Carlee Stephens

Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors

Creativity, passion for art led Stephens to fashion merchandising major

Hometown

• Pensacola, Florida

Major

Undergrad: Fashion Merchandising; Product Development and Design emphasis

Master's: Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors; International Merchandising emphasis

Activities/Honors

• Sustainability research on Cradle-to-Cradle Apparel Design
• Freelance Assistant at Style Design in Atlanta
• Marketing Assistant at Dalton Carpet One
• Freelance Trunk Show Assistant for KZ_K Studio

Why I chose my major

I chose my major because I have always had a creative mind and a passion for art. I believe that when you are surrounded by beautiful, thoughtful design, you live in a joyful moment. When you can wear beautiful art, that was ethically made, ultimately you have the ability to have a stronger connection with your clothes and they become more than just clothes. They become an extension of yourself and it is stimulating. It stimulates your individual creativity and it feels empowering – it is inspiring.

What I like most about FACS

I love that FACS has such a wide scope of people from every walk of life, who come together to better the world around us. FACS is all about people, from Consumer Economics, Financial Planning, HDFS, Nutritional Sciences, Fashion Merchandising and every other department, we are all about bettering the lives of people. I think that is something really special, and I have enjoyed seeing how each professor is passionate about their area and teaching students how to go out there and make the world better.

Post-graduation plans

Post-graduation I am moving to New York City to work in fashion. I aspire to work for a small atelier that I worked with preciously, that at the core of the company, cares about bettering the lives of their clients and their people. I hope to bring value to their team by providing a more sustainable, circular plan to better their design and production processes.