In 2009, there were two albums you could count on hearing in the Senior Fashion Studio at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles: the debut albums of Kid Cudi and Lady Gaga.

They played over and over again.

Jessica Singleton ’09 still remembers working alongside her classmates with the music turned up to full volume as they prepared pieces for their Threads Senior Collection Showcase: the runway show where seniors in the fashion and textile management (FTM) major, with a concentration in fashion development and product management, present their final fashion collections.

For students who choose to take the Threads course, the journey begins a semester earlier, when they apply with a portfolio of past work and a vision for the collection they hope to bring to life.

Singleton also remembers that their instructor, former Cornelson Family Distinguished Professor Cynthia Istook, eventually became a fan of the music herself.

“When we first played Lady Gaga for Dr. Istook, she said, ‘Man, she is talented,’” Singleton shares. “So, we had that album on repeat.”

The music is one memory that has stayed with Singleton for nearly two decades. So has the experience of creating a full collection, presenting it on a runway and, in Singleton’s case, walking away with first place in the Threads competition.

But not every memory from that semester is quite as carefree.

Singleton remembers when her classmates traveled to a fabric store in Charlotte to purchase materials for their collections, and she couldn’t go.

“I didn’t have money to even buy fabric,” she recalls. “So I always try to help our students out.”

Today, Singleton is back at her alma mater as an assistant teaching professor and the instructor of the FTM 497 course, which will culminate in the 2026 Threads Senior Collection Showcase. She’s proud to be guiding a new generation of Textiles students to discover their own talents.

And this summer, Singleton found a powerful way to help.

She reached out to the classmates who had spent long hours beside her in the Senior Fashion Studio and asked whether they would join her in supporting today’s students. Ten said yes.

Together, the 10 former classmates partnered with the North Carolina Textile Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Wilson College of Textiles, to establish the Threads Senior Fashion Show Support Fund. Gifts to the fund will strengthen future productions, expand the promotion of the runway show, attract more industry professionals to campus and ultimately give the student designers greater visibility.

Founding supporters of the Threads Senior Fashion Show Support Fund

• Katy Robb Deckard ’09, Certified Nursing Assistant, Mission Health
• Britt Erb ’09, Technical Development Manager, lululemon
• Hannah Goff ’09, Artist, Hannah Goff
• Emily Robbins Kelly ’09, Senior Director of Sales and Merchandising, Indo Count Global, Inc.
• Leigh LaVange ’09, Assistant Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology
• Kristen Martinez ’10, Principal Designer and Artist, Kristen Martinez Art, LLC
• Christina (Cottonaro) McKenzie ’09, Former Assistant Merchandising Manager, Hanesbrands, Inc.
• Ashley (Tucker) Murphy ’09, Stay-at-Home Mother
• Jessica (Fulks) Singleton ’09, Assistant Teaching Professor, Wilson College of Textiles; Founder and CEO, Laché Supply & Company
• Claire Stanhope ’09, Realtor, Town and Mountain Realty

It is also a chance to give something that can’t be measured in dollars: the freedom to create.

“These students are very hardworking, and they’re deserving,” Singleton says. “They all come from different backgrounds, and their design perspectives should be heard and seen.”

A professor who changed the course of a career

Of all the support Singleton remembers receiving as a Wilson College of Textiles student, Emerita Professor Istook’s influence stands apart.

During Threads, Singleton was determined to explore menswear, even though it wasn’t something she had studied extensively. Istook didn’t discourage her from venturing into unfamiliar territory. Instead, she brought in textbooks and spent extra time teaching Singleton what she needed to know.

That encouragement would help shape the course of Singleton’s career.

She went on to build a career largely focused on menswear, including technical design work for André 3000 and roles with J.Stark, Hanesbrands, Peter Millar and her own company, Laché Supply & Company. Even after Singleton graduated from NC State in 2009, Istook continued helping her. She provided Singleton with additional resources to deepen her knowledge of Gerber AccuMark pattern-making software. Years later, this would open an unexpected door for Singleton to begin teaching while in graduate school at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“I wouldn’t have been in menswear without Dr. Istook,” Singleton says.

It’s not difficult to see the full-circle nature of her story. A professor once took extra time to help her see possibilities she may not have discovered on her own. And now, Singleton is doing the same.

For this fall’s Threads students, Singleton has paired each student in her class with an industry mentor from various apparel companies. She even asked students to share their dream company with her to help guide those connections. 

The full list includes:

• Able 1 Bespoke
• DRJSPOKESTYLE, LLC
• Free People
• GG & Co. Styling Firm
• Hannah Goff
• Jaded London
• JC Penney
• Kristen Martinez Art, LLC
• LoveShackFancy
• Lululemon
• Peter Millar
• Victoria’s Secret
• Vivienne Westwood
• Zadig&Voltaire

Three of the mentors are Singleton’s former classmates and fellow fund supporters: Hannah Goff ’09, Britt Erb ’09 and Kristen Martinez ’10.

Paying forward more than financial support

For Martinez, now a Wilmington-based artist, designer and curator, supporting Threads means returning to a formative experience in her life.

“The Fall 2009 Threads senior class shaped the way I think about bringing ideas to life,” she says. “It taught me that great concepts don’t exist in isolation. They require collaboration, trust and a community willing to build something bigger than themselves.”

That lesson has remained with Martinez throughout her career spanning fashion, event production, gallery curation, fine art and interior design. It is also one she hopes to share in her role as a mentor for the 2026 Threads class.

“This fund is meaningful because it gives students more than financial support,” she explains. “It gives them the opportunity for their ideas to become reality.”

Erb, a fellow donor and mentor, can also trace a line from Threads to her career.

“The Threads Show introduced me to the creative process of fashion design, which I fell in love with,” says Erb, now a technical development manager at lululemon. “That spark and passion for design has served as my North Star as I’ve moved through my career.”

That is precisely why she hopes other alumni and friends of the Wilson College of Textiles will add their own support to the fund.

“By giving, we can ensure that the creative spirit and talent of these students are nurtured,” Erb says. “It’s a contribution to the individuals in this program, yes, but also to the fashion industry more broadly.”

For Singleton and her classmates, the fund is a way to honor what Threads gave them while creating more opportunities for the students who follow.

The playlists in the Senior Fashion Studio may have changed since 2009, but the potential of its students has not.

That same spirit of support can help the next generation of fashion and textile management students discover just how far their potential can take them.

Support the Threads Senior Fashion Show today

If you are interested in helping future student designers bring their ideas to life, we invite you to make a gift to the Threads Senior Fashion Show Support Fund.