Lauren Forstenhausler ’21 designs for performance

Fashion design major Lauren Forstenhausler ‘21 uses a tactical, human-centered approach to improving performance and supporting consumer needs in her role as an associate apparel designer at Capelli Sport. The performance apparel brand designs and manufactures high-quality athletic apparel, soccer uniforms, and equipment for youth academies, professional clubs and national teams around the world.

Lauren graduated in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although she was unable to showcase her senior collection, “Gaslight/Singularity,” at the Cornell Fashion Collective (CFC) runway show, she and other designers were featured in a video presentation.

Q. What do you do as an apparel designer? 

A. I design and develop active apparel for both on  and off field use. I focus on the brand’s lacrosse, field hockey, tennis and golf collections. I create new styles and build collections around each sport, as well as develop custom uniforms for clubs and schools — from small recreational teams to national and international programs, including USA Lacrosse and USA Field Hockey.

Q. What does your work look like day-to-day?

A. For new development styles, we begin with research on the sport and current market trends. Then we move through several rounds of sampling until we achieve the right fit. After that, we gather feedback from players to identify any performance issues that need to be addressed.

For team specific products, the sales team discusses needs with the customer and submits an art request. The design and art teams collaborate to create a presentation or booklet featuring products tailored to the team’s colors, logos and either custom or stock designs. Once designs are approved, I set up each custom style’s tech pack so the factory knows exactly what to produce.