Young Alumna Launches Her Own Swimwear Line Now Available in New York, Miami and Cincinnati

Fashion design alumna Anne Pachan is recently out with her own swimwear line. It represents the most recent high-water mark in her successfully expanding career.

Anne Pachan

Her elegant designs are now found in New York City, in hotel boutiques in Miami, Fla, and right here in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Hyde Park - in a store called Snap Boutique.

And though it might seem that she's quite suddenly diving into the deep end of the fashion and business world with her new venture, it's actually something she's been preparing for during many years of training - first in her cooperative education quarters while a DAAP student and then working for New York designers after graduation.

Says Pachan, "In looking back, I've been on the path toward this the whole time. It started with my co-op quarters while I was still a UC student. On co-op, I worked for five very different companies and saw how they all ran their businesses, found out what works and what doesn't in terms of creating samples for their lines, organizational structure and how designers work together in different operations. My co-ops were a rush course in entrepreneurship. Not too many 22 year olds have that kind of experience. My co-ops and the contacts they provided me have been invaluable."

Co-op, or cooperative education, is the practice wherein students alternate quarters or semesters in the classroom with quarters or semesters of professionally paid work in industry. UC is the global founder of co-op, having invented the practice in 1906. Today, the university houses an elite co-op program (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report), and design students at the university routinely graduate with about 18 months of professional work experience on their resumes.

That experience as well as the contacts Pachan gained from her co-op quarters was matched by the experience and contacts she likewise gained in her DAAP studio courses. During her entrepreneurial career, she's been able to count on the broad-based skills she learned at DAAP - and to count on her fellow DAAP alums too.

Alumna Anne Pachan at work on her swimwear designs.

And not too much has changed since then. Pachan and fellow 2002 fashion design alumna Laura Dawson frequently exchange advice and contacts since both are pursuing entrepreneurial careers. And when Pachan was preparing the Web site related to her new swimwear line, she turned to a fellow 2002 DAAP graduate - graphic design alumna Sarah Miller - for help.

"Attending such a broad-based design schools was invaluable. We were exposed to all areas of design and projects, including digital design and graphic design. It's a well-rounded education that has allowed me to take on design challenges I might otherwise have had to hire out when beginning by consulting business and in launching my new line," says Pachan.

Pachan, formerly a resident of the Cincinnati neighborhood of Wyoming, also took a travel quarter while a DAAP student, exploring Italy while researching in preparation for her senior collection. That travel has heavily influenced her current swimwear line, titled Cala Ossidiana.

In Italian, the name translates as Obsidian Beach, and it recalls a small island off the coast of Italy - Lipari - where the family of Pachan's mother traces its roots. "The colors in that area are reflected in my swimwear collection. The island is volcanic, and the volcano there spewed liquid obsidian glass. It would come down the mountainside and enter the sea. The sea floor is black glass, and the water is a deep, deep blue. It's a natural beauty that inspires me to this day." As does her desire to build the "perfect company."

Pachan began working independently three years ago in order to create not only fashions but a business. She wanted complete creative control in terms of design and the experience of running every aspect of a firm. "I'm creating my dream company. I'm putting together all the aspects of companies I worked for on co-op and after graduation. And this company - Cala Ossidiana LLC - is just as much a reflection of me as any design," she explains.

And next year, she and her company will be expanding in order to offer her designs beyond the East Coast and Cincinnati, moving into markets in California and the Caribbean.

"It's a challenge, but I like the challenge. And at the same time, I'm focusing my line on the beach and vacations. Vicariously, I can feel I'm at the beach too. I can imagine how it would feel to be there. It makes for a design process that's fun and relaxing," she states.

But don't actually look for Pachan at the beach. She's too busy making use of every moment and every opportunity and plans to continue doing so. Even when a UC student, she routinely worked at every co-op assignment till the very last minute.

"Yes, I always worked as long as possible on my co-ops. When other students had left in December, I was always working two more weeks. I wanted to take advantage of the experience, and in small businesses, you were allowed to help with everything, with every aspect of the business."

She adds, "Like I said earlier, I've been on this path toward founding my own business for a long time now."

And that was the case even when she was in school. While just a first-year student, Pachan founded a small business. She bought beads wholesale from importers and made necklaces. She similarly bought silver jewelry wholesale. She would then set up to sell her designs at local coffee shops. "It was my practice business," she remembers. Well, in this case, it looks like practice makes perfect.

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