Alumni
Britta Cabanos
Britta Cabanos studied Apparel and Textiles at NDSU and Fashion Design at F.I.T.
in New York City. She has over 25 years of experience as a swim and athletic apparel Designer & Director at Creative Capital Design, the design studio she co-founded with her partner. Past work includes designing for Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Champion, Nike, Inc. Perry Ellis, Jantzen, Zumba and Engine Swim in Australia. She is currently a consultant for clients in NYC, California and Portland. Britta is a gifted designer and maker with technical expertise and skill to design each collection at both the macro and micro levels. She is the Founder & Chief Editor at InsideFashionDesign.net. IFD is a global online resource for the apparel industry with the vision to inspire, inform & connect creative thinkers, makers and brands. Britta overseas all IFD content development, producing design and development workshops, behind the scenes stories, mini-documentaries and major industry events. Britta also works with interns and serves as a mentor to students at the high school and college level.
Keyona Elkins
Keyona Elkins, originally from Dickinson, North Dakota, graduated from the Apparel, Retail Merchandising, and Design program at NDSU in May 2017. During her time at NDSU, she was an active member of the Fashion, Apparel & Business Organization (FABO) and served as a coordinator for the FABO fashion show in her senior year. She also participated in ARMD study tours to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis.
After completing an internship at Fashion Snoops, a trend forecasting company in New York City, she began her career at Target HQ in Minneapolis as an Associate Technical Designer in ready-to-wear (RTW) apparel. In this role, she focused on creating tech packs and managing garment fit, quality, and construction. Now, Keyona has taken her expertise and passion for design to launch her own business, where she continues to innovate and create within the fashion industry. Click here to learn more about her job.
Kelly Korver
Kelly Korver founded Birds Kept Northin 2012 while attending college at NDSU. Inspired by a printmaking class, she began designing and silkscreening t-shirts for family and friends. As demand for her designs grew, she decided to take her passion more seriously by applying to local craft shows and opening an Etsy shop. Each of her creations is uniquely designed, featuring Midwest-inspired imagery such as bison, loons, Paul Bunyan, and Babe the Blue Ox.
During the Covid pandemic, she discovered Printful, a print-on-demand drop shipping company that integrates seamlessly with Etsy, allowing her to expand her designs to include embroidery and multicolored prints. Most recently, Kelly has returned to her silkscreening roots, producing the majority of her prints in small batches from her home studio. She has also launched a wholesale shop on Faire, where she partners with retailers across the country to share her Midwest-inspired designs.
Natalie Sparrow
Natalie Sparrow is the owner of Ultimate Image LLC/Natalie Sparrow Mgmt., a business she founded in 1998 after earning a B.S. degree in Apparel and Textiles with a minor in Theatre from NDSU. Encouraged by her professor, Dr. Robyne Williams, Natalie launched her career as an Image/Wardrobe Consultant during her final year of college. With no formal training in marketing, she focused on becoming an active part of her community, volunteering with organizations like Dress For Success, Clothing & Connections, the YWCA, Quota International, and joining the Business Network International (BNI). These experiences laid the foundation for her to become a valued member of the community.
One of her most impactful contributions was to The Christmas Gift Fashion Show, where she applied her NDSU training to assist with stage design, lighting, music, and choreography. During her volunteer work with the show, Natalie was encouraged by a board member to start a model and talent agency, leading her to launch Natalie Sparrow Mgmt. in 2002. Over the past two decades, her agency has developed and represented actors, models, and singers, with clients booking national commercials and working with international fashion designers in cities such as London and Paris.
In 2018, the agency expanded to represent social influencers and plans to continue growing this division to keep pace with the evolving social media industry. In addition to being the owner, Natalie serves in various roles within her business, including Model Coach, Acting Coach, Social Media Manager, Agent, Mother Agent, Photographer, International/Celebrity Production Make-up Artist, Booking Agent for singers/duos/bands, Fashion Stylist, Video Editor/Producer, Marketer, and occasionally works as a Travel Agent and Tour Guide when taking models and talent to major cities and countries.
Katie Zueger
Katie received her bachelor’s degree in Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design with honors from North Dakota State University in May 2017. She completed an internship with the NDSU Bookstore in the Clothing & Gift Department working alongside the Clothing & Gift Buyers during the summer of 2017. She currently works as the Assistant Buyer in Clothing & Gift / Offsite Sales Coordinator at the NDSU Bookstore. She oversees the NDSU Bookstores offsite sales locations, including football game sales at the Fargodome, basketball game sales at the SHAC, along with other offsite sales events. She is involved with volunteering at a local animal shelter and is an alumna of Kappa Delta Sorority.