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Bowens paves way to fashion industry Business Manager
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ational Geographic Magazines from the 1980’s are cut up and layered over one another to assemble a collage. That pattern is then laid on top of paper croquis (diagrams of people) to help visualize the patterns on a human frame. The patchwork is then reshaped once more to create a tangible design of clothing through free drawing. This is just one of Eliza Bowens ’22 fashion projects in which she has drawn inspiration from the ordinary everyday object and
her desire to enter the fashion world at a young age. fashion design in seventh grade,” Bowens said. “I did a summer dress, a simple white plain pencil dress. It
had crosses in the back, cater to the demands required and there was a cape, too.” of her in order to work competBowens continued to pur- itively in the fashion industry. sue her interest in fashion de“If you can’t draw, then you sign because it offered her can’t pursue design,” Bowens something that other forms of said. “You have to be able to artistic expression could not. be good at drawing,” Bowens “I found pleasure in painting said. “That’s why I have takand drawing, but I never really en all of the art classes here, so felt like I could express myself to that I can advance my skills.” my fullest,” Bowens said. “With In addition to taking select fashion, I see myself having a courses at Staples, Bowens has future in it. [The art form] has taken the precaution of builda kind of class and luxury to it ing her portfolio since freshman that a lot of art forms don’t tend year. As Bowens has high aspirato have.” tions of pursuing Bowfashion as a ca“I feel like clothing ens’ dedireer, she is applycan make you feel cation to ing to a variety of really powerful, but her passion fashion schools can be seen in locations init can also make you four to cluding Florfeel really weak.” ence, London, Eliza Bowens ’22 week after Belgium, Dubschool at lin and Paris, the New England Fashion and as well as Parsons School of Design Association (NEFDA) Design, a top fashion dein Norwalk. There, she designs sign school in the United and constructs collections with States which she has the guidance of her teachers. already been accepted “I feel like clothing can to with a partial scholmake you feel really arship. She ultimatepowerful, but it can ly hopes to study in also make you feel Europe, however, really weak. That’s because of her ache why I wear such to travel and expericolorful things.” ence other cultures. Instead of fall“I know that I ing into the com- would be good at mon trend at Sta- hopping from place ples of loading up to place,” Bowens on Honors and said. “I’m hoping to A.P. courses, Bow- get an internship in Florence or Paris, with classes that will and then hopefully get a job A WORLD OF somewhere FABRIC in Europe Eliza Bowens ’22 where the experiments with a fashion variety of materials capitals in making her deare.” signs come to life. As
Bowens is on track to graduate this year, she acknowledges that her high school experience differs from many of her peers. She has advice for incoming freshmen and lowerclassmen who may be dealing with hesitations or are skeptical of straying from what is normalized. “If you have a passion, then I would say to follow it instead of doing things because everyone else is doing them,” Bowens said. “It just wastes your time.”
DESIGNER AT WORK Bowens works on her drawing skills, sketching designs that she then turns into unique pieces to be modeled.
Photos contributed by Eliza Bowens ’22
Theresa Vandis ’22
