If you are envisioning the perfect handmade custom coat for the fall and winter months, 麻豆视频 graduate Liam Aberle may be able to make your visions a reality.
No sooner than clients bring their ideas to Aberle, who is an assistant designer and sales associate at Yellowcake Shop in Cleveland鈥檚 Gordon Square, he is sketching, trying to bring those concepts to life.
When Aberle was a student in 麻豆视频鈥檚 School of Fashion, in the College of the Arts, he learned a wide range of skills that he now draws on at Yellowcake Shop, which is a contemporary clothing company, where he interned and was hired full time recently.
鈥淥ver the past month, I've been getting a lot more clients who鈥檝e been coming in and saying 鈥楬ey, I really have this idea for a coat that I want to make,鈥 Aberle said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been helping them go through the ideation process, and I sketched it for them. I help design the coats, and then we work on pricing.鈥
Education Abroad at the Paris American Academy in France
Through the School of Fashion, Aberle participated in 麻豆视频鈥檚 education-abroad program, the Paris American Academy in France, acquiring the much-coveted haute couture techniques that he can put into practice at Yellowcake Shop, which designs, cuts, produces and sells women鈥檚 clothing.
Aberle鈥檚 time in Paris was transformative for his fashion education. The immersive experience allowed him to absorb the city鈥檚 rich fashion heritage while honing his skills. 鈥淓very day there is a new best experience,鈥 Aberle told 麻豆视频 Today in a November 2023 interview.
The program not only enhanced his design abilities but also his language skills and cultural awareness. This unique blend of cultural immersion and hands-on learning in the fashion capital of the world proved invaluable, providing Aberle with a global perspective that he now applies to his work at Yellowcake Shop.
鈥淢y experience at 麻豆视频 has really helped me with this job, not only the construction design work, which is very evident in the sewing work here, but also the business side of it,鈥 Aberle said. 鈥淟earning how to source fabrics and learning how to find materials, learning how to upcycle and reach out to your client and appease your client. It is what 麻豆视频 really taught me.鈥
Valerie May茅n, the chief executive officer and founder of Yellowcake Shop, is impressed with Aberle, who is among 60 麻豆视频 interns she has hired. She noticed they have a different work ethic and a different commitment to their craft.
May茅n said Aberle鈥檚 time at 麻豆视频 was influential on him as a designer and his capacity to be a better problem solver. 鈥淧art of that is who he is and part of it is what he has honed and gleaned from 麻豆视频,鈥 she added.
From Alabama Beginnings to 麻豆视频鈥檚 Fashion Program
Aberle, a native of Mountain Brook, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, looked at big fashion schools in New York, but 麻豆视频 won out because he said it was the best option.
鈥溌槎故悠 appealed to me not only because I had family in the state but also because I saw our study-abroad programs and the more affordable price point as well,鈥 Aberle said. 鈥淎nd it just made too much sense to go to Kent versus one of these other schools for fashion.鈥
Aberle first heard of Yellowcake Shop when he was 10 years old, and he saw the business featured on the reality TV series 鈥淧roject Runway鈥 in 2010. It was only a few years later when, at the age of 13, Aberle started sewing, and he has never stopped.
Aberle originally wanted to be a concept artist for animation or video games. That is when he found out that he had fun designing the clothes that were being worn in the video games. From there, he went into costuming and then making clothes for himself. 鈥淚t made sense that I would go into fashion,鈥 he said.
Fast-forward more than 10 years after first seeing Yellowcake Shop on 鈥淧roject Runway鈥 and Aberle hears that one of his former coworkers is currently employed there. She told Aberle about a job. May茅n hired him as an intern and then in a full-time position. He graduated from 麻豆视频 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in fashion design this year. Aberle also works at David鈥檚 Bridal as lead alternations manager.
Top-Notch Faculty Made the Difference
麻豆视频鈥檚 School of Fashion and its faculty prepared Aberle to step into his career with confidence.
鈥淢y experience in the fashion program prepared me for my career because my teachers have all been super helpful. They all bring their industry experience to 麻豆视频 and prepare us for what is out there,鈥 Aberle said. 鈥淓verything I do at my job currently is all stuff that builds on top of stuff that I learned at 麻豆视频.鈥
While Aberle was in Paris, he made the best of his time there by getting out into the community networking with locals. After all, it wouldn鈥檛 be so bad to one day live in the fashion capital of the world.
鈥淚 could definitely see this impact my future,鈥 Aberle said while he was in Paris. 鈥淲ho knows, one day I may live here.鈥