Fashion in style at Norwalk summer camp
NORWALK -- Sitting amid the colorful scraps of fabric and a messy profusion of paint pots, Haley Chase of Stamford bent intently over her work, deftly painting a pale lilac design onto a piece of creamy white material.
In the workshop behind her, sewing machines with gleaming silver needles whirred and enticing heaps of raw fabrics were heaped into tall wooden shelves. The room looked like something the crew of "Project Runway" might have put together with whimsically rendered fashion illustrations, strewn with magazines and smelling of coffee.
This small, swanky loft is the workshop of the SoNo Design District Co-Op, the current home of the Summer Fashion Design Camp. Here, the array of materials is worked on by campers,
Irina Simeonova, Co-Chair of the SoNo Design District Co-Op, breezes between the workshop and her office next door, offering encouragement to the handful of girls toiling with paintbrushes and sewing machines, working on this week's theme of "jungle patterns."
Each week, the campers are set with a different task, from making handbags and jeans to creating dresses and swimsuits -- all from scratch.
The students start by drawing their original design, then create a pattern, and finally choose the material and begin to sew the final version. While some of the campers came armed with a little knowledge of sewing, many began with no experience in the mechanics of fashion. By the end of the first week however, every student walked out wearing their own creation.
"I'm super passionate about this. I've never done anything else in my life but fashion," Simeonova said, recalling that she began fashioning hats from scratch at age 15. The atmosphere of the workshop is relaxed, but students, who range in age from 10 to 21, are very serious about fashion. At the end of each week, students have a chance to model their finished product on the small runway next to the workshop. All creations from the camp are photographed and displayed on the company's Web site.
"I like that I'm able to do whatever I want according to what I like," said Chase. Both she and fellow student Jennifer Ravera of Norwalk aspire to make a career of fashion design, though Ravera admits the prospect of design was a little daunting.
The girls grow animated at the mention of "Project Runway," dropping their paintbrushes to gush over the fashion shows they've watched on television.
"I think we're like fashionistas, we love that," said Ayde Arias, who is assisting Simeonova at the camp this summer.
There is an "Indie Fashion Week" planned for the fall and Simeonova has invited local boutiques to view, and possibly buy, some of the collection her students are assembling. Directly downstairs from the workshop, the company hopes to open a shop to exclusively showcase the creations of their students. As someone with extensive experience in the business and her own line of clothing designs, Simeonova knows the importance of applying dedication and professionalism to the work of fashion design, something she tries to instill in her students.
"Fashion is not a craft, it's not a hobby" she said frankly, "it's a profession."
Jackie Baden, 14, of Monroe, works in the foreground on a sewing machine as Aydee Arias, a design assistant, helps Gabi Duncan, 12 of Westport, as aspiring designers work on their dresses during the Fashion Lab summer camp at the New England Fashion & Design Association. (Kathleen O'Rourke/Staff photo)
