Saachi Poddar
BFA in Product Design, 2025
Capstone Project: 200%
I was born in 2003 and raised outside of southern Phoenix. I graduated from Chandler High School in Chandler, AZ. I grew up drawing and making things with my hands. Until highschool, I went to a gifted school for students who learn through project-based learning called CATS. I made rockets, wind tunnels, music, paintings, clay sculptures, and everything under the sun.
I grew up around sports being a swimmer and boxer. I watched gear/sneaker drop dates like it was a religion and loved taking apart my old things in the garage to see how they were put together. I also grew up thinking I would go to medical school so I dove head first into academics and graduated with an IB diploma, AP scholar, CTE (technical engineering degree), and a biliteracy in Spanish and English. However, through applying for bio-engineering/medical degrees I learned about the Product Design program and this led me to the University of Oregon on scholarship.
Outside of sports and product design, I love house music, coperni, postcards, riding horses, and large bodies of water. I love anything that falls under creativity, fashion, design, and sports.I am currently a SENIOR at the University of Oregon majoring in Product Design with a minor in Sports Business.Post-grad, I am moving to Beaverton, OR, to begin a Footwear Color Design Internship at Nike!
200%” is a deeply personal project that reflects my experience growing up as a first-generation Indo-American woman. I often felt like I was split between two worlds, but this collection is about embracing the fullness of both. Using North Indian textiles and reimagined traditional silhouettes through a Western lens, I designed modular pieces that speak to identity, duality, and belonging. I wanted to create garments that feel familiar and new at once—versatile enough for everyday life, but rooted in something meaningful. “200%” is my way of saying you don’t have to choose. You can be all of it, fully.
