Just a few years ago, DC fashion designer Michelle Gibson was a fashion-marketing intern who made a rookie mistake just like every intern. Little did she know her slip up would become the inspiration for her latest collection, Captured Dreams that was featured at New York Fashion Week and DC Fashion Week on Sept. 8 and 23, respectively.
During her internship, Gibson was responsible for taking photos at a DC fashion mixer but struggled with the complex camera equipment, and nearly all of her photos turned out blurry.
“It had a huge flash that lit up the whole room!” she recalled.
But, just as she was about to delete the photos and put the slight mishap behind her, she came across three inspiring photos.
“I stumbled upon three that had these cool strips of light, and I told myself I’m going to use these one day for a collection.”
This beautiful accident of sorts served as the launching point for Gibson’s 40-piece collection of eco-friendly clothing and accessories, priced between $39.90 and $200.
Credit: Simply L3ve
Gibson has come a long way from her internship days as a fashion student at Howard University. She launched her eco-friendly clothing line Simply L3ve during her sophomore year of college, and since then she has launched an e-store and showcased her looks in multiple fashion shows.
She says her pieces provide the perfect “day to night chic.” Gibson tailors her designs for the young dreamer, between 21 and 35 years old. She wants women to feel comfortable wearing her clothing to work and then transition it for an ideal date night.
All of Gibson’s pieces from NYFW and DCFW will be on her website, simplyl3ve.com by Oct. 1. Her favorite pieces that you can soon purchase online include printed crop tops, a knee-length jersey dress and a cobalt blue, A-line dress.
Although Gibson loved expanding her brand in the emerging designer’s show in New York, she enjoyed the comfort of her home in the District during DCFW’s eco-friendly fashion show.
Credit: Simply L3ve
“Because it is smaller, everyone knows everyone, and I just felt right at home,” she said. “The show was great …[The collection] showed you can have eco-friendly clothing, but at the same time it can be wearable and cute.”
Gibson uses natural dyes, organic fabrics and even bamboo in replace of rayon for one of her dresses.
Now, for those of you HC readers who want to know what it takes to break into such a competitive industry, Gibson has three simple steps – dream big, make connections and seek out internships.
“Learning as much as you can about the industry by being out there in the field is so important,” she said.
Credit: Simply L3ve
While at Howard University, Gibson interned at Calvin Klein where she worked as a brand manager and helped with the visual merchandizing of Calvin Klein at DC area Macy’s department stores. She said the people she works with now are all from past connections she made at Howard University and internship sites.
“Build as many relationships as you can in college – that’s a really big lesson I learned,” she said. “Have a plan, do your research. I always tell people to dream big, no matter what it is that you want, make that dream your own.”