Get to Know: Alexis Asplundh
By Nicholas Lawrence
Name: Alexis Asplundh
Major: Fashion Design
Year: Fourth-year
Hometown: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
District: When did you know you wanted to get involved with fashion?
Alexis Asplundh: I was really, really little. Probably when I was like ten or eleven or twelve. I would like draw clothes and stuff and I was obsessed with Brittney Spears so I would draw Brittney Spears in cool little outfits.
District: What was the most challenging aspect of the senior collection process?
Asplundh: Our Senior I professor and our Senior II professor are two different people, and if we make any design changes we have to go back to our Senior I professor so it was really hard at the beginning of the year getting our Senior II professor up to speed with your collection.
District: What did you want to achieve with your 6 looks?
Asplundh: I think just using the materials that I did. Using the neoprene I think that was the number one thing that I really wanted to do. So I fit that wherever I could. I wanted to make a cool, fun, colorful collection and that included using neoprene.
District: What faculty members or classes here helped you the most?
Asplundh: My senior professors, so Anthony Miller and Carol Harris. Carol has been my construction professor and Anthony was my design professor, he just pushes your designs, he helped me stay true to myself but pushed me to still take it a step further. Carol for just putting up with me, and all her seniors. She’s a huge help. Also the sewing techs, they don’t really get mentioned too often but they are probably 50-75 percent the reason why everyone gets their collections done.
District: From your peers, whose collection is your favorite or what kind of designs are you most excited about?
Asplundh: I really like what Eduardo Calvo did as far as his fabrics go, and the details that he did was incredible. His pieces are great showpieces for the runway, but you take off the coat thats on it, and you look at the seaming, and the detailed work, and the stitching and stuff that he did underneath is just incredible.
District: What are your future plans after graduating?
Asplundh: I have an apprenticeship with Reebok for a year so it’s a year paid, like a glorified internship basically. So I’m doing that for a year and then they’re not a growing company at this point, so they’re not hiring on extra people regardless. So if there’s an assistant designer position open then we’ll be the first people they ask to fill it … and if not, if I enjoy working in the athletics sportswear niche, I think it would be fun to stay in … Adidas, Nike, Billabong, Roxie, Northface.
District: Who would be your dream designer to work with?
Asplundh: Jil Sander just because I feel our aesthetic works, they work really well together. She does really simple lines, kind of to the point of there’s no design like “no design is good design.”
District: What advice you would give to fashion underclassmen?
Asplundh: Get involved in the fashion department as early as you can. You know, the fashion show, be a dresser or help back stage, be an usher, there’s a lot of opportunities there.
