After temporarily putting a halt on their clothing business during the COVID-19 pandemic, BATA Design Co. is back to producing merchandise for clubs and events around campus.

Since the option to return to school became available near the end of the third quarter, the Business and Technology Academy (BATA) company reopened for business and began production on t-shirts for Camchella (an upcoming school fundraiser) and The Stinger.

BATA Design Co. launched in 2019 as part of the BATA career pathway and the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) club. The company ran as a merchandise company targeted at the Cam High and Camarillo community until the pandemic hit in early 2020. 

Josh Belew, a senior at Cam High and a member of BATA’s graphic design team, said, “We weren’t able to meet in class, so we couldn’t use the printer or photoshop.” With less events and active clubs around campus, the company decided to briefly put a pause on their production.

However, the company is once again operational now that teachers and some students of BATA are back in class. Mr. John Foster, BATA teacher and DECA advisor at Cam High, explained the processes that the business takes when beginning production on new clothing designs for a client.

“Sometimes they give us their own ideas. Sometimes they let us come up with a design from scratch,” said Foster. When the business is given full creative control over the designs, BATA’s team of graphic designers takes the lead on brainstorming ideas and creating a design that will materialize into the final product.

“A few students start playing around in photoshop and talking to the [client] to get feedback,” said Foster. After a design is finalized, it is then handed over to BATA’s printing team to resize the designs and print them onto any combination of t-shirts, crewnecks, or hoodies. The customers are then given their custom clothing, and the BATA students continue to their next order, with a greater understanding of the inner workings of a business.

Despite an early hurdle in the life of the company, BATA Design Co. is back on track as they create custom apparel in the community with plans to grow the business–and the experience for students–in the academy. 

Those interested in ordering merchandise from BATA Design Co. can get in contact by emailing [email protected] or visiting Foster’s classroom (Room D-1). More information, including example designs and prices, can be found by visiting achsdesign.com.