The upcoming Fall semester is ushering in a league of exciting refreshes to Belmont’s campus, including a new location, title and brand identity for Belmont’s on-campus store. The former “Belmont Store” is launching its 2.0 version “The BruinShop” this week in the new Jack. C. Massey Center, complete with a wide array of revamped products. The shop now features a trendy variety of Belmont fashion and merchandise twice as large as the previous store, including Nashville, faith, inspirational and a “groovy” assortment for back-to-school.
Photo: Sam Simpkins
Photo: Sam Simpkins
Launching alongside the new location is a collection of clothing entirely designed by Belmont students. The project has been in the works since last fall when Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Engagement Josh Ward and Director of The BruinShop Johanna Lewis dreamed up a proposal for students in the fashion program at O’More College of Architecture and Design to create their own shirts for the new store: a capsule for Athletics and representation of Belmont and Nashville as a whole—both taking a more “Gen Z” approach.
O’More was immediately enthusiastic about the project and found a place for it at the top of the semester. Fashion Design professors Laura Horner and Emily Anderson brought the challenge to their Fashion Technology 2 courses, where students expand on the fundamentals of the Adobe Suite and begin to work with products.
Ward and Lewis presented their objective to each class, showcasing their vision and revealing that they would be picking two teams’ collections to be sold in the new shop. “We wanted things that felt iconic and connected to both Nashville and the Belmont brand, but we left it open,” said Lewis. The BruinShop team also provided branding guidelines as well as sample hoodies and shirts for students to work with.
“We were looking for something unique that would resonate with students and become a pride point for them, knowing it was fellow Belmont students who designed them.”
Students had three weeks to design the graphics, working in teams of two and creating roughly three capsules each for both Athletics and The BruinShop. With their own teams, Ward and Lewis took time to review the collections and decide which ones rose to the top.
“We had a lot of fun with it,” said Ward. “We were looking for something unique that would resonate with students and become a pride point for them, knowing it was fellow Belmont students who designed them.” Common themes arose throughout the different teams—cowgirl boots, cowboy hats and retro styles reminiscent of the 70s.
The pair then faced the difficult task of picking the winners—Lauren Kelley and Chloe Claudel for the Athletics capsule and Delaney Pace and Kenzie Styles for The BruinShop collection, both representing the Class of 2025.
Photo: Sam Simpkins | Designs by Chloe Claudel (left) and Lauren Kelley (right)
Kelley, a fashion design major, said the athletics capsule was inspired by vintage prints and fonts as well as video game merchandise. “My goal was to encompass the spirit of fun and liveliness I feel when I wear my merch into my designs,” she said. “It’s unreal.. Only at a school like Belmont would this be possible.”
Claudel, a fashion merchandising major, described the experience as a “Cinderella moment”. She said, “I often forget I am in class because I have so much fun. I can't wait to see what opportunities unfold in the next two years at O’More with the guidance of our incredible professors.”
Photo: Sam Simpkins | Design by Delaney Pace and Kenzie Styles
Styles, a fashion design major, explained that hers and Pace’s goal was to take classic college aesthetics—sorority style graphics, Nashville-centric themes—and create a timeless, yet modern collection. This project is a launching point for these students and each of them are still reeling over the surreal opportunity of seeing other students wear their designs on campus. “I can confidently say that O’More will have more than prepared for the real world of fashion once I graduate, and I am extremely grateful for that,” said Pace, a fashion merchandising major.
The BruinShop is now looking to produce more than just the winners and a longstanding student design section in the shop. “We wanted to honor the winners but also continue to have this collaborative moment in the store where we can tell the story of these student designs and how they came to be,” said Lewis. The dream is to expand the project to multiple departments and multiple types of products.
The BruinShop will host its Grand Opening on Aug. 17, with promotions and giveaways running throughout the entire week.
Click here to view the site and take a look at the products.