David Ace Park 

David Ace Park is an apparel designer based in Orange County, California. He graduated in 2023 with a BA in Fashion Design. Currently, David works as a part-time retail associate at Liberated Brands HQ in Costa Mesa, California while working on his clothing brand Bellow USA.

            

1. Home
   
2. Branding
   
3. Design
   
4. Patternmaking
   
5. Development
   

Email: davidacepark@gmail.com
Linkedin: davidacepark
Instagram: davidace.rda

Home
Welcome to the interactive home page where you as the user can create a set of looks that were designed and developed by me. These include works from personal, school, and from the label Bellow USA which includes released items and unreleased samples. Some garments were all handmade by me and others manufactured by a third-party.

Branding

Bellow USA is a streetwear-based apparel brand based in the OC/LA area. The brand was conceived in 2018 by four high schoolers seeking to express their own creative input into physical products in the shape of t-shirts and inspired graphics. The name derives from the hypothesis: Believe & Follow. 

“If one believes, then one surely must follow.”

In early 2024, the brand has conceptualized a sort of reverse-diffusion line going by the name: 
Research-Driven Atelier. This line focuses on garments that maintain complex design language while covered by a sheer layer of minimalism. 

As of late 2024, this brand is fully owned and operated solely by David Ace Park.
            
Personal Notes:
The brand’s identity throughout the years has been an enigma that warps and shapes from season to season. After viewing the current state of the brand and understanding its shortcomings, I have decided to alter the direction of this brand into a more timeless and minimalist approach. This tested aesthetic can be visualized in future works and concepts. (view design/patternmaking)

 To me, this brand serves as more than just a clothing business. It is a creative endeavor and showcase of different experiments within the field of fashion. Owning this brand has taught me how difficult and rewarding it can be to balance marketing, sales, design, and development. 

Design, Patternmaking, Development: This is the realm of apparel design in which I excel in. Taking a concept and breathing life into it. In these three sections, I will highlight one outfit (pants and jacket) from concept to reality. These fields will also be complimented with a multitude of works from the past, present, and future. Design

This page is showcases my basic steps of approaching design specifically in apparel. I start with either establishing a moodboard, a pencil on paper sketch, or straight to a digital flat on Adobe Illustrator. As of recent, I have found garments that catch my eye and revise parts of it to how I see fit. 

The digital flats shown were created mostly for the brand and include a blend of both colorized and b&w. The sole reason was to show details that would otherwise not be as clear if in full color and vice versa (stitching, stylelines, trims).

Personal Notes:
My approach to design usually involves a deep dive of research (usually it is not well-organized) that ultimately makes me go deep in thought. I ask questions and conduct research into why things are the way they are. In my recent project, the examples of inspiration can be shown in this moodboard that I scrapbooked together. I decided to call this project “Solitude(r).” Although the solituder is not considered a word, I decided to add the “r” at the end to empahsize the state of being in solitude (think of adding the -er in crazy aka. crazier; intensifying the adjective). On top of that, the word “solitude” is not meant to be considered anything negative. In this instance, I mean it to be positive and having the intention of wanting to be alone. The word is also an anagram that spells out the words “Tu” (”you” in Spanish) and “Soldier.” The jacket and pants were heavily influenced by military uniform (fabric choice and functionality) and mixed with both old school and new school concepts of apparel.  

Patternmaking

I believe understanding the basics of patternmaking (and draping) has helped me greatly in executing apparel design and development. Without this crucial step, I would not be able to design or develop any kind of garment. This page shows my process of taking a design and configuring it into a two-dimensional figure. With my projects, I start by drafting a pattern card that lists out pattern pieces, trims, and potential fabric swatches. From this, I draft pieces by either using a pre-existing garment or a body sloper. With the case of the highlighted jacket and pant, I decided to find and measure out pre-existing garments in my closet. From there, I edited the fit and added in accents such as pocket style, etc. 

Although this project and many of my projects consist of making patterns by hand, I have retained information on how to use Computer-Aided Software such as TukaCAD (intermediate) and CLO3D (pre-intermediate). 
I enjoy making patterns as it has given me opportunities. Some brands I have made patterns for are Special Attachment, Sunday Prayers, VultureFoe, and K4azi. 

Development

The page of my portfolio is dedicated to the art of development. I still have many ways to go in understanding how to be a master developer. This slide showcases my ability to create tech packs to send to factories. Please contact if you would like to see a full example of a tech pack from a previous line.

I have developed garments both by hand and also from manufacturers overseas and in the USA. The biggest difficulty I have experienced is communicating with manufacturers about the specifics of the garment. That is why I have recently decided to create my own samples to show to my manufacturer in the future. 

The garments that I make by hand fall short in being of industy standard but making the clothes myself have many benefits. I am a visual learner and making the clothes by hand give me more creative freedom to improvise and add or remove things on the fly without fear of production delay. This also has helped me understand (not fully) how clothing is made when it does go into full-on production.