Fashion Utah: First off, it is nice to meet you Kailee! We’re excited to see you at RAW this month. Can you tell us a little about yourself? How did you get into design?
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Kailee: I’m currently a student at BYU, majoring in family studies and emphasizing in Clothing and Textiles by taking all the clothing and sewing classes that they offer! It’s kind of funny, because I didn’t really get into anything fashion until my senior year of high school. I had always really hated sewing and thought I was bad at it, but I had always been pretty crafty and creative. I liked scrapbooking and making cute things. I took a fashion merchandising class my senior year of high school just because I knew I would be getting college credit for it, and I ended up loving the class and doing really well in it, so I took the advanced class the next semester. I looked forward every single day to that class and what I was learning, which was surprising to me, but very cool that I loved something that much. When I went to BYU, I knew they didn’t have any fashion majors so I kind of just let that passion go, but I came back to it when I started a fashion blog, which reminded me how much I loved it. I started sketching designs and eventually decided it might be fun to learn how to sew. As soon as I learned how to sew, I just started making things without a pattern, because I wanted to make clothes that were my creations and that nobody else had. I loved it so much and I realized soon after that that fashion design was the only thing for me. I really love it so so much. Every time I think about what my life would be like doing something else, it’s never as good as it can be with me doing fashion design.
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ashion Utah: How would you describe your design style and who do you see wearing your clothing?
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Kailee: I think I’m still kind of trying to figure out my design style, because I’ve only been designing for a few years, but I like designing things that are fun, simple, and yet still creative and out of the box (without being tacky!). I love making ready-to-wear clothing, like dresses, shorts, skirts, tops, etc. I think the people wearing my clothing would probably be teenage girls up to young adult-aged girls, though I’d love to eventually dab into making children’s clothing and appealing to a larger market. Mostly though, I want people wearing my clothing to just feel beautiful and happy. I think clothes should make someone feel comfortable and confident with themselves, and not distract from the person, but instead enhance how awesome they already are. That’s always how I feel when I wear clothes I make, and I hope that people wearing my designs would be able to feel that way.
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Fashion Utah: Design is quite the personal art. How do you draw inspiration for your designs?
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Kailee: I get inspiration from so many places. Pinterest is great for browsing of course. I love looking through magazines like Vogue and Elle and looking at all of the high fashion ads in the beginning pages. I think I especially get inspired by the people around me. I love looking at a person and wondering what I could design for them, based on what I see of their personality in what they wear, say, and do. People on the street and anywhere in public are ultimately going to the be ones you hope to wear your designs, so I think it’s cool and important to observe them and see what they like and what can look good on them.
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Fashion Utah: Let’s talk construction. What’s your favorite technique to use and do you have any tips for budding designers wanting to learn how to do it?…
Kailee: Umm…I honestly am not sure how to answer this question or what my favorite technique (if I have any special ones) would be! Wow, sorry I honestly don’t know my answer to this one, as totally lame as that is.
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Fashion Utah: RAW is a great monthly show. What attracted you to the event and what can attendees expect to see from your line?
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Kailee: Yes, RAW is awesome! I’m so excited to participate in it. I think the organization is amazing just because they are ultimately wanting to help the artists become more well-known and give them a chance to show their work. There are not a whole lot of opportunities like this out there, so I think what RAW is doing is incredible. My line has a lot of ready to wear clothing that would be perfect summer wear–a lot of dresses and a few shorts and tops. I’ve been working on a few new looks just for the RAW show as well, so I’m excited to show what I have.
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Fashion Utah: It sounds like it is going to be a great show! We know you’re getting ready for the runway, but one last question – what opportunities do you see for designers here in Utah and how can new designers get more involved?
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Kailee: It’s actually very surprising to see how many opportunities there are for designers her in Utah. I think one way to get involved is definitely blogging–that has helped me a lot in getting my work out there, being able to meet more people who have similar interests, and finding out about events that are going on. I know that SLCC has a great fashion design program that would be great for anyone who wants to do fashion design or wants to learn more about it. I think I will probably take a few classes there myself in the fall, just to learn more about the world of fashion. There are plenty of internship opportunities as well, like with Shabby Apple or other utah-based clothing companies. Obviously, Utah doesn’t have nearly as many fashion designers here as say NYC or LA, but there are a lot and there are so many ways to participate, like showing designs in mall fashion shows or looking around and finding fashion events going on, which I think the fashion utah website does an awesome job at. But yeah, I’ve been really happy to see how well I’ve been able to get my designs out there even though I’m living in Utah. It’s a great place for fashion right now, I think.
Photos courtesy of Kailee C Designs
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