Dillard's Supporting Students in Classroom, Community and on Runway

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Apparel merchandising and product development students spent a day at Dillard's headquarters in Little Rock, meeting with leadership and learning about various aspects of the company. The experience for students was one of several efforts Dillard's used to partner with the program this year.

Longtime U of A supporters Dillard's Inc., headquartered in Little Rock, continued to show tremendous support of students and faculty through time and donations this school year.

Lance Cheramie and Laurie Apple from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Program are collaborating on a textile research project. Cheramie has previously evaluated men's suit quality by country of origin, contrasting suits from China, Italy and the United States. Dillard's donated new suits to evaluate how quality has shifted over time. Additionally, Dillard's donated suits to the U of A Associated Student Government's Boss Hog Outfitters, which provides students with the opportunity to have professional clothing for career events at no cost.

During the fall 2022 semester, Kyuree Kim's Fashion Brand Management class took on a project and evaluated Dillard's private label's Gianni Bini's digital communication strategies and developed creative campaigns to increase the brand's social media presence. Students concluded by presenting their work to the Dillard's team at the end of the semester.

In April, Dillard's welcomed a group of 27 AMPD students for a day at its corporate office. Apple coordinated a bus to transport students, and Dillard's organized a robust agenda exposing students to all aspects of the business.

They began the day reviewing Dillard's product development cycle. This begins with an internal idea, then development, purchasing, tech follow up, logistics and delivery to stores. Gianni Duarte, Dillard's vice president of product development operations, led students through the men's product development area to view the creative process in real time. Annemarie Dillard Jazic, vice president of ecommerce and digital marketing, welcomed students to her division, where they toured social media, digital marketing and had time to network with the team, including AMPD alumni, and receive job search advice from experts.

Dillard's closed the semester by becoming an integral part of the annual Enclothe fashion show in April at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Enclothe featured garments designed by students through the AMPD Fashion Show Theory and Production and/or Advanced Apparel Production courses.

Jazic emceed the show and described her experience by saying, "the Enclothe fashion show was truly a highlight. The originality of the garments was inventive, inspiring and tremendously energizing. From the incredible floral designs by the Horticulture Department to the stunning architectural background and even the LED garment designed in collaboration with electrical engineering, the event was a top-notch production that wonderfully showcased the many talents of the students at the University of Arkansas. We were honored to be a part of such a tremendous event and see first-hand the immense talent that is being developed in our home state."

Dillard's also brought collaborator Venita Aspen to participate in Enclothe. Aspen is a model, influencer and television star who currently has a collection available at Dillard's. A pop-up shop featuring Aspen's designs was part of the fashion show, and 10% of sales were donated back to the AMPD program. The day following the show, Jazic, Duarte and Carey Braxdale, Dillard's corporate merchandise manager, hosted a series of workshops, panels and student interviews on campus. As a result, students have already been hired as part of the Dillard's team.

This wholistic engagement between the U of A campus and Arkansas businesses is the focus of the Division of Economic Development's Office of Industry and Community Engagement. Retaining U of A talent within the state by connecting students to Arkansas companies is the goal. Additionally, the campus offers multiple assets that can help companies achieve their goals.

"As a company founded by a proud University of Arkansas graduate, we are grateful to have a longstanding partnership and tradition of recruiting talented and passionate students to join our company," Jazic said. "We greatly enjoyed having the students and faculty in Little Rock and being given the opportunity to showcase first-hand some of the many career opportunities in retail and fashion at Dillard's. Seeing so much passion and enthusiasm was invigorating and confirms our confidence that we are in excellent hands with the next generation of retail leaders emerging from the AMPD program."

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News