About

Growing up in the inspiring company of a creative family ranging from artists to chefs, I always had the desire to study fashion design from a young age. In reaction to moving to New York City to attend Parsons in 2014 I took a lighthearted and fun approach to fashion design to focus on the positivity that I could bring to myself as a maker and to the viewer or customer.

My method of making is based on materiality, focusing on texture and feeling in connection with emotions from depression to happiness. Seeking to relieve stress and heighten happiness through my designs, I incorporate many colors, prints, and mixed textures through my work to create complex palettes based on in-depth academic and visual research along with interviews. For example, I question how wearing or making a garment with soft and spongy qualities or soft colors act as stress relievers to the wearer or maker. My making process is spontaneous and experimental, but is based on my research and relies on detail as well as overall impact, resulting in conceptual and bold garments.

I am a builder and create structures that utilize a textile process as the basis to create a whole garment whether it is accomplished through layering, gathering, stuffing or other means of construction. My garments are craft-based through a modern lens and include details and many hand sewn elements, making them border on soft sculpture. Recently I have been experimenting with mundane materials to generate ideas and interesting mixes of textures, but I seek to start doing this with found or secondhand materials to promote and work more sustainably. I make and design because I want to create a happy place for my customer and myself as a maker, and strive to create a lifestyle and escape from reality through my designs.

Research on human response and my consumer feed back into my designs to create a fantastical and lighthearted lifestyle. I incorporate a childhood nostalgic aspect to my work and my interests include childhood cartoons like SpongeBob, pop culture, food, and muses that create and inspire. Additionally, I am researching into sustainable textile practices like upcycling and natural dyeing to create garments that will bring a positive impact both in aesthetics and construction.

As I look forward, I see myself creating one-of-a-kind pieces rather than mass market sellable clothing. Because I create more boutique items, I would like to create a brand that will sell unique pieces in small boutiques or concept stores like Dover Street Market. Eventually, I will funnel these pieces into more sellable products if they can be produced sustainably or in terms of slow fashion. I also see myself collaborating with fashion houses creating prints and textiles.

I plan to go forward and create a lifestyle brand around my fantastical ideas and include interiors and accessories. While working at Ralph Lauren as a design intern, I saw the mass production cycle which lead me to later work for a smaller fashion brand, Thaddeus O’Neil. Studying at Central Saint Martins in Fall 2016 also helped me explore fashion on a global context away from where I have grown up. This experience abroad, along with my internship experiences, shaped my design identity and transformed my ideas, helping me gain a better idea of the various ways in which I can work in the industry that is changing today.