Interview with Natasha Sample:
Fashion Graduate from The Art Institute

When it came time to choose a fashion school, Natasha knew she wanted to study outside her home state of Alaska but stay reasonably close to her family. Her school search soon narrowed to The Art Institute of Seattle, one of the top fashion schools in the Northwest.

"The first quarter was a whirlwind," she remembers. "They show you how to pattern and sew and draw—which was cool, but also stressful." Learning the basics set a good foundation for the rest of her time at The Art Institute, but taking in all that information so quickly was overwhelming at times. Luckily, Natasha felt she had a lot of support from her teachers at The Art Institute of Seattle.

"They really cared, and they helped you figure stuff out. They were good about not shooting down your ideas, even if they were bad. I had one teacher who would just ask, 'Are you sure you want to do that?'" Of course, this question became a clear signal that she should carefully evaluate her design decisions, but she appreciated that the instructors let her be herself and figure out who she was as a designer.

As for the most important thing she learned at The Art Institute, "It's the overall experience. Whether you want to go into men's, women's or children's—they teach everything. So you figure out what you want. You find your niche." She originally thought she wanted to design street-wear, but after experiencing the whole gamut, Natasha discovered that she really wanted to design evening wear.

Getting started as a young fashion designer isn't always easy, but for The Art Institute graduates, there is career placement assistance available. Natasha says she often gets emails about job leads, or the school's career advisors will recommend her to an employer in the industry.

For now, though, Natasha is working hard on her collection for Seattle Fashion Week in May. It's an amazing opportunity for any young designer, and one that she intends to make the most of.

Her first contact with Seattle Fashion Week came when she was a student at The Art Institute. "I competed in the Student Designer Competition last year, and I was I finalist." After that, she stayed involved, helping with several fashion shows and events around the city. So when a spot opened up at this year's Seattle Fashion Week, the event organizers offered it to her.

Peacocks are the inspiration for Natasha's current collection. "There are blues and greens and some maroons… and feathers throughout the line." In fact, Natasha says she's completely cleaned out the supply of feathers from one local fabric store.

Her collection is coming together, which is exciting, because seeing the finished product on the model is her favorite part of the design process. "You get to see what was in your mind, and then in your drawing, and then in your pattern, as a finished product." Seeing the ideas that worked is satisfying. And even seeing the ideas that didn't work so well is a learning process.

In preparing for Seattle Fashion Week, Natasha knows that she's preparing for one of the proudest moments of her fashion career so far. From the sixth grader with the aspiration of becoming a fashion designer, to the recent college graduate with a big opportunity, she's proud of sticking with her dream. But having her family see her work at fashion week will be even better. "To see them enjoy it tops everything," she says.

When asked whether anything about her journey so far has surprised her, she says, "I get surprised about how many people pay attention and recognize me." Getting emails from people who admire her work or want to collaborate is flattering, but her favorite emails are from aspiring designers who want to be involved in fashion. "Those are my happiest emails," she says.

So what advice would Natasha give to people who want to start a fashion design career? "Stay with it," she says. "Starting a fashion career is not a fast-paced thing, but if you love it, stay with it." You should also stay true to yourself and your vision. While feedback from others may be helpful at times, Natasha recommends being yourself as a designer. "You have to like it in the end."

Check out Natasha's fashion company, N.E.S. Fashions, or learn more about The Art Institute of Seattle or another campus of The Art Institute.