Alumni
Merchandise Product Development Grad is Lead Designer at Seirus Innovation
Born in Reno, Nevada and raised all over the Western United States, Merchandise Product Development Graduate Brittany Bradley grew up as an avid snowboarder who was determined to work in the ski industry. Those childhood dreams came true: today she’s the Lead Designer at Seirus Innovation, the Poway, California-based cold weather protection brand.
“I truly thought I could make a profession out of snowboarding when I was young,” Brittany recalled, “until I kept slamming my face. Then one day it literally hit me: why don’t I just make the gear instead? I am so grateful for FIDM helping me make that a reality.” Since graduating in 2015, she’s worked for action sports companies such as 5.11 Tactical, VOLCOM, and Troy Lee Designs. In 2018, she joined Seirus Innovation as a Designer, and last month, she was promoted to Lead Designer.
Seirus Innovation's Base Layer was just named the best in class by Business Insider at the 2020 Outdoor Retailer Snow Show. “It’s a completely new category for our brand and has been an exhilarating project for me,” she said. “My husband wanted to kill me for the excessive number of hours I have spent on this project, but having it actually be recognized, I couldn’t be more gratified or more proud of our executives, product development, material buying, and marketing teams, and them believing in my designs to take us to another level.”
Brittany said every job and internship she held, and networking mixer she attended, helped prepare her for this role. “It’s really about trusting your intuition and respecting your own journey,” explained Brittany, who has built friendships with some of her former FIDM Instructors. “All of my experiences, good and bad, pushed me to be a better designer and strive toward my full potential.” She said the genuine relationships she made at each employer is one of the highlights of her career.
“We’re all family [in the ski and outdoor industry],” she added. “We all love getting out there and experiencing life through shredding. The ‘work hard, play hard’ mantra is 100 percent how this industry works, and I couldn’t feel more at home within the active sports/outdoor industry.” For those wanting to break in themselves, Brittany said having patience, a tough skin, and a never-give-up-on-your-dreams attitude will help.
“Crush it on every single project in every single course,” she said. “Don’t wait to build your portfolio at the end of your program – build it every day. Strive to learn something new each day and never stop learning. Our industry, with time, seeks out those with a genuine passion for their craft or sport and your time will come."
Categories: Merchandise Product Development Alumni
