Why I Chose to Design Children's Clothing
Image contributed by Suzanna Pickering
When you tell people you study fashion design the first two questions you get are; why did you chose design and what do you design. For every designer the answers are different, but it always involves love and passion. When I was little, I carried around a sketch pad and pencils in a purse everywhere I went, along with a baby doll. I always loved art, but it wasn’t until I was in elementary school when I got my first Kate Spade purse and my art teacher saw me doodling dresses that I realized design was what I truly wanted to do.
While attending Auburn University my passion and love for design grew in ways I never knew possible. My skills were honed in and that was when I discovered children’s wear. Freshman year my cousin had a baby, Gigi, and I started to design children’s clothes for her just for fun. I took pattern making sophomore year and by the end of the semester I had some extra fabric and time, so I decided to try my shot at designing children’s wear. I made an outfit that matched my final dress project, I even included a diaper cover. I fell in love with all the little details I had to think about. The diaper cover, how she could crawl and walk in it, how to easily get her in and out of it, and much more. Finally, when junior year arrived, I was ready to hit the ground running with children’s wear. I took draping first semester and made a sustainable jumpsuit, Christmas dresses, and a two-piece set made from Gigi’s own drawings. I felt like a new designer and I felt like the love I had for design as a child had been reawakened inside of me.
Children’s wear gave me a new freedom with design that I hadn’t been able to experience before. I could use crazy colors and prints without apology. Everything I designed came with a hair accessory and sometimes a purse. I could make matching doll outfits, and more. I began to feel like the world was my oyster. Then capstone came along last year and I was so fortunate to have Hope Wilken as my partner, we created the most beautiful mommy and me collection. As a designer, watching those looks go down the runway was the proudest moment of my life. I will admit Hope and I may have been a little teary-eyed backstage watching ours designs. I can’t wait to share my next collection, Light up Your Story.
You see, the little girl who carried around a babydoll just loved kids and wanted to be a mom. Children have always brought me so much joy- it’s why I love babysitting and servings kids at the frozen yogurt shop. It’s why my goal in life is to become a mom. Children’s wear was the perfect blend of my life’s two greatest passions and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.
