It takes a special person to have an eye for design, the eye you wish you had to be more stylish. That special person is right here on Appalachian’s campus : Meet Andrea Lazaro, queen of fashion.
Surviving her first showcase as a junior, Andrea is a dedicated apparel design and merchandising major. You can say that apparel design is in her blood as Andrea was raised around designing. Her great-grandfather owning a fabric store and her mother being an interior designer, Andrea was destined to end up in the design industry somehow. When talking about her childhood, Andrea remembers her mother and grandmother stitching dresses for her to wear.
At a young age, Andrea picked up the needle and helped her mom sew. “We would take old pairs of jeans and make them into purses,” Andrea said.
But when Andrea first came to App, apparel design was not in the front of her mind. Once Andrea took a consumer behavior class, she had a change of heart and changed her major to apparel design. After talking with her grandmother about it, who Andrea said she looks to for inspiration, the decision was made.
Recently, Andrea appeared in her first apparel design and merchandising showcase at Appalachian State. Andrea drew her inspiration for her pieces of clothing from the Salem Witch Trails. “I’ve always been really interest in supernatural things,” Andrea said. Her line featured three pieces of clothing. Andrea explained that she chose green and black as her color scheme to represent jealously and envy that draws the audience in.
“It is the most time consuming thing in the entire world,” Andrea said, as she explained that she spent days preparing for showcase. Andrea said that being behind the scenes of the fashion industry is not as glamorous as people think it is.
Through the long nights spent in the studio sketching design and sewing fabric, Andrea said it was a rewarding experience to see her line on stage. “A lot of people don’t know what I do, being able to show it and having people proud of me, it is all worth it,” Andrea said.
Her experience as a designer has opened her eyes to different trends in the industry. “Everything that happens in the world has an effect of the apparel design industry,” Andrea said.
When Andrea is not in the basement of the College of Education sewing through the wee hours of the night, Andrea is an active member in Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, taking on the role as Vice-President of Recruitment and Marketing. Andrea also has a love for children as she spend multiple times a week as a mentor to a young girl through the Western Youth Network.
After taking a trip to New York City with her department, Andrea plans to move there after graduation and work for a luxury children’s clothing brand “I just love little munchkins,” Andrea said.
If you ever need styling or fashion advice, Andrea is your girl. “Even though it has taken over my life, I am really glad I have the professors I do,” Andrea said.