Our graduates are game-changers, solution designers, innovators, emerging design leaders. Over 90% of our alumna are working in the Technical Apparel industry, and making positive impact in the world. Often, our students' thesis-level capstone projects propel their careers and draw attention from employers and media.
Click the links below to see alumni stories:
Capstone Exhibit – 2023 Graduating Class
Capstone Exhibit – 2021 Graduating Class
Capstone Exhibit – 2020 Graduating Class
Alumni Spotlight
- VancouverIsAwesome: Technical Apparel 2020 Grads Showcase
- Richmond News: KPU Richmond's technical apparel grads showcase their designs virtually
- Richmond Sentinel: KPU design grads showcase work virtually
Capstone Exhibit - 2019 Graduating Class
KPU-DETA-Grad-Exhibit-Program-2019.pdf
Alumni Spotlight
Name: Riley Scott
Graduated 2019, Technical Apparel program
Project: STRATUS Ski Touring Mid-Layer
Featured in:
- Vancouver Sun: Kwantlen student recognized for ski jacket that adapts to temperature
- Education News Canada: KPU design grad wows judges at Core77 Awards
- Pressfrom: Kwantlen-Student für temperaturangepasste Skijacke anerkannt
- Richmond News: Ski jacket nets recognition for Richmond design grad
Name: Rita Nwokolo
Graduated 2019, Technical Apparel program
Project: Sports bra for women
Rita's project was announced on the Richmond News community category.
Capstone Exhibit - 2018 Graduating Class
KPU-DETA-Grad-Exhibit-Program-2018.pdf
Capstone Exhibit - 2017 Graduating Class
Alumni Spotlight
- Name: Philip Siwek
Graduated 2018, Technical Apparel program
Project: AV Cycling Jacket
Philip has an open mind, a sense of curiosity and a user-centred approach to design. With a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Humber College in Toronto, Philip's capstone project for his post-baccalaureate diploma in Technical Apparel Design is an excellent example of design that addresses current or future problems. In his words:
"Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are an emerging technology with many established and potential challenges. The fundamental technology utilized by AVs to see and understand the world currently have many issues with correctly detecting, identifying and reacting to the objects that occupy the road in specific environmental situations. Cyclists represent a unique challenge for AVs. Light, nimble, and fast - cyclists can be hard to detect by sensors and unpredictable for the onboard AI algorithms.
My research goal was to find a way to bridge the gap through the development of novel, passive or active interference / communication methods that would increase the visual identification of cyclist by AV sensors and AI. This solution will be most effective in situations where AV systems are least effective - at night, and poor weather. Concept validation was accomplished with thorough tests analogous to AV sensory systems, cameras and objects recognition algorithms. In addition, user interviews and ethnographic observations were conducted to provide insights into user needs and behaviours.
After extensive research and ideation, what resulted was the AV Cycling Jacket concept. A cycling jacket with seamlessly integrated 2D barcode patterns. This jacket supplements the detection of the user to autonomous vehicle camera sensors and object recognition algorithms through the use of a machine readable 2D barcode system made from retroreflective film. When visibility of the user is ambiguous / hindered by night-time or poor weather, the retroreflective barcode is still visible to AV cameras, allowing for accurate identification of the user. The jacket is covered in segmented barcodes that correspond to specific locations on the users body, allowing an AV to not only correctly identify the user, but to also correctly orientate the user in the environment. This feature also allows for the enhanced detection of the user's cycling hand signals by the AV.
The AV cycling jacket is a conceptual design made to highlight the issues surrounding the emerging technology of autonomous vehicles and offer a simple solution - by making the cyclists that share the road with AVs apart of the solution, and creating a safety redundancy cycling user have control over."
Philip's project was announced as the STUDENT WINNER in Core 77's Design Awards 2019, in the Strategy & Research Award category.
Name: Shawn T. Michaels
Graduated: 2018, Technical Apparel program
Project: Chainsaw Jacket
Shawn has always been a problem solver and artist, creating classic scrap paper and napkin renderings of spontaneous inspirations. His deep love for environment and 36 years of forestry and trades direct his designs. The discovery of Technical Apparel Design provides an outlet to merge diverse skills sets and life experiences. His background and unique life path affords him innovative, practical, experience-based insights and design solutions.
Hear from Shawn what made the Technical Apparel program a springboard for his rewarding career path on this video.
Name: Jessie Croll
Graduated: 2015, Technical Apparel program
Project: Enlite Hydraffinity Vest
For young designers, the chance to work with one of the biggest names in fashion is one thing. But to help design a product for them that fills a gap is a dream. Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) grad Jessie Croll is living that dream as a product designer for lululemon. The 27-year-old is a long-distance trail runner, which requires her to be self-supported and bring along water and nutrition for several hours.
“At a certain point in my training, I started thinking about how strange it was to have a system for supporting a water reservoir on your back and a separate system for your breast support on the front, realizing that most products on the market had been designed for men and hadn’t considered sports bras to be a part of the layering strategy at all,” says Croll. She shared this with another designer at work and the work to create a running vest began.
“Thanks to a lot of collaboration between bag designers, bra developers, and researchers; what started as a passion project evolved into a very real and functional product.”
Learn more about Jessie Croll here.
