Months later with better sketches presented over a computer graphic picture of the galaxy, I competed against the top regional winners across California. The grand prize was a one year scholarship to The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising worth about $13,000 at the time. The competition was intense and I was shocked and surprised when they called my name for 1st place.
My Senior year in high school, I wasn't allowed to do the fashion design competition again, so I opted to do the Interior design competition which also had a one year scholarship to F.I.D.M. To make a long story short, I won 1st at the region competition and I won 1st at state. That's a full ride to pay for my AA degree at F.I.D.M. I was voted "Most likely to be famous" in the yearbook.
I chose Merchandise Marketing as my major because I wanted to learn the business side of retail. Over the years I worked in retail as a sales person, an assistant manager, an office coordinator (similar to an assistant buyer) and an assistant planner. All of these positions I'm hoping will give me the experience to enter into the fashion designing world knowledgeably.
In 2003, I sold purses to friends and coworkers. 2005, I showcased my first line of Upcycled clothing and in 2007, I was part of a group that won a dress design competition that Tim Gunn from Project Runway helped to judge at Macy's and in 2009, I started selling goods on ETSY.com.
Today, I'm focusing full time on my designing. Pulling together all of the magazine clippings and brain storming notes I'd collected over the years in hopes of starting a fashion business, now making it a reality.
