Anyone involved in the Fashion Design program here at PhilaU has either seen or heard of Professor Carly Kusy. She is a PhilaU graduate and a huge part of the university today which is why I chose to interview her for this weeks campus celebrity.
Name: Carly Kusy
Hometown: Wall, NJ
Favorite Halloween Movie: Rosemary`s Baby
Favorite Halloween Memory: The Laurel Hill Cemetery did an outdoor movie where they showed Night of the Living Dead in the cemetery at night.
CB: What first got you interested in fashion?
CK: Ever since I was little, I`ve always been interested in art. When I was younger I wanted to be an artist and when I got older I realized that I needed to find a venue for my creativity where I could get a good job and make money. When I was in middle school I was always going to thrift stores so vintage clothing really got me interested in fashion design.
CB: What would your occupation be if you were not a professor?
CK: Well I`d still have to be doing something creative and I`m really interested in textile design too so I think that I would stay at home and work in my studio and weave. I`m really into hand weaving apparel weight fabrics so I would make one of a kind garments and sell them.
CB: What`s your favorite thing to do around Philadelphia?
CK: Philly`s so great because its very walkable and from Spring to Fall you can just walk around the city and you`ll happen upon an event like an outdoor festival or the pop-up gardens where they have empty lots converted into nice green spaces with food and drinks and sometimes entertainment.
CB: Favorite Halloween Costume?
CK: Last year I was Magenta from Rocky Horror Picture Show.
CB: What do you like about PhilaU?
CK: There`s a lot of great things but I think in terms of the fashion design program and really across the board, were all about collaboration and interdisciplinary projects. Fashion design students could collaborate with textile designers to create their own fabric and really have a hand in the entire creative process.
CB: What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
CK: The fact that I took a chance and started my own line right out of college and that kind of led me to opening a vintage clothing boutique “Sweet Jane Vintage”. We`re closed now, but we had a really good run of 5 years.