Katelyn is an independent Apparel Designer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has a decade of experience in the outdoor industry spanning several facets of apparel creation. In addition to design work, she most recently oversaw the outerwear product line and design and development team at KUHL as Outerwear Category Manager, and helped guide the accelerated build-out of a revitalized apparel line at Black Diamond as Apparel Design Director.

Katelyn believes in creating distinctive and high-quality product that stands the test of time and that offers either a solution to a problem, or an improvement upon or reimagining of what came before. She believes that the world doesn’t want more product, but rather great product with a reason for being. In this endeavor, she is especially skilled at balancing quality, sustainability, functionality and style. Though most of her experience has been in designing lifestyle and technical outerwear for the outdoor market, she welcomes new challenges and opportunities.

Contact Katelyn for more information and design project proposals.

Expertise

  • Though style is regarded as highly subjective, Katelyn has an eye for those principles of design - such as balance, proportion and movement - which work together to create something visually appealing to the human eye.

  • Katelyn has a thorough knowledge of a wide variety of materials and their properties and applications, as well as many years of experience sourcing and working with mills to create custom developments that match a brand’s aesthetic and meet its quality guidelines.

  • Katelyn has a keen eye and appreciation for high-quality garment construction, from clean-finishing and reinforcement all the way down to the minute details of stitch and thread types, glues and interlinings. A garment made of the very best materials may still fall short if the seams holding it together aren’t afforded the same care and consideration.

    Notable expertise: Downproof construction, waterproof construction

  • Directional fit, or silhouette, is an important element of any design, especially today. Katelyn is well versed in silhouette from both a fashion and performance perspective, and especially enjoys bridging the two. Having been a dedicated Fit Technician for two years, she can also contribute expertise on elements of technical fit.

  • Application of color and trend is at once both an intuitive and calculated process, and Katelyn can help navigate various considerations such as balancing seasonal excitement with multi-year longevity, business-led choices with design-led choices, and trend following with the creation of a unique perspective.

  • Having started off her career on the development side of product creation, Katelyn understands the importance and makings of a detailed yet concise set of technical sketches for garment factories to follow.