Alumni
Alumna Haritha Yadala Wins ITA Cover Award
International student Haritha Yadala graduated in 2015 with her degree in Merchandise Product Development and is the December 2018 winner of the International Textile Alliance (ITA) Cover Award. Her design (pictured above) is a contemporary Aztec pattern inspired from the techno music, and is being featured on the cover of the ITA Member Directory. We caught up with the alumna to find out more.
Tell us about the International Textile Alliance (ITA) Cover Award you received: It was intriguing when my professor at NCSU, Dr. Lamar, talked about this competition in our class. I was inspired when I saw the previous winners in ITA’s Showtime Magazine, and hoped I could be the next one in there. This pushed me to challenge myself and compete beyond the academic grades. I wanted to utilize this prestigious opportunity to showcase my skills on a wider platform to achieve a global recognition.
What was your inspiration? I love color and playing with textures. My basic inspiration is the beautiful woven Ikat. I tried to experiment and mimic this concept over a print. I started making hazy lines and ended up making a pattern that echoed techno music. I played with the line dimensions and proportions to finally achieve a colorful, euphoric print that is sharp and suits to the fast paced customer.
Tell us a little about yourself: Coming from a rich diversified background, India, right from childhood, I was fascinated with design and color. Unlike many parents back in India who would push their children to become engineers or doctors, my father pushed me towards what I am good at, designing. This led me to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design in NIFT, Hyderabad and later study Merchandise Product Development at FIDM, Los Angeles. This followed with working for few fashion companies like Sue Wong and Lularoe. Experiencing the real world problems at work made me realize the need to study more and acquaint myself with the ever growing technologies in textiles and fashion. Taking the advice of Ms. Hahn, my professor in Brand Portfolio class at FIDM, I enrolled for my Masters Degree in Textile Apparel and Technology Management at North Carolina State University in Fall, 2018.
What are your career goals? Like any other fashion student I'm quite ambitious to start up my own product line with a focus in handlooms and hand crafted designs. Before that, I would want to gain ample experience and absorb all I can while I work for well established fashion companies.
Any advice for current FIDM Students? I have three pieces of advice. 1) I have realized only after I started working, the valuable resources that FIDM is equipped with. I would advise all my fellow students to utilize the Library resources and to be in touch with the Career Center. 2) I understand that we all get absorbed in the class projects, but find time to participate in competitions and any interactive programs that will help to reevaluate one’s own strengths and weaknesses. 3) A piece of advice for my fellow international students—I have always hesitated to communicate with peers as I felt intimidated and worried if I had an accent or if I was asking something silly. Don’t be afraid to open up and make as many connections as possible. We all have come this long, leaving our families to achieve something big and to make it happen, we have to be proactive and bold.
Anything else you’d like to share? Good luck to one and all! Let us all aim to make the world better with sensible, sustainable design solutions.
Categories: Merchandise Product Development Alumni International
