Turning your wardrobe into a unique work of art is effortless when you can make most of it yourself.
Mary Grant McKibben, senior in apparel design and production management, is one of many students who designs and creates her own clothing.
"I always really liked art," McKibben said. "I found my passion was to go and create something."
McKibben said she relies on a combination of things she finds in magazines and things she observes in real life to help inspire her creations.
"I am a big Vogue magazine reader," McKibben said. "Every month I'll tear pages out and put them in a binder, which I have labeled by season."
McKibben said she also likes to see what people on the street are wearing and will take pictures of outfits or clothing items that inspire her.
Heather Hall, senior in apparel design and production management, said she enjoys spending her time designing a lot of her own clothes as well.
"I am much more comfortable wearing my designs now than I used to be," Hall said. "It makes my day when someone asks where I got something and I can say I made it myself."
Once Hall has an idea, she then has to figure out how to bring it to life. Hall said the most challenging part is the technical aspect, which almost always involves trial and error. But, she said, that's how she learns.
"I sit and stare and start sketching until I think I know how something will come together," Hall said.
With a self-proclaimed passion for all things detailed and artistic, Hall said her design aesthetic is inspired by vintage themes and handwork such as French heirloom, embroidery, ribbon work and beading.
A major difficulty she said she faces when putting together a design is creating a piece that looks the way she envisions it in her head.
Hall said that in Auburn, finding materials for her projects is difficult because they are at a disadvantage when it comes to getting supplies. While there is a Hobby Lobby in Opelika, she said, the nearest fabric store is located in Montgomery.
"Sometimes it doesn't seem possible to find exactly what I'm looking for in terms of color, trimmings or other design details," Hall said. "However, sometimes I have to just use what I have or keep trying until it comes out the way I planned."
Designing a garment can be time consuming and expensive, Hall said, but it's an accomplishment when finished.
Hall said she is in the process of creating her online website and portfolio as well as designing her own line, which she plans to have ready for show by the time she graduates in December.
"If nothing else, these experiences have shown me how much the world has to offer and that you should do something you enjoy while making a positive difference in someone else's life," Hall said.
Lenda Connell, professor in the department of consumer affairs, teaches specialized apparel design courses that move apparel design from an intellectual concept to the actual production of garments. Connell also supervises interns throughout the semester.
"Some (students) may design garments. Others may produce patterns. Others find the fabrics for production," Connell said. "Add to that the different categories of apparel... it is a huge field."
Miranda Mardis, senior in apparel design and production management, said she has been making clothes for herself since she was 15 years old and revels in the opposite end of the designing spectrum by opting for a more theatrical approach.
"I enjoy anything overexaggerated and over the top," Mardis said. "The gaudier, the better, I say."
Mardis said she wants to work in costume design because she understands that the concepts she designs are not practical for an everyday woman.
"I love making people question my designs and really think about the meaning behind them," Mardis said. "And I feel I can have more design freedom in costume design."
For Mardis, anything can be inspirational. She said she takes her ideas from different things she sees on a daily basis, but she also loves vintage clothing.
"I feel like vintage garments tell a story of another time, and I like taking that idea of a story and giving it a little twist," Mardis said.
Martha Faber, senior in apparel design and production management, also designs and creates clothes.
"When I came to Auburn, I knew I wanted to do something creative," Faber said. "I had always been the arts and crafts volunteer/teacher or the creative one baking something, and I knew I would be bored in a career if it didn't include designing or creating."
It's amazing how much time goes into a garment, Faber said, especially when you are making the patterns yourself and not buying them at a store.
"A lot of math, critical thinking and patience goes into making a garment from scratch," Faber said. "But it is always worth it in the end."
Like Hall, Faber said it is difficult having a vision and being unable to find the right fabric or buttons or accessories for it. Limited resources makes it difficult sometimes, Faber said.
Faber said she has many favorite styles and types of clothing, but she loves creating simple pieces that have a few pops of interest.
"My main design adjectives are comfort, nostalgia, structure, a little quirkiness and a little nomad," Faber said.
In the future, Faber said she might want to own a business that focuses on different body types and sizes and create clothes for certain body types.
"All women need to feel good in what they put on -- not in a shallow sense -- because it gives them confidence," Faber said. "I hope I am able to use my passion and talents to help women gain confidence."
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