What’s your year, major, and hometown?
Fourth-year fashion design major from Birmingham, Ala.
Have you lived elsewhere, if so, where?
I attended SCAD Atlanta for my freshman year, prior to transferring to the Savannah campus. Prior to attending college, I have lived in Birmingham as well as Salt Lake City.
Do you have any professional experience?
While I do have past work experience, I do not have any directly related to my major field.
When did you decide to pursue a career in fashion?
I decided to pursue a career in fashion the summer before my senior year of high school, after attending SCAD summer seminars at the Atlanta campus.
What inspires you creatively? Professionally?
The beautiful thing about inspiration is that it is, essentially, an unlimited resource — anything and everything can be inspiring. Inspiration lies all around us, all of the time. It’s what we know. It’s our past. It’s what we find in our present. It’s what we wonder and have yet to discover —our future. I draw inspiration from a wide range of sources, ideas, concepts, nature, people, places, culture, psychology. Something that has served as significant to me, or for me, in the past, or something that strikes me as significant at the present moment (perhaps that something is both of these things at once).
What are some of the most pressing issues facing today’s fashion designers? Models? Accessory designers?
When pondering the issues facing today’s fashion designers, my first, instinctive thought is simply finding a job. Beyond that, there is the struggle to stay on top, or remain afloat, in an industry revolved around fashion — a word that, in and of itself, implies change. Decades ago, when fashion legacies such as Christian Dior entered the picture, it was enough for a designer to be creative. That is no longer enough. Fashion has transformed from a creative industry into, essentially, a business. For a designer to hope for any kind of longevity within the industry, he or she must not only be creative, but they must also understand the industry as a business. It takes a strong right and left brain to make it these days (with a thick skin to boot).
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Five years from now, I will be 27. It’s hard to say much of anything past that. Professionally speaking, I would hope to be working in the fashion industry, whether in New York, or abroad in Europe. Ideally, working as design director (or design assistant in hopes of working my way up) for a company who’s mission and aesthetic I share and believe in.
Do you have any advise for future SCAD fashion designers or those who are preparing to enter the industry?
For those considering entering the fashion industry, or preparing to do so, I would advise them to think carefully and introspectively about why it is they want to enter this industry — understanding why it is you want to do what you do, understanding the root of your passion, is imperative in entering any industry, but particularly one in which you are bound to face rejection and will inevitably find yourself in moments of doubt or second guessing, whether by yourself or by others. A strong understanding of yourself and your reasons for existence within the fashion industry will serve as the much needed backbone and drive to push through the hard times and remain strong in your pursuit of professional success, as well as personal fulfillment.
How would you categorize your aesthetic?
I would describe my aesthetic as clean and understated. I appreciate simplicity and minimalism when it comes to design. I certainly do not always have control over life being clean and simple, but through design I do have more control in achieving these desired states of being.
Who would be your dream designer to work alongside?
Jil Sander would be my dream designer to work alongside. I admire her design approach and vision—her devotion to simple silhouettes, clean lines, and minimalism. I also admire her ability to continuously make bold statements through her use of understated design.
When you think about the future of fashion, what do you see?
When I think about the future of fashion, I don’t see so much as I feel. I feel tremendous excitement over the prospect of entering the fashion industry. I certainly think there is room for improvement and inevitable change within the industry, but, at the moment, I am just ready to get in it and see where it takes me, where I take it, where the industry, my peers, and I take the rest of the world. There are fears and doubts and concerns, of course, but all in all, this is an exciting time.
