Aspiring Designer.
I was fortunate enough to sit down with aspiring, local designer, Pamela Krempely, who will be a senior at the U of MN this fall. She started college at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana as an apparel design student, but soon transferred in order to be in a more metropolitan area. As a child, Pamela recalls wanting to be an artist. Her first memories, involving fashion, consist of playing dress up with her sister and older cousin. That, she explained, was when she first learned how to accessorize.
Pamela wasn’t always so sure that design was the direction she wanted to take in life, “I’ve always known I wanted to create something; I just never fathomed the depth of it until I learned what I was capable of,” she shared. But what, exactly, is it about fashion design that personally intrigues Pamela? She explained that the different ways in which people can see fit on a body and create something so aesthetically appealing and shocking has always interested her. “I’m always curious to see how that person sees,” she revealed.
Pamela admitted that dresses were her favorite garments to design, as well as abstract, impractical designs meant to be wearable art. When it comes to Pamela’s personal style and fashion choices, she is influenced, mostly, by color and fit. Saying, “I’m discerning about the newest trends, selecting only what I think accents my shape. Most of the time I just wear what fits my mood at that particular time.”
Pamela’s hobbies include drawing, writing, and sketching/sewing designs. She is a people watcher, collects fashion magazines and enjoys gathering new inspirations. She considers Alexander McQueen to be her all-time favorite designer, as she gushes, saying, “His work is pure genius to me because no matter how weird he gets, he still has exquisite lines and stays true to the female form. His use of the feminine shape is always breathtaking to me.” She also shares that McQueen’s attitude about the fashion world and love for abstract Haute Couture is something she can really identify with.
She confesses that her favorite place to shop is Ragstock in Uptown, Minneapolis. She claims that she likes to buy cheap clothing and Ragstock always carries eccentric pieces, which allow her to be creative and put together her own fashions. Other personal favorites include The Buckle, H&M, Express and Urban Outfitters.
Pamela works part-time at a high end retail store, Republic of Couture, where she is hoping to gain as much experience for her future endeavor, which would be starting her very own boutique. She is definitely aware of the hardships that aspiring designers, like her, will have to experience before making her dreams a reality.
Pamela stated that the hardest thing is having money to pay for upfront costs, like materials. She also mentioned that networking and finding an ‘in’ with the local fashion scene can be difficult. Lacking credentials to back up her skills and talents can sometimes stand in Pamela’s way of establishing her clientele. “It’s frustrating, but I don’t let it stop me from trying. Eventually someone gives you a chance to do something, even if it’s small; everyone starts somewhere,” Pamela shared.
Pamela lives by the quote, “Whatever happens, happens.” She has an uncanny sense of personal confidence and knows that personal attributes like her uncanny attention to detail, excellent communication skills and humor will help Pamela get to where she knows that she needs to be.Pamela plans to graduate in the summer or fall of 2011 and has already started to plan her first fashion show, which will act as her senior project. She gives this advice to other aspiring designers, “Don’t give up, always keep an eye out for opportunities and never shy away from a challenge.Posted by: Kelsey Durken
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