Nutley Sixth-Grader Sets Sights On Career In Fashion
A Spring Garden sixth-grader is on her way to a career in the fashion industry.
“I like having clothing other people don’t have and reconstructing what I already have,” like modifying t-shirts, Julia Yang said. Her love of fashion and already having a machine in the house, the machine her mother uses to make quilts, got her started.
Julia has explored a number of interests – soccer, dance, gymnastics, violin, etc., but her mother wanted for her to find something outside of more common hobbies to find something she could be really passionate about.
Dresses are her favorite things to make, with matching bags, all sketched out beforehand in her hardcover notebook, filled with pages of colorful designs. For Halloween, Julia made her own peacock costume, and also made a shirt, hat, and bags for her friends’ birthdays, in addition to repairs and alterations. One shirt she made based on a drawing a classmate did based a movie poster created as a summer homework project.
She learns her trade from instructional videos online and classes taught by designer Fabiola Arias, who runs The Bass Arts Studio in Montclair and has her projects featured in Nieman Marcus. Even during her first project, a handbag, Julia stood out.
“I immediately noticed how talented and diligent she was, it really impressed me,” especially for her age, Arias said, instructing Julia for the past two years. “She shows up to class with sketches,” of her next projects. “When you see someone so young, inspired and motivated, you know it’s not going to stop, it’s going to lead somewhere.”
Students at the studio learn the skill of sewing and learn about the fashion industry, both during in-studio workshops and field trips to the garment center and museums in New York City, Arias said. At the end of the semester, they hold a fashion show before a panel of industry professionals, explaining their design choices and getting feedback from the panel.
The grandchild of a seamstress, Julia has set her sights on becoming a fashion designer, adding she also wants to pursue painting or other arts. Based on what she’s accomplished so far, the sky’s the limit for his sixth-grader.
Classes meet twice a week and accept students from ages 8 to 17. For more, visit www.bassartsstudio.com.
E-mail: grantm@northjersey.com