Apparel Students Get Global Experience in China

From left, apparel students Emma Gibson, Flannery Wilson and Kaylyn Murphy at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China.

One of the stops on the trip was at the Christy Asia costume factory in Panyu.

The trip included tours of a doll factory (above), consumer testing labs and Walmart Global Procurement, among many other visits.

A visit to Li & Fung in Kowloon gave students a first-hand look at sourcing and supply chain management for apparel, accessories and cosmetics.

Flannery Wilson (left) and Emma Gibson (right) joined Bumpers College students Nicole Coury, Denise-Evagelia Drosopoulos, Kayla Murphy, Shelby Quinn, Riley Vann and Judith Weech on the study tour.

The apparel merchandising and product development students were given a demonstration on the production of silk blankets.

The Institute of Textiles and Clothing at Hong Kong Polytechnic University is highly regarded for its application-oriented fashion and textile academic programs.

The trip to Shanghai included tours of a silk factory (above), Proctor and Gamble, Nielsen, Wyeth Industries and Nan Jing Boulevard.

The group experienced Chinese culture with stops at The Great Wall of China (above), the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square.

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From left, apparel studies students Emma Gibson, Flannery Wilson and Kaylyn Murphy at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Eight students in the apparel merchandising and product development program in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas recently returned from a 17-day international tour to study the impact of China on the industry.

The tour was led by Kathy Smith, clinical associate professor of apparel merchandising and product development in the School of Human Environmental Sciences, and was in partnership with the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

“If you look on the label of anything you wear, at least part of it is probably made in China,” said Smith. “China is so important to the apparel industry. For any company with a global presence, that’s where it starts. If this is the industry you are going into, whether you are working overseas, in Bentonville or New York, you will have contact with China.”

Students met with faculty at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to develop projects that exposed them to Chinese culture and fashion; they prepared a unique fashion trend forecast in the U.S. and completed a comparative analysis of Asian trends in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai; they conducted pre-trip retail store research, then visited retail shopping districts in various sites; and they researched companies they would visit to be prepared to discuss trends and issues with industry professionals.

“I don’t know of any other program across the country similar to ours that requires students to go on a study tour as part of their degree program,” said Smith. “The trips put our students inside the industry and give them a competitive edge in the marketplace. Also, as far as I know, we are the only program that includes both apparel merchandising and product development classes for all students. Other programs require students to choose between one and the other.”

Bumpers College students participating in the study tour included Nicole Coury, Denise-Evagelia Drosopoulos, Emma Gibson, Kaylyn Murphy, Shelby Quinn, Riley Vann, Judith Weech and Flannery Wilson. The group traveled to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Panyu, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing. Students maintained daily journals and prepared project reports prior to the trip.

“This study tour was the most life-changing trip I have been on,” said Coury, a second-year apparel merchandising and product development graduate student from Plano, Texas. “It opened my eyes to so many possibilities and allowed me to see myself living and working in another country. The opportunity to go to China will help set me apart from other graduating students fighting for the same positions I am. I was introduced to companies that I would love to work for when I graduate, and I am hoping I’m able to do so.”

The study tour gave students a chance to partner and share in the learning experience with students from the Walton College of Business, which sent 17 students on the trip.

Most meetings and visits were focused on the specific interests of each group, but they attended several sessions together, exposing the groups to different sides of the industry.

“I loved having the business students with us because they really added to the group,” said Coury. “We were able to bond together and get their perspective. It was interesting to get both the business side mixed with the retail and more creative side of the companies.”

The combined groups experienced multiple aspects of the apparel and retail supply chain industries to see how they coexist and are profitable; and they visited related businesses and factories to see how business and apparel coincide as a profit point.

“The mutual collaboration allowed both areas the opportunity to develop and expand their respective components of the study tour, which benefited all parties, students and industry alike,” said Smith. “The result was a highly successful tour, which allowed students, faculty and international businesses to all learn from each other. Apparel and business students were able to gain a unique perspective of the business and apparel supply chain at an international level.”

At the Hong Kong Institute of Textiles and Clothing, apparel students toured facilities, and met with faculty and graduate students who were conducting research and teaching classes in the same disciplines offered at the U of A.

“Collaborations between the two programs could lead to the exchange of research, and potential student and faculty exchanges,” said Smith.

Other stops included consumer testing labs in Hong Kong; Li & Fung in Kowloon, Hong Kong; Christy Asia showrooms in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and design rooms in Panyu; the wholesale fabric market in Guangzhou; a concept costume factory in Panyu; Walmart Global Procurement offices and a toy factory in Shenzhen; and tours of Proctor and Gamble, Nielsen and Wyeth Industries, silk markets and apparel site visits in Shanghai.

“The great thing about this program is that it was meant specifically for my major,” said Emma Gibson, an apparel merchandising and product development junior from Fayetteville. “I was able to learn about and do things I can apply while I’m in school and after I graduate.”

The group also visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square, and went on a hutong tour in Beijing, a tour of the city’s traditional narrow streets and alleys.

“The common goal of an academic program should be to provide a significant opportunity for intellectual, professional and personal growth, and there is little doubt the China program will have a long-lasting, measurable impact on students,” said Smith. “The students refined and transferred their experiences in the classroom at the U of A to a global setting. They experienced Eastern retail and apparel business practices, and compared those practices to operations in the Western hemisphere. This was valuable experience for students who will one day work with global companies. The experience of practicing and developing their education in and across cultures, including language barriers, has added considerable depth to their range of professional skills and set them apart from their peers.”