mostly in a logical way and transitions are paced so that the material can be understood with focus and effort

Slides are organized in a way that is illogical OR transitions are paced so that the material cannot be understood

20

Visual Appeal There is a consistent visual theme that helps enhance understanding of the ideas; includes multiple types of media

Original images are created using proper size and resolution that enhance the content; includes more than one type of media

Visually depicts topic and assists audience; images are proper size and resolution

Graphics are unrelated to content and cross over each other; distracting, busy, and detracts from presentation

20

Narration (Research/Writing)

Mechanics and style ensure clarity; incorporates multiple properly cited scholarly resources

Mechanics and style promote clarity; incorporates some properly cited scholarly resources

Mechanics and style make narration intelligible; incorporates very few properly cited scholarly resources

Several mechanical errors OR does not incorporate scholarly resources

10

Earned Total

100%

Running head: Target market and sustainability ! 1

For my collection my target market is women. I choose to design for women because my ideas

and designs will mostly appeal to them. The women are mainly middle to high class hence have

disposable income that they can spend on purchasing clothes. Their occupations are varied and

our designs are meant to suit women in different professional industries such as creative

industries, employed, and even those in regulated professional bodies like law. The women are

also educated and are knowledgeable on matters of sustainability which is also a marketing

strategy for my collection (La Pechoux, 2012). This means that they understand how important

sustainability is. The women that my collection is targeting are aged 25 to 50. These are therefore

working-class women who are seeking comfort in their outfits as well as the fashionable

element. The outfits are not limited to a specific location but will be available countrywide.

Efforts will be made to ship deliveries to other countries once the business grows and stabilizes.

This way I will be able to offer sustainable outfits options to women across the globe.

The psychological shopping habits of my target clients include wanting to purchase products that

make them feel more in touch with mother earth. This includes earthy colors and colors that feel

grounding or colors that represent the ocean. As they often think of sustainability, they are also

likely to want to purchase garments that are long-lasting to avoid fast fashion. They are therefore

likely to look for details relating to quality that other buyers won’t consider. The target audience

could be either single or married. Their relationship status does not affect their likelihood to

purchase my collection.

Women embrace sustainable fashion for a couple of reasons. Throughout history, unsustainable

fashion has been shown to have negative effects either on the environment or on people. Most

Target market and sustainability ! 2

individuals sitting behind sewing machines creating garments in garment production factories are

usually women. They are therefore often the recipients of most of the negative effects of

unsustainable practices. These could range from low wages to even death. An example is the

Rana Plaza garment factory's demise. On April 24th, the building collapsed killing more than

1100 people who were mostly women and girls. The day before the collapse, workers expressed

concerns about a crack and an engineer even stated that the building was unsafe after examining

it. This however did not stop the owner and managers from forcing the workers to enter the

building the next day and threatening to hold the salaries of those who seemed to hesitate.

Women, therefore, choose sustainability to stand in solidarity with fellow women by pioneering

the sustainable fashion movement (Brough, 2016).

Another reason why women are also more eco-friendly is that women are not only the more

powerful consumers but are also responsible for the domestic sphere. Women still take charge of

the running of most households including buying clothes hence eco-friendly campaigns are often

targeting them making their purchases sustainably (Normandin, 2020). In the past women’s

likelihood to purchase sustainable products was linked to their personalities. Women have a great

tendency to be prosocial, altruistic, and empathetic hence displaying a greater ethic of fashion.

Research suggests that women have higher levels of social responsibility which leads them to

adopt environmentally friendly behaviors and care for environmental problems as well making

them a great target for my collection. 


Target market and sustainability ! 3

References

Normandin, H. (2020). On the Eco-Gender Gap.

Brough, A. R., Wilkie, J. E., Ma, J., Isaac, M. S., & Gal, D. (2016). Is eco-friendly unmanly? The

green-feminine stereotype and its effect on sustainable consumption. Journal of

Consumer Research, 43(4), 567-582.

Le Pechoux, B., Little, T. J., & Istook, C. L. (2012). Innovation management in creating new

fashions. In Fashion Marketing: Contemporary Issues (pp. 156-184). Routledge.