So, you wanna talk inspiration? You should sit down and talk with senior Fashion Design student, Mary Rozny. When Mary isn’t working on her detailed pieces for the Illinois State Fashion Show in April, she finds many ways to stay active, including casually running marathons. Mary has always had a passion for sewing, fashion, and the quality of beautiful, carefully created clothing. Lucky for us, we were able to catch Mary during her free time to get a closer look into the life of the designer.
Her Campus: Have you always been a fashion major?
Mary: I wasn’t always a Fashion major. I actually went into business and switched my major after I found out that ISU offered Fashion Design. I have been sewing since 7th grade, and it’s always been my passion.
Her Campus: Did you go into business wanting to do the business side of fashion?
Mary: Yes, but my heart is in design.
Her Campus: What inspires you to do the work you do? What is your aesthetic?
Mary: I want to make clothing that isn’t cheap. It seems like everything we buy is outsourced from another country. There is so much emphasis on fast fashion rather than creating quality clothing. I feel like we don’t dress nice enough anymore, and I want to create pieces that bring back the art of dress. I studied abroad over the summer in Paris, France, and we studied a lot of couture. We helped during Couture Week, which is actually where I got all of my inspiration for our 2017 fashion show.
Her Campus: What have you been involved with that relates to FDM outside of the program?
Mary: As I said before, I studied in Paris. I am currently working two different jobs. My internship is actually taking up a lot of my time. I intern for an Alpaca farm where I learn a lot of complex knitting techniques. Sometimes I make scarves that have up to five different techniques in it.
Her Campus: Tell us something interesting about yourself that sets you apart from other designers:
Mary: I have been sewing since 7th grade in school. I think that I am good at paying attention to the small details. For example my junior year of high school we did a recycling unit and I created a skirt out of thousands of pop tabs.
Her Campus: Outside of fashion, what do you enjoy?
Mary: I am athletic. I like to run a marathon each year. I am also Southern Tide’s ambassador for ISU. I try to be very environmentally friendly. Sustainable living is very important to me, which has also had an influence on the way I look at fashion.
Her Campus: What’s your favorite part about the FDM program?
Mary: I love how passionate all of the teachers are. When I was a business major the classes were huge. When I had FCS 122 (Intro to sewing), I was so happy. Dr. Banning would bring us snacks and really just show interest in all of her students. Professor Reed is very passionate and knowledgeable about sustainability, and really every part of the Fashion Industry, I like to learn from teachers who really know and care about what they are teaching. When I studied abroad, it was Dr. Banning who recommended me for it. I was the only one from ISU in that program, so she really pushed me and helped me a lot.
Her Campus: What are your plans after college?
Mary: I am definitely going to do a big move in the fall. I have been interviewing with a couple of different companies. I will likely be in California or North Carolina. Starting out on the retail management side of things and then opening my own business.
Her Campus: As far as your collection for the 2017 fashion show, can you give us an idea of what we can expect?
Mary: Definitely a lot of little details. My collection is very based off of French Couture from Couture week. There is a lot of hand sewing, a lot of beading, a lot of small details attached.
Her Campus: Mary, thank you so much for talking to us! We will look for your couture inspired collection at the show!
Tickets for the Illinois State Fashion Show go on sale March 20th at the Braden Box Office, or online at Ticketmaster.com. The Show is April 13th with light refreshments at 5 P.M. and a show starting time of 7 P.M.