Bengal Tales – Kelsey Bashore

Class Year: 2013
Degree: B.S. in Fashion and Textile Technology

Current Occupation: Apparel Designer, Hunting/Fishing, at Under Armour

What is one of your fondest memories of Buffalo State?
Being on the volleyball team, my fondest memory was winning the SUNYAC Conference Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Buffalo State History as a senior.

Were you involved with any on-campus organizations as a student?
I was on the volleyball team and I was president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee as a senior athlete.

How did graduating from Buffalo State shape your future?
I believe that Buffalo State had everything to do with my success in the apparel design industry. The courses I took were perfect for preparing me for my job at Under Armour and I got so much support from professors being a student-athlete. I had an amazing advisor, Lynn Boorady, and she encouraged me to apply for the Under Armour internship the summer before my senior year. She also helped me to achieve getting all of the credits necessary for me to graduate a semester early which was a tremendous help in going right back to Under Armour two weeks after graduating early in December. I also met my husband at Buffalo State who was also a student-athlete and he has followed me to Baltimore in my journey to go after my dreams as a fashion designer.

What accomplishments have you achieved since graduating from Buffalo State?
I got a promotion and advanced from Assistant Designer to Designer within nine months of being hired full time at Under Armour. I have transitioned out of owning men's lifestyle and all of youth to now owning all of the major money-making programs for the hunt/fish department at Under Armour, including men's core whitetail hunting gear, an elevated waterfowl hunting line, and all of men's lifestyle and fishing which includes a fleece and wovens program. I now own, design, and see through over 80 styles a season. I also have had the opportunity to travel to Asia twice for work visiting Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on development trips and all over the country for trade shows throughout the year.

Do you have any advice for current students trying to achieve success after graduation?
Absolutely. Work your butt off while you are in school. Do not take any classes for granted, because I cannot imagine being as successful as I am without all of the intense hours I put into learning all of the CAD programs and sewing skills at Buffalo State. I had so many late exhausting nights going from strength conditioning and lifting, to class, back to volleyball practice, and then back to class, many of which I would leave crying. Looking back, I fully understand and appreciate every moment of that because I know it was all worth it.


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Originally posted: November 2016