 "Photo:")
For up and coming fashion designers, inspiration is an important element of the creation process. While others look to celebrities and the media for ideas, senior Megan Foley is a bit more unconventional.
"I don't read fashion magazines," Foley says. "When you're thinking about fashion, you always want to be thinking forward, not what's already out."
So when the time finally came for Foley to assemble her collection for the annual Synergy fashion show, she wanted to get away from her usual, more conventional pieces and try something more daring.
Titled "Renewed Impressions: A Revitalization of Style," Foley describes the pieces as "wearable art," rather than clothes meant for an everyday lifestyle.
An example of her new approach is a dress, which can be seen on the advertisements for the fashion show, made of canvas kimono sleeves that can become pants.
The dress' print was inspired from an unlikely source - Foley's older sister's artwork. It's just another example of Foley's original ideas put to fabric.
"I try to expose myself," she says. "I go to art museums for inspiration. I'm really just inspired by the whole process of creation."
Synergy's spring fashion show at the Trabant University Center isn't Foley's first foray into fashion competition. In fact, her garment recently won the "Best in Show" award at the Fashion Group International competition in Dallas, Texas, trumping 300 other garments.
Yet, the Synergy fashion show is something special.
"If you're an apparel design major, it's what you work toward your four years," Foley says.
Foley, whose favorite designers include Chanel and Victor and Rolf, began her university career as a merchandising student but knew she also "wanted to do something a little more creative" and added apparel design to her repertoire.
The anticipation for the fashion show is evident in Foley's enthusiastic tone when speaking of the event. She says it's her opportunity not only to show off her work but also surprise those who are familiar with her more conservative pieces.
"When I first showed my professor and classmates, all they could really say was, 'Whoa,' " she says.
For her collection, Foley also took a "recycling" approach and visited local Salvation Army stores to buy old dress shirts. It is this infusion of vintage articles and forward thinking that results in Foley's work.
She attributes her creativity to the university's ever-improving fashion design program. Although she jokingly says the main attribute she's learned from the major is "sleep depravation," Foley credits her ability to "think outside the box" and newfound confidence to the program.
With an internship at BCBG under her belt, Foley's post-graduation plans could go many different ways, even in the fierce marketplace of apparel design.
"I think the hardest part is getting an interview," she says. "Luckily, the school is really good about contacts. I want to work for Nordstorm's or Ralph Lauren."
As graduation quickly approaches, Foley says she has nothing but fond memories at the university, especially as a member of Synergy, adding it's a great club to be involved with because of the "fun group of people."
Foley says she has high hopes for the fashion show's first-time attendees. Not only is the show a chance to show her work to new faces, but an opportunity to illustrate a bigger picture - the university's apparel design program as a legitimate stake in the world of new fashion.
"I hope they see how strong the program is," she says. "We can be put on the same level as a school like FIT. There's a lot of talent here."
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!