Gaming and garments come together: A partnership between N.C. A&T’s fashion and esports programs is resulting in a line of Aggie-themed jerseys and activewear.
This semester, students in the fashion merchandising and design program, in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, have teamed with N.C. A&T’s collegiate-level gaming program, Aggie Esports, to develop a line of jerseys and competitive gaming apparel.
“This has been an amazing collaboration,” said Elizabeth Newcomb Hopfer, Ph.D., associate professor in the Fashion Merchandising and Design program. “I wasn't sure what to expect as far as student interest and engagement, but our students have embraced this project. Design for such a specific target market provides students with the opportunity to practice user-centered design and think through their design choices to ensure their product’s performance matches the user’s needs.”
Aggie Esports coordinator Dwayne Meekins approached the Fashion Merchandising and Design program to design team jerseys. “I thought, if we already have a fashion program on campus, we should allow our students who are learning the discipline to have the chance to put their training to a real-world situation,” he said.
Aggie Esports coordinator Dwayne Meekins realized, in spring 2024, that to help build brand recognition of the esports program, the program needed jerseys. Then, he thought of the Fashion Merchandising and Design program.
“I thought, if we already have a fashion program on campus, we should allow our students who are learning the discipline to have the chance to put their training to a real-world situation,” he said. “I tell people all the time that esports is the most interdisciplinary program on any college campus. Rather than talk about it, I thought it would be beneficial to show people that.”
To get ideas, students in Hopfer’s Apparel Product Development class interviewed esports players, crafted customer profiles, “mood boards” and concept pitches. They came up with designs ranging from jerseys to T-shirts, sweatpants, windbreakers and book bags, all branded with N.C. A&T logos and the Aggie Esports name.
They revealed their ideas during a showcase in the esports lab to five judges, including team members, faculty from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University Relations staff and Meekins himself.
Jaysha Young, a senior fashion student, designed fingerless gloves.
“I wanted to make sure the wrist wasn’t too long so it wouldn’t be too constrictive if the players were on a laptop or using a controller,” said Young. “We have personalization for the player’s name on the side, silicone on the inside, and we kept the materials light and breathable.”
Glenn Stiles, an Aggie Esports lab attendant, served as one of five judges and called the unveiled designs “food for my eyes.”
“I think a lot of these (fashion students) ... have an understanding of what the gamers are looking for,” he said. “I like how they paid attention to things we may have wanted, even if we didn’t mention it in our interviews.”
Meekins called the showcase “phenomenal.”
“All of the designs we saw were creative and super unique,” he said. “These students are learning to design, so why not give them an actual customer and the chance to design an actual project?”
