Name: Heather Berg
Year: Senior
Major: Apparel Design and Development
Hometown: Sartell, Minnesota
You can see Heather’s Senior Collection MUSEO at the Silhouettes Fashion Show on April 30th at 7 p.m., and May 2nd at 3p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Student Service Center in the MSC or online at: http://uwstout.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event_listings.asp
HC: When did you start designing clothing?
HB: This probably sounds so weird but I don’t think I actually ever designed clothing until I came to Stout!
HC: What made you want to pursue a career in fashion?
HB: I loved art in high school but I wasn’t convinced that I could make a career out of it so I went in a completely different direction and decided to go to school for Chemical Engineering. I only spent one semester at the University of Minnesota – Duluth before deciding Chemical Engineering definitely wasn’t for me. Where was the color? The creativity? Equations and problems are fun (for a little bit) but I needed an artistic outlet! It was then that I decided I need to find a career that allowed me to be artistic and creative while still being relevant and lucrative. I took a few years off to explore my options and get married! Yay! However, I finally came upon the idea of going to school for apparel design and even though I knew nothing about fashion or sewing, it seemed like the perfect balance of science and art so I gave it a try and here I am and I love it.
HC: When deciding which college to attend, what was it about the Stout Apparel Design and Development Program that really stood out to you?
HB: I remembered a girl from my high school went to Stout for fashion so it was the first place that I looked into! I thought the program seemed great and I loved that it wasn’t too far of a move from Sartell, Minnesota, my hometown, so the next thing I knew I was moving everything to Wisconsin to pursue career in Apparel Design.
HC: You’ve been on the Executive Board for the Silhouettes Fashion Show Organization for two years now. What drew you to this organization?
HB: It’s kind of funny because my first two years at Stout I wasn’t really involved with the organization at all. My schedule never seemed to work out with the meetings and I was always missing the events. I really wanted to put something into the show my Junior year though so I tried my hardest to be involved and go to meetings. It just so happened that the first meeting I was able to go to that semester was a meeting for Executive Board elections. I had no intention of being on the board but after hearing the kinds of things I could be doing I thought, “Why not?” I went for it and I loved it my first year so when board elections came around the next year I knew that I wanted to do it again because I felt there was still so much I could do to make the show a success! It’s time consuming and stressful but so worth it when you see the show done and you can look back and see all that you’ve done and the great friendships and connections you’ve made over the year.
HC: You were a Product Development intern at both Huebsch Services and Garnet Hill. Describe those experiences.
HB: Both of my internship experiences were great! Even though I was in Product Development at both companies, my experiences were very different and I learned so much at each. Garnet Hill is an awesome women’s, kids and home company nestled in the gorgeous mountains in New Hampshire. The location alone would have been enough for me because it’s just so beautiful there, but the people at Garnet Hill made my whole experience extra special. I felt so welcome from the beginning and there was never a moment that I didn’t feel like I was contributing to the team. I got to experience fittings, writing fit comments to vendors, prepping for photoshoots, and becoming a master at measuring. Huebsch Services was the last company I interned for and I’m so grateful for that experience. They are a wonderful, local, family owned business in Eau Claire since 1891 (that’s 124 years!) that does uniforms, matting and cleaning supplies. This experience really opened my eyes to a completely different side to the apparel industry and I got to learn so much about functionality, quality of garments, vendor communications, and lean processing in a production facility.
HC: The Silhouettes Fashion Show is right around the corner, where you will showcase your senior collection “MUSEO.” What was your inspiration for this collection?
HB: My label MUSEO is all about being inspired by cultures and artists that make the world a more beautiful place. This particular collection for the show is a women’s resort wear collection that was inspired by Mexican culture. I found a really great vintage calendar girl painting from Mexican artist Jesus Helguera of this sassy, gorgeous Mexican girl with glowing skin, flowers in her hair and big leafy plants around her. And I knew that that was the feel I wanted my collection to have. So I designed my silhouettes and prints, found my fabric and some gorgeous models and VOILA! It all came together so perfect and even has a bit of a tropical feel which I love! One of my teachers even described it as being like a “refreshing, tropical drink” which I thought described it perfectly.
HC: What advice do you have for people who are just starting off with designing?
HB: There are so many different things you can do with a degree in Apparel Design and Development, especially at Stout. My advice is, if you’re struggling with a class, it doesn’t mean you aren’t meant to be there, it might just be the class. So do your best, get through it, and keep going. You’re learning so much more than you think you are and before you know it you’ll be a senior who has made a made a four look collection and it’ll be like, “Whoa. How did that happen?!” It took me four years to figure out that the area I was really interested in and maybe even good at was print design. So don’t give up!! Keep going!! You’ll find your niche eventually and it will all have been worth all the tears and sleepless nights.
HC: Do you have a favorite garment that you have produced over the years? If so, what is it and why?
HB: I’m in love with all of the pieces in my MUSEO collection. I created all of my own prints for the collection and it’s been amazing to see them on actual garments. There are a total of three different prints used throughout the four looks–be sure to check them out at the show!
HC: Apparel design is so time-consuming. How do you balance all your homework and projects with everything else?
HB: I’m a list person, so every day I make a list with the million things I need to do that day. I even include things like “Take a shower” or “Walk the dog” because I will seriously forget to do them once I get going. It’s really hard though to find the perfect work/life balance. It’s something that is a constant battle for me. There are NEVER enough hours in the day to do everything I want, no matter how many Red Bulls I slam down, and that’s okay! Sometimes you need to just throw your “to-do” list aside and spend an evening eating pizza and watching movies with your favorite people otherwise you’ll go crazy. I’m really lucky because I have an amazing husband who recognizes when I’m up to my eyeballs in stress and helps me out as much as he can by making dinner or doing the dishes or anything that can help cross some of those things off of my list. I don’t know what I would do without him.
HC: Where do you see yourself and your designs in the next ten years?
HB: I’m moving to California after graduation so I plan to stay there for quite a while living in the sunshine and loving life. As for my designs and what I want out of a career; I’m still not sure! I’ve always been very entrepreneurial from watching my dad own his own business and have always thought I would own my own business someday. Perhaps I will establish MUSEO as a real apparel company someday, or own a boutique or a coffee shop. Or perhaps I will find a company I love and design awesome prints for them forever and ever. The sky is the limit! I’m just excited to be done with school so I can start my next adventure and see where life takes me!
Photo Credit: Christopher Bartlett