Introducing the UO Summer Class of 2021 HBCU Capsule Collection, designed by the five students of our internship and mentorship program in collaboration with three HBCUs: Howard University, Clark Atlanta University, and North Carolina A&T State University.

From concept to creation, these five students worked with the UO Buying team to design a 24-piece apparel and lifestyle collection celebrating the culture and community of their respective schools. “Being able to share our resources with HBCU talent, and to work alongside these students creatively as they developed their own product, made Summer Class enriching not only for our students, but for every UO employee who got to be a part of the program,” says Dalila Shannon, UO Women’s Divisional Merchandising Manager and Summer Class Mentor.

Below, we speak with Dacia Redmond, one of the selected five students and a proud alum of Clark Atlanta University, to discuss the designs and find out how the project came to life.

Photos by Bre Johnson

DACIA REDMOND - CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY

Where did you go to school? What made you decide to apply to your school?

I attended the illustrious Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. I applied based off of my comfortability with the city of Atlanta as well as how prominent the fashion department is at CAU. It was easily one of the best decisions I have made thus far.



Can you tell us about your design process? What made you create what you did?

I wanted to create apparel that wasn’t anywhere else, but that also embodies my personality as well. HBCU’s are so powerful and historic that they deserve to be celebrated and loved out loud by means of showing the world the greatness that comes from these institutions. For my design, I wanted to show the world how powerful my institution is by listing important people/things/places that correlate with how rich in history CAU is. Many people undermine the impact of HBCU’s in the world, but for me they opened doors for better opportunities than I could ever imagine.



What was it like creating something so unique for your school? How did you feel when you finally saw your finished designs?

This was honestly an exciting and nerve-wrecking experience. To have the opportunity to produce apparel that shows my love for my institution is an experience that’s unmatched. Seeing my final designs in person left me speechless. I actually couldn’t stay out of the mirror because I was so proud of what I produced and how it came to fruition. Especially for me, as 1/3 of the CAU students, seeing our varsity jacket in real life made me so proud as each person's personality shines through and combines so flawlessly. This experience still blows my mind to this day.



Have you learned anything new about yourself or your goals for the future during this experience?

This experience taught me the power of being a sponge. There is so much that I have learned at Urban from simply sitting and being an active listener. To this day, every phone call I make, I have detailed notes from it to take to the next conversation. Life never stops teaching lessons and Urban reinforced this idea daily. I’ve pushed myself to work beyond the limits I placed around myself. Urban forced me to grow and expand myself more than I normally would.



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To see more from Dacia, follow her on Instagram!