ETSU students and professors come to Wm. King for a "Lesson on Quality"

April 16, 2010

On April 15, 2010, two professors from ETSU held class at Wm. King Clothiers in Bristol to educate students on how to identify quality in clothing. Dr. Anna Roberts and Dr. Kelly Atkins attended this "in-the-field" event with a dozen students, mostly juniors and seniors, in the Apparrel Product Analysis class. The class is part of the Merchandising Curriculum within the Management and Marketing Department at ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee. Dr. Roberts has exhibited juried apparel designs regionally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Atkins has received numerous fellowships and awards in the industry.

Students were treated to a hands-on presentation with William King and Ann Altizer where they learned about specific indicators of quality when selecting brands and evaluating products. The students asked questions related to the process of ensuring quality and understanding clothing. Dr. Roberts said that careers for graduates can include retail buying, store management, merchandising and more.

King was honored to educate the group. "We rely on vendors to do quality control and maintain quality, so selecting vendors is just as important as the initial clothing product evaluation," he said. Two specific examples cited were Bills Khakis, which are made in Lebanon, Virginia, and Breuer, which are handmade ties in whose production King himself is closely involved, working with the company to select fabrics and designs.

According to Roberts and Atkins, ETSU's Apparel Merchandising Curriculum "emphasizes the apparel and technical product, and the focus is product knowledge and business principals." Truly educating students about the impact of quality and the importance of clothing knowledge is their goal. "Apparel and textiles are constantly changing. The more they know about products, the more they can be successful in their careers." When asked why King's store was selected, Roberts said "these students have studied characteristics of quality and learning what quality is. We all know that William King stands for quality and thought it would be a wonderful experience for our students to visit a store that has built their reputation on service and quality."

The session lasted well over an hour and a good time was had by all. "They were a lot of fun and we're just happy to help them out in any way we can," said King. Learn more about the ETSU program here.

ETSU students and professors come to Wm. King for a "Lesson on Quality"

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