Alumni

Grad's Sustainable Menswear Collection is Inspired by New York

Heaven Sabina was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York where she majored in Visual Arts at Brooklyn High School of the Arts. While doing months of research on colleges she wanted to apply to while in high school, Heaven discovered FIDM. After earning an A.A. in Fashion Design, she continued her education with the Advanced Study program in Menswear. Heaven recently showed her sustainable menswear collection, Heaven’s Eyes, at the Menswear Student Exhibition. We caught up with her to learn more.

When did you develop an interest in design? I always knew I had a love for fashion and design, but I started to develop more of an interest in learning more about design while in high school. I started to take programs and internships outside of school to see if this is what I really wanted to do.

A red jacket and pants designed by Heaven Sabina

What led you to the Menswear program at FIDM? I have an associates degree in Fashion Design and my style and curiosity led me to the Menswear program. During my two years majoring in Fashion Design I always worked on creating women's garments, so I wanted to expand my knowledge in other areas such as menswear. I also feel like I connected more with menswear because of my sense of style — I like to wear and also design mostly streetwear and loose-fitting clothing.

What is your unique design vision? I created a brand called Heaven's Eyes, and it is a sustainable streetwear brand. My inspiration basically comes from urban lifestyle. My goal for this collection was to give off a New York vibe and New York feel while also including sustainability for young consumers. My main focus was incorporating functionality within my garments as well as color blocking and pairing of colors that males wouldn’t normally wear together. Since my brand is a sustainable collection, most of my fabrication is made out of bamboo and recycled cotton.

Illustrations of menswear designs by Heaven Sabina

What is a valuable lesson you’ve learned in this Advanced Study program? I’ve learned how to push myself and my creativeness, as well as my time management. I would say one lesson that I learned from this program is that I am able to create and bring my vision to life. I started off with an idea and ended up bringing it to fruition.

How is FIDM helping you get closer to your career goals? FIDM is definitely helping me get closer to my career goals because prior to me coming here I had very little knowledge of things such as sewing, illustrations, pattern making, et cetera. I now know more and learned more things and when I graduate, I plan on using the skills I have to start my very own business. My journey at FIDM has taught me a lot thus far and I still have one more year to go.

A black jacket with zippered pockets designed by Heaven Sabina