ELYSE FLORES, SENIOR, HAS DECIDED TO
photograph her own, line as a way to show case her own design and build her portfolio.
“I wanted to show my clothes in a way that I feel express them,” Flores said. “There will be four outfits so that’s about 8-10 pieces total.”
Flores has been interested in fashion for as long as she can remember. She has taken all four fashion classes at MHS.
“I don’t think there was a time I wasn’t interested in fashion,” Flores said.
Flores is interested in many different art schools and programs, and creating a portfolio is a key part of getting into a fashion school.
“I’m looking into FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt University and Washington University’s fashion program,” Flores said.
Flores creates all her own designs. She said she sometimes uses a pattern and sometimes does not, but she sews every single piece herself.
Flores also has participated in fashion programs and internships. She attended an art class at Maryville this summer and completed an internship with a local STL company called Kayoss Designs.
“At Kayoss Designs, I mostly organized and sorted clothing,” Flores said. “They had already started to sell their clothes, so I was just helping out.”
Along with the hope of going to fashion school, Flores also has other big plans to move toward her end goal and dream career.
“I’d really like to get into a good art program, get internships and work hard,” Flores said. “In the end I would like to have my own line in New York.”
Flores had her friend, Nicole Potter, senior, model the designs for Flores’s photo shoot.
Potter said the shoot took approximately five hours, including the time to do hair, makeup, and outfit.
Potter enjoyed photo shoot and finds Flores’s clothes very unique.
“It’s so cool that she made them all herself,” Potter said. “I would never be able to do that.”
Diane Boschert, fashions teacher, said Flores shows great potential.
“I definitely see her as a fashion designer in the future,” Boschert said. “She has the discipline and perseverance.”
Along with the other schools Flores is applying to, Boschert said she would love to see her attend
Parsons School of Design.
“We’ve had students attend the school before and enter in the honors program,” Boschert said. “It’s a huge opportunity. New York is the place to be for fashion.”
Boschert said Flores definitely has what it takes to become successful in the fashion industry.
“Success doesn’t come immediately,” Boschert said. “It can take years to make it, but Elles has the
determination.”