Turning Tragedy into Triumph

by-Allison Bethurem

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.

Beneath this aura of creation, however, lies a tribute and a somber remembrance of a loved one taken too soon.

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.

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.

 “SimDog was a nickname given to him by his friends,” said Simonian, a marketing major. 

“Using his nickname makes the line more meaningful, and it’s a way to merge me and him together.”

On Friday the 13 in December 2002, Jeffrey was returning home with two friends from a day of snowboarding at Sierra Summit. 

The car they were driving hit a bump in the road, flipped over and rolled down a mountain.

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.

Jeffrey was held at University Medical Center for a week, and doctors were hopeful about his recovery.

Seven days after he was admitted to the hospital, Jeffrey suffered complications from his injuries and died.

“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.”

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. 

“My shirts are now looking like boutique items.  I use ribbons, rhinestones, broaches and flowers, all of which I make myself,” Simonian said.

In keeping up with today’s trends, Simonian’s shirts have taken a more girlish turn, adorned with bows, ribbons and broaches. 

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.

Simonian has also added hats, belt buckles, sweatpants, and several different styles of T-shirts to the newsest line of SimDog.

“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.”

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.

Simonian turns to those who were close to Jeffrey to help get the word out about the line.

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. 

“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.”

Although the financial success of her label seems to hang right around the corner, Simonian still struggles with the financial side of SimDog. 

“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.”

Currently all three scholarships are funded by Simonian’s parents, Judi and Brent.

On Sept. 18, Simonian plans to launch her fall SimDog line with an open house.

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. 

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.

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. 

One of Jeffrey’s hidden desires was to one day become famous, Simonian said. 

With more than 800 people attending his funeral and now his own clothing line, it appears he is much more than famous. 

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. 

To contact Simonian about her open house or with any questions, call (559)779-7840 or e-mail j.simonian@comcast.net.