Student
Student Spotlight: Apparel Technical Design Student Isabelle Leong Collaborates With SHEIN
Congratulations to Isabelle Leong, founder of Lazy Hoya, the home of her pressed flower greeting card designs, and current Apparel Technical Design student, who designed a Fall/Winter 2022 capsule collection for the SHEIN X program! The program seeks to “help showcase new talent to millions around the world,” according to SHEIN’s website.
Isabelle, who grew up in northern California, took fashion classes at West Valley College while attending Prospect High School in San Jose. We caught up with this talented designer and entrepreneur to learn more.
Please tell us about Lazy Hoya and your collaboration with SHEIN! How did it come about? I started Lazy Hoya when I began selling pressed flower cards on Etsy. I received an email several months ago from a representative from SHEIN, asking whether I’d be interested in designing a mini capsule collection for their SHEIN X program for Fall/Winter 2022. She stumbled upon my Lazy Hoya Instagram page where I market my greeting cards. From there, she found my personal page with my fashion portfolio. I was asked to submit up to 13 designs and that SHEIN would choose a minimum of eight. I was so excited when they chose all 13 of my designs!
SHEIN gave me total creative freedom for my collection, including the fabric designs. The whole process was a great experience and it was very rewarding for me to see my designs come to life.
How has FIDM prepared you for this experience? I have to thank my teachers and faculty advisors at FIDM for all the support and guidance they have given me through my years at the school. I graduated cum laude from FIDM with my Associate of Arts degree in Fashion Design in 2021. I decided to continue my educational journey to earn my Bachelor of Science in Apparel Technical Design and I am so glad I did! I will be graduating next Spring.
Why did you choose FIDM? When I was 8 years old, I began attending the Camp Fashionista summer program led by Dori Gladden, an alumna of FIDM and an amazing teacher. She introduced me to FIDM and gave me a pamphlet that I kept with me for years. I had so much fun in her camp! At the end of the week, there was a fashion show featuring everyone’s designs. This was my first experience sewing and participating in a fashion show. I knew then what I wanted to do when I grew up and what school I wanted to attend for college.
What are your career goals? I would like to work as a technical designer and gain as much experience as I can about fit and construction, textiles, as well as computer pattern drafting. Hopefully, someday, I can work for a big fashion house.
Anything else you’d like to share? I am so grateful to all my teachers and advisors at FIDM who have given me so much support throughout my journey.
Follow Isabelle on Instagram @its_the_flower_girl @thelazyhoya, and see her entire SHEIN collection at us.shein.com/designer/9221.
Categories: Apparel Technical Design Student
