A Little Big Dream

Ever since I was a little girl I had little big ideas. From being a famous designer to owning my own house, I had everything planned out. A few years have passed since then but many of the ideas remained. Now I find myself out in the world working towards these little big dreams, and every day I get a few steps closer. This year I passed a huge milestone by completing my first collection. I had the amazing opportunity to take it to Italy and showcase it at Soverato fashion week! You never know the opportunities that find you, and the paths they will open up. The Adventure began a when my plane landed in Rome Italy...

Soon I found myself in a world of fast paced fashion, like I had never experienced it before. With this new world came a lot of surprises, like the relaxed behaviours of the models and show teams, the casual elegance and ease of the Italian women, and the absolute dedication of Italians to their fashion. Fashion is truly a way of life there, you either live it or you don't. It is not easy to get into the exclusive and elusive shows, luckily I had Linda with Tra di Noi tours to plan the way (She is AMAZING, an angel on this earth). From here I was swept into the backstage life of a dresser. For the duration of my stay in Rome I would be helping models make their rapid changes into increasingly more gorgeous outfits. Seeing how the magic and romance of show comes together from behind the scenes is awe inspiring. The chaos of the backstage somehow transforms into smooth elegance onstage, nerves turn fierce, and young women turn to goddesses.

When we went south to the region of Calabria it was finally my turn to show my collection and have a piece of that Italian magic. In the small village of Soverato I would have my international debut as a designer. The process was not as glamorous as most would believe, shows are hours of gruelling work, stress, and last minute changes. The work of a young designer is endless, and those 15-30 seconds your work has on stage can make or break peoples impression of you. Everything comes down to those 15 seconds. After months of prep I held my breath as my girls stepped one by one onto the stage, showing my collection to an audience of complete strangers, local designers, media, and judges. When I stepped out to take my bow I was blown away by the support and love I received from the audience, this moment to me was worth every blister and back ache I got from sewing my collection.

I must admit I was smiling like a dork, and I was so happy with my results! I was voted one of two winners, and secured my spot next year in Italy at a fashion show for young emerging designers. So what is next for me? Keep working on my little, big dream. I am on to bigger collections, and collaborations with other designers. A young designers work is never finished, but I can not wait to see where this takes me.

-N

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