BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — What do you think you'd be able to create with a bunch of New Era baseball caps and a hot glue gun?
For most of us, the answer isn't anything you'll see on the runway any time soon.
For a group of Buffalo State University students, however, the answer is a masterpiece.
It was all part of a three-day event called "Design-a-thon," a collaboration between the university and Buffalo-based apparel company New Era Cap.
Students were split into teams of four for the challenge, tasked with creating an avant-garde piece of art from sample products donated by New Era Cap.
Those sample products included fabric, baseball hats, tags and patches.
And there was a lucrative prize on the line: the members of the winning team each won a paid summer internship with the apparel company.
Win or lose, participating students told 7 News the event offered valuable lessons that extended far beyond their work space.
"This experience has been fun," David Wiggins, a junior at Buffalo State, said. "But I've also learned a lot working with the team. We've all really got to work with each other, all pitch our ideas. Personally, this has helped me grow as a team player."
Buffalo State Associate Professor and the chair of the Fashion and Textile Technology Department Arlesa Shephard emphasized the value of working in teams.
"They're getting life experience working in teams, collaboration, conceptualizing their design and how to pitch it to New Era," she said.
According to Shephard, the "Design-a-thon" event has even landed some students opportunities beyond an internship. She said some of the past participants have gone on to land full-time jobs with New Era Cap after graduation.
