Have you ever worked or do you currently work for a designer or manufacturer? If yes, please list any and all positions you have held working for a designer or manufacturer to date (include your responsibilities and if it was a staff or intern position):
Nope
Please describe your job history outside the fields of fashion and design:
I have been in the service industry (as a waitress and bar tender) part time since I was 16.
I was also a high school English teacher and Drama director. I was an actress in a local theater company for one show (Miss Saigon) that ran for 8 weeks. Then I was a Realtor, followed by a Leasing Agent for a Property Management company. Then I had a baby and was a stay at home mom. I went back to waitressing part time when the baby was four months old and did that until I had my second baby. I stayed home for 11 months with both kids and then went back to part time bar tending and waitressing which is what I do now.
Have you attended a fashion design school or a fashion program? If yes, what was the school and program you attended? Did you graduate? If you graduated, what was the type of degree earned? If not, why did you leave the program?
Nope
If you answered "No" to the above question, what is your fashion/design background?
As a hobby, I taught myself how to sew together pillows as gifts for friends. When I was a drama director, I had to piece some costumes together. But the driving force of my designing of fashion was the birth of my daughter. I found a woman in town who gave private lessons and she taught me over the course of one year (about once or twice a month) how to sew from commercial patterns. I started experimenting after that and was refashioning adult clothes into infant clothes (which I actually got to teach others to do at my sewing mentor's studio). When I was pregnant with my son, I met a girl who was a fashion design student at The University of Cincinnati's Design, Art, and Architecture Program. She was waitressing with me and was searching for an internship position. She couldn't afford to move to a big city yet, but wasn't getting any local offers either. About that time, I had come up with a brand name and was making toddler dresses to sell. I offered to have her come work with me and my start up company. One month before my son was born, my intern came to work with me five days a week, 20 hours a week, for three months. I couldn't afford to pay her, but provided her with lunch every day and a great experience to add to her portfolio. She still worked at the restaurant in the evenings, so she could get by with not being paid by me. She designed a website for me (currently not being used, however) and helped me get my Etsy shop up and running. She also helped me build my inventory. What I got from the experience was another sewing mentor. She helped me to polish up my sewing, especially with linings and hand stitches. She also taught me the basics of pattern drafting.
Do you know how to:
- Cut?
- Sew?
-Sketch?
- Make your own patterns?
Yes to all of the above.
Please describe your design philosophy/point of view:
I had the opportunity to make a surprise visit to see my grandfather who was ill. My grandmother had him get up out of bed and get dressed. He wondered what the big deal was, only to understand by my arrival that he was getting a visitor. He said to me as he realized this, "It does feel good to be dressed nice."
My grandfather passed away months later, but that simple thought stuck with me. Those days when I would stay at home with my kids, I would find inspiration from him to get out of my pajamas. And those rare occasions that got me out of the house, requiring to dress up, did make me feel good.
So, I think fashion is supposed to transform our emotions. It makes us feel confident, or strong, or sexy, or mysterious, or fun, or dangerous, or important, etc.
I want the clothes I design to evoke feelings of confidence in beauty.
I think that's all I can say on the subject for now. I want to revisit this later as I gain more experience. Then I can articulate better my design style and philosophy.
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