Angela Medlin
Founder • Functional Apparel & Accessories Studio (FAAS)
Angela Medlin is an apparel designer and Founder of the FAAS representing a new age of multidisciplinary creative thinkers in the fashion design industry.
Photos courtesy of Angela Medlin
I believe there are no limits to what diverse talent can contribute given the opportunity. Diversity x Design = Innovation. By example and as a mentor, I am here to support and jumpstart the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers into the creative career of their choice.
Angela Medlin is an apparel designer and Founder of FAAS DESIGN (Functional Apparel & Accessories Studio). FAAS DESIGN collaborates directly with global apparel brands and Pensole Lewis College to introduce and create opportunities for underrepresented creatives of color.
Although they didn’t have a lot growing up, Angela’s family was a big support system, regularly purchasing notebooks, crayons, and markers for her. They believed in her talent well before she was even aware of it, telling her there wasn’t anything she couldn’t accomplish. A few of Angela’s former teachers acknowledged her skills as an artist by entering her in creative contests and always encouraging her to continue.
She met her first design mentor, Chandra Cox, at the College of Design in North Carolina State University (NCSU). After Angela attended the first semester of the School of Engineering at NCSU, she discovered it lacked the creativity she craved and decided to switch to the College of Design, where Cox, a phenomenal creative force herself, guided her towards different types of textile design, painting, and apparel education. When Angela attended NCSU College of Design, there were less than 1% design students of color. Today, Angela is a member of the NCSU College of Design Leadership Committee and chairs a new DEI subcommittee that is working to diversify the student population and support them through their college experiences.
Angela visiting her alma mater, North Carolina State University School of Design.
After graduating, she began the journey of networking while applying to a range of design-driven companies. Through meeting enough people and sharing her work, she was able to land her first job with a small but nationally trending company called Cross Colors, an urban style sportswear company that had started overtaking the Levi Strauss customers at the time. As the Assistant to the company’s VP, Angela designed graphics for t-shirts, textile prints for women’s apparel, and details for denim products. She then transitioned to Adidas, where she discovered the importance of learning a variety of tasks on the job which included designing for multiple sports, genders, and ages. She touched every part of the product creation process from design concepts to design innovation. This led to other creative leadership positions in brands that include The North Face, Levi Strauss & Co, and Eddie Bauer. Nike later hired her as the Design Director to modernize and grow the premium apparel category of the coveted Jordan Brand.
Angela spoke in a panel of other top female leaders in footwear at the second annual FN/Two Ten WIFI Women Who Rock event, 2019.
Angela’s work on the Nike Jordan brand. Photo courtesy of Nike/Jordan brand.
FAAS x Pensole & New Balance student work.
PENSOLE Design Academy
PENSOLE is a footwear design school based in Portland, OR.
“It only took one conversation with D’Wayne Edwards to know that we were aligned on so many things. It only made sense for me to start the apparel version of what he had done with Pensole. This amazing school he created currently educates most, if not all, of the footwear designers of color in the industry. He walked away from an amazing career to create free education for people who wear footwear, love footwear, but had nothing to do with the design of them at the time,” says Angela.
Dr. D’Wayne Edwards with Angela. D’Wayne is the Founder of PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy.
Video courtesy of PENSOLE
Angela recently wrapped up an amazing REI x FAAS collaboration. This was a four-week inclusive design program. This partnership is one of REI’s initiatives to further their commitment to DEI in outdoor spaces and the product industry. In this ‘learn while doing’ professional development certificate program, 12 diverse creatives chose ‘unsung’ historical outdoor heroes to elevate and create innovative products to support their outdoor experiences. Three of the students are now working as paid apprentices with REI for six months.
Today, Angela works toward a more equitable future for young designers. She coaches students on navigating the industry, from designing technical and fashion-forward apparel to working within teams, being accountable to brands, and developing their skill sets as designers, collaborators, and future leaders. Thus, Angela is equipping students for the industry while also helping them better understand themselves.
In parallel to supporting the next generation of innovators, Angela founded an eco-conscious dog brand called HOUSE DOGGE. The brand is grounded in how she has approached problem-solving in design for people for over 30 years. Angela employs consumer insights to create functionally clever, minimalistic, and beautiful products for dogs and their people. The brand landed on Oprah’s Favorite Things List in 2020 and continues to build a following of over 15k supporters in just four years. The Target Take Off Pets Accelerator included HOUSE DOGGE in their 2022 cohort, helping Angela scale the brand so that diverse talents can see opportunities for themselves as creatives in the multi-billion dollar pet product industry. HOUSE DOGGE is another design platform Angela looks forward to introducing as an opportunity for BIPOC creatives through employment and continued mentorship.
