Age: 21
Hometown: Matteson, IL
Major/Minor: Apparel Merchandising and Design (concentration in Design) and minor in Retailing
Quickly approaching is this year’s annual Threads Fashion Show. As an aspiring designer from Illinois, Jade is a participating designer in the show this year. With a major in apparel merchandising and design with a concentration in design and a minor in retailing, Jade hopes to one day open up her own boutique that strictly sells her designs. When deciding where she was going to attend college, Jade knew she wanted to pick a school based on her major. Jade says, “I didn’t choose a school to choose a major, I chose a major and looked for a school [that offered] it.” She has always known she wanted to design clothes, and with the dream of being a future boutique owner, Jade had a clear view of what she wanted to study during her college years.
Jade is a member of the Fashion Association of Merchandising and Design. She is also a “member of a few honor societies”; including the society she is most active in which is Kappa Omicron Nu. She is also “a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.” Being such an involved student, Jade does not have much free time, although, when she does have time to wind down, she likes to read books, listen to music and play video games. She continues by saying, “anything I can just be alone and go into another world.”
Fashion shows are not just pretty clothes and models; you’d never guess what goes on behind the scenes. For Jade, to participate in the Thread’s Fashion Show, she has to be an active member of the Fashion Association of Merchandising Design (FAMD). She also had to sign a contract and pay for each look that is being put into the fashion show. “Time and effort are just consequences of signing the contract,” she says. Although time and effort play a big role in being a designer in the fashion show, deciding to participate in the show was an easy decision for Jade to make. She also said, “You can’t call yourself a designer if you don’t take every opportunity to design a collection.”
Jade’s designs were inspired by the Disney Channel movie Life Size. Her collection consists of clothing made for dolls. The most Jade looks to gain experience from her participation in the fashion show, “My favorite part is seeing my drawings come to life.”