Passion for Fashion Inspires Former Philadelphia University Field Hockey Player
At five foot, two inches, former Philadelphia University field hockey student-athlete and aspiring fashion designer Shannan Carlino is not an imposing character, but she when decided on a clothing collection for a class at the University last spring she had a lofty idea. The senior design major was required to create a clothing line collection, to be shown at the annual Philadelphia University Fashion Show.
"I went into fashion knowing I wanted to design athletic-wear, and I stumbled upon a picture of a Dolce and Gabana fall collection that had avant-garde couture ball gowns. That inspired me to create my collection," said Carlino.
At Philadelphia University, fashion design majors have two final classes before graduation. Carlino decided to pursue her idea for an athletically inspired ball gown for her Collection I class. With a demanding deadline, the senior was ready to get to work- but first she needed material.
"I needed basketball jerseys to make my vision come to life, so I contacted the Philadelphia 76ers, the Big Five, and several high schools and middle schools and they all donated several jerseys for my project," said Carlino.
An avid athlete, Carlino played defense for the Lady Rams- appearing in over 70 games. For her collection, she threw herself into the world of basketball- intent on understanding the soul of her product and became a fan in the process.
"I'm fascinated by tall people, probably because I'm so short. I started to wonder what the world was like from that perspective" said Carlino.
Focused on meeting her deadline in time for the Philadelphia University Fashion Show at the Academy of Music on April 30th, 2008 the young designer went to work on her idea- sketching, sewing, fitting and at last the final production. Her time-management skills sharpened as a student-athlete helped to make the daunting task manageable. She also received some welcome advice along the way from her design instructor, associate professor of fashion design Jane Young Likens.
"I advised Shannan to make a splash and do something exciting," said Likens. "She was relentless in making the concept work."
Carlino was also required to come up with a merchandising and marketing plan to consider the customer and the price of her products- three dresses made up the entire collection.
"The process took me about half a semester from start to finish, working on the collection often 12 hours a day along with a full class load. Twenty total jerseys were used," said Carlino.
Carlino called her collection ‘Basketball Meets the Runway', and her entry earned Best Senior Collection Honorable Mention accolades at the Phila U. Fashion Show. She also entered her collection into the Bloomingdale's Red Carpet Show.
Currently on campus for her last semester, Carlino is working on her final student collection for the Collection II class. She plans on creating field hockey uniforms, using some of her former teammates as models. Her versatility is already apparent in her young career as she moves from runway fashion to functional apparel.
"The difference between sportswear and athletic wear is that sports-wear is made to perform," said Carlino."
As she completes her degree, Carlino hopes to find a job doing what she loves- designing functional clothing for athletes. She already has intern experience with both Puma (Boston) and Boathouse (Philadelphia), along with studying fashion abroad for a semester in London.
"I'm open to whatever opportunity comes next, wherever that might be," said Carlino.
Written by Sarah Punderson, Philadelphia University Sports Information Director
Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia University Public Relations department
