My name is Phoebe Alicardi and I graduated from the Fashion Design program at Kent State University in 2023. My whole life I had aspired to become a fashion designer, but because of my weak drawing and sewing skills, I didn’t think I’d be able to do it. After receiving my associates in digital design and graphics from Columbus State Community College in 2018, I decided to take a chance and see if I could achieve this dream of mine.
Kent State was a very easy choice to make because it was in-state and at the time was ranked #3 nationally for the top fashion design program. I toured the campus and really enjoyed it and knew immediately that I could see myself going to school here.
My experience in the fashion design program has been incredible.
The professors from the very beginning were helpful and motivating. They continued to work with me on my drawing and sewing skills, never once making me feel as if I wasn’t good enough. Their encouragement kept me in the program, and I soon started to see myself improve.
I have experienced so much in this program. The very first garment I created was for the Fashion-Tech Hackathon in 2019 and it was an adaptive dress with a zipper that used Bluetooth technology so it could go up and down by itself. The hackathon was a big decision factor when it came to where my interests would lie in the fashion industry and still to this day I hold immense love for utilizing technology in fashion. I participated in three hackathons and won monetary prizes for two of them.
In that same first semester at Kent State, I was also a model for the Kent State Annual Fashion Show put on by the Fashion School Production team each year.
I got to meet with so many others and really enjoyed making new friends while being a model. It was such an impactful experience that for the 2023 Annual Fashion Show, I was a Co-Lead Model Coordinator and in charge of the same models that I once was.
In the fall semester of 2019, I went through sorority recruitment and received a bid to join Phi Mu Fraternity where I would meet my big who would be my role model for the duration of my time here. She was a senior in the BFA fashion design program and one of the most talented designers I’ve ever met. She studied abroad for two semesters, something that isn’t super common but is doable, and it inspired me to also study abroad for two semesters.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic my study abroad adventures were pushed back a whole year and I had to take that year off of school in order to wait it out. Finally, in the fall of 2021, I moved to Florence, Italy, where I would learn from impressive professors in the industry.
I got to travel a lot during my semester there and experienced going to Milan Fashion Week as a spectator.
After that, I moved to Paris, France, where I learned haute couture sewing techniques. There, I got to go to Paris Haute Couture week, where this time, I would be backstage getting to dress the models going down the runway. Both study abroad experiences were incredible and so impactful to my education.
After living in Paris for five months, I came back to America and moved to Milwaukee to start my internship designing for Kohl's.
At this point, my drawing, sewing and designing skills were up to par with the fashion industry and I was put on a team full of incredible, inspiring women. I learned so much from them.
At my internship I learned how to create professional spec pacts, comp shopping, submit approvals, how to communicate with vendors and how to design for a season from start to finish. At the end of the summer, I received a job offer upon graduation.
I accepted and moved to Milwaukee to design for Kohl's in July of 2023.
During my senior year I said “yes” to every opportunity presented to me. For me, this has been the key to my success. I was part of the Design Innovation Fellows program and that inspired me to think about the future in design.
At the end of my time at Kent State, I worked with a farm growing mushroom leather to highlight the importance of sustainable and biodegradable “leather” alternatives. I was also a fashion school ambassador where I got to meet prospective students and tell them about my time at Kent State. I loved meeting the next generation of fashion students!
To current high school seniors, I will say this: What you want to achieve isn’t impossible, it’s inevitable. Work hard, be inspired, and share passion for what interests you. Learning and creating are not only skills but are also mindsets. Anything is possible.
Thank you for reading about my amazing time at Kent State University. This school has changed my life and I cannot wait to see what is not only in store for me next, but what the next generation of Kent State students accomplish.