Name: Kelly Horak
Major: Apparel Design and Development
Year: Senior
Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin
Senior Collection Name: Free Association
Kelly’s designs will be showcased amongst other Apparel students work at the Silhouettes Fashion Show on May 1 at 7 p.m. and May 3 at 3 and 5 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Memorial Student Center. Tickets can be purchased at http://uwstout.universitytickets.com/user_pages/category.asp?id=26
HC: When did you start designing clothing?
KH: For my sixteenth birthday I received a sewing machine. I designed my homecoming dress and everything.
HC: What made you want to start designing?
KH: I wanted to make clothes that I wanted to wear—not what was technically on the market.
HC: Aside from Stout, did you consider attending any other schools for fashion design?
KH: I was thinking of going to school on either coast. My parents made me a deal: I could go to school in-state and study abroad, which was better than just going to one of the coast schools.
HC: Which designers do you look to for inspiration?
KH: Marc Jacobs. And when I’m going for a quirkier style: Gareth Pugh.
HC: What is the most rewarding part of being a designer?
KH: I thought it would be when I saw the photos of my senior collection. But it’s actually seeing the final product on the runway.
HC: How many hours do you spend constructing a garment?
KH: I don’t even want to know. The sweater in my senior collection took 70-80 hours to produce. Knitting is the most time-consuming.
HC: Do you have a favorite garment or accessory you’ve made?
KH: The first handbag I made when studying abroad. It made me fall back in love with designing.
HC: What was your inspiration for your senior collection?
KH: My inspiration came from different art pieces I discovered at different museums during my study abroad experience in London. Every mono-chromatic piece stood out to me and how it is not always all about color but rather the textures, structures and patterns within the piece.
HC: What are your plans for after graduation?
KH: I am going to work for Abercrombie and Fitch as an Assistant Technical Designer.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Von Cooper