Abby Steger is a young fashion design major that got the experience of a life time! Her Campus sat down to get all the details on her unique outlook on life, school and traveling.
Age: 22
Year: Senior
Major: Fashion Design
Minor: Focused in Sustainability and Knitwear
Hometown: Prior Lake, MN
Her Campus: First of all, congratulations on being part of a select group of Kent State students going to China to show your senior collection at Mercedes Benz China Fashion Week, that is an amazing accomplishment!
Abby Steger: Thank you! I’m very excited, and it’s a very humbling gift.
HC: Have you always had a love for fashion? When did you realize it was something you wanted to seriously pursue?
AS: I have, but in different ways. I was given a dress form when I was little and I would just drape and cut up left-over fabric and call it a dress. I would also listen to music and sketch wedding gowns. Each song had a corresponding gown. Bridal and evening wear was so full of fantasy, and it was a way to escape for a little bit. It wasn’t until junior year of high school, when I visited the Savannah College of Art and Design, that I realized it could be a career. It was the most inspiring week. High school wasn’t my favorite time, and being around creative people for a whole week completely changed my life.
HC: Who is your favorite designer and where do you find your inspiration?
AS: Miuccia Prada is definitely my biggest design influence, but Bob Dylan and Amy Winehouse are also equally large influences, although they’re musicians. All three of them are pure artists. They tell such honest stories and they do what they do because they love it. I find inspiration in stories and emotion, so naturally music is a big part of it. Food is also a huge inspiration. It just makes me happy. When I design a collection I create a playlist and cook foods that I think emulate those emotions. Food is incredibly emotional, and I try to live what I make. I think that the more diverse the inspiration, the more compelling the final result will be.
HC: How do you balance your demanding major with extra curricular activities?
AS: Well, step one is to not take yourself too seriously. I’m lucky to have funny people in my life. If I can laugh off a hard day, suddenly it doesn’t have control anymore. I also practice yoga and try to meditate often.
HC: You studied abroad at Kent State’s campus in Florence, Italy. What was that experience like for you?
AS: Life changing to say the least! It reiterates what I said about diverse inspiration. Seeing the world will give that to you if you take a bite out of it. I’ve learned that I’m my happiest when I’m in a creative environment, and Florence is packed to the seams with art and creativity. The Italians take such great pride in what they do, and what they eat. I really do love food, so I’m completely serious when I say the food was a huge reason in me going. It was four months of mind-blowing fabric and food.
HC: What was one thing about the study abroad experience that surprised you, and how do you think your designs have evolved since having that experience?
AS: Being in a wonderful place doesn’t automatically make you a more cultured, informed person. It takes a lot of work to do your research and actually grow as a person. Growing up is uncomfortable, but studying abroad can sure help. Italian design is so full of personality and passion, and they take risks. American design is very pragmatic, and both are great and needed. But it was a chance to flex my creative muscles and do something that scared me.
HC: What is the biggest piece of advice you’d give your freshman-year self?
AS: Don’t waste time on people or environments that are toxic to you. It’s absolutely not worth it. Four years is so short, so choose people that build you up. Christopher McCandless once said “happiness is only real when shared,” and I truly believe that. The people around you can heal so much if you let them.
HC: What’s next after graduation?
AS: No idea, but it has to include a job. I spent some time in New York and would love to live there, but I also want to enjoy what I do five days a week. In a heated moment of pre-life crisis anxiety I also toyed with the idea of a Masters in Arts Politics, but that’s currently on the back burner. The funding for that is non-existent, so maybe in another life. To be continued!
Check out Abby’s website for more of her fashion designs.