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<td width="343" valign="bottom"><p class="date"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="date" --><a href="../../../../../default.html">8/30/04•
Vol. 129, No. 4</a><!-- InstanceEndEditable --></p></td>
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<a href="../../../../../default.jsp">News</a> <a href="file:///H|/My%20Documents/My%20Webs/sports/default.jsp">Sports</a> <a href="file:///H|/My%20Documents/My%20Webs/features/default.jsp">Features</a> <a href="file:///H|/My%20Documents/My%20Webs/opinion/default.jsp">Opinion</a><!-- InstanceEndEditable --> <a href="../../../../../gallery">Gallery</a> <a href="../../../../../advertise">Advertise</a> <a href="../../../../../archive">Archive</a> <a href="../../../../../aboutus">About
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="6">Turning Tragedy into Triumph</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><i>by-Allison Bethurem</i></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The living room of her house is glitzing with
rhinestones and gleaming with ribbon. Boxes of cotton American Apparel
T-shirts, panties and sweatpants are sitting in the corner, ready to be
opened and pizzazzed. The glue gun is heating up and the creative
energy is flowing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Beneath this aura of creation, however, lies a
tribute and a somber remembrance of a loved one taken too soon.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Amanda Simonian, a Fresno State student, has taken
her passion for clothing and design and is dedicating a new line of
clothing to her younger brother, Jeffrey, who was killed in a car
accident in December 2002.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The profits from her SimDog clothing line are going
to fund the Clovis High Memorial Program where three scholarships have
been created in Jeffrey’s honor: an ‘Achieve Your Dreams’ award, for a
student looking to further his or her education in orthodontia,
Jeffrey’s career goal; an outstanding student award for automotive
technology, Jeffrey’s passion; and a personal best award, for a student
who receives special education treatments and wants to further his or
her education.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> “SimDog was a nickname given to him by his
friends,” said Simonian, a marketing major. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Using his nickname makes the line more meaningful,
and it’s a way to merge me and him together.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Friday the 13 in December 2002, Jeffrey was
returning home with two friends from a day of snowboarding at Sierra
Summit. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The car they were driving hit a bump in the road,
flipped over and rolled down a mountain. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other passengers in the car suffered minor
injuries; Jeffrey, however, was struck in the head by a loose speaker in
the car and went into a coma. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jeffrey was held at University Medical Center for a
week, and doctors were hopeful about his recovery. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seven days after he was admitted to the hospital,
Jeffrey suffered complications from his injuries and died. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“It was the hardest time of my life,” Simonian
said. “But I look at this (SimDog) as a way of keeping him alive, but
healing at the same time…It’s like turning a tragedy into a triumph, and
it’s something to be proud of.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simonian’s first SimDog designs were only
screen-printed T-shirts, but now she uses different materials and
supplies to make her items more high-end. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“My shirts are now looking like boutique items. I
use ribbons, rhinestones, broaches and flowers, all of which I make
myself,” Simonian said. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In keeping up with today’s trends, Simonian’s
shirts have taken a more girlish turn, adorned with bows, ribbons and
broaches. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These decorated one-of-a-kind pieces allow the
wearer to dress up the shirt more with a skirt and heels, or dress it
down with jeans and flip-flops.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simonian has also added hats, belt buckles,
sweatpants, and several different styles of T-shirts to the newsest line
of SimDog. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I am a big comfort girl,” Simonian said. “I love
sweats and T-shirts. Wearing one of my shirts is just as comfortable as
my sweats. At the same time, you can totally put them up with a pair of
jeans, a cute purse and a pair of heels and be ready to go out on the
town.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Recently, The Edge, a retailer in Old Town Clovis,
has started carrying some of Simonian’s items. She is also planning to
launch a Web site and catalog to advertise and market SimDog clothing.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simonian turns to those who were close to Jeffrey
to help get the word out about the line.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jeffrey’s girlfriend, Fresno State sophomore Jenny
Hudson, modeled all the clothing for the soon-to-be-released catalog for
which Simonian shot all of the artwork herself. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The clothes that Amanda creates are so meaningful
to me,” Hudson said. “Jeffrey and I were really close and he has tons of
friends, including me, who support this.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although the financial success of her label seems
to hang right around the corner, Simonian still struggles with the
financial side of SimDog. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I haven’t broken even yet,” said Simonian. “If I
make anything at all, it goes back into the product to get more
supplies. I haven’t even had a chance to put any money into the
scholarship funds, but we’re getting closer.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Currently all three scholarships are funded by
Simonian’s parents, Judi and Brent. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Sept. 18, Simonian plans to launch her fall
SimDog line with an open house. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of her goals is to show people that her clothes
are not just something to wear, but are clothes made with love and
emotion built in. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her line includes panties for $11, hats for $20 and
T-shirts that run up to about $42, but the price tag on the item cannot
reflect the amount of work put into each piece.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In order for Simonian to consider this line to be
successful, she wants to make a profit and put money into the
scholarships, she said. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of Jeffrey’s hidden desires was to one day
become famous, Simonian said. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With more than 800 people attending his funeral and
now his own clothing line, it appears he is much more than famous. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The people who love Jeffrey think about him daily,
and now people who have never met him know the story of an ambitious and
hard-working young man. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To contact Simonian about her open house or with
any questions, call (559)779-7840 or e-mail j.simonian@comcast.net.</td>
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