Alumni
DEBUT Grad Returns to FIDM for Professional Studies Degree
Angela Avanesyan, who was born in Armenia and raised in Burbank, California, began painting and drawing at age four. Once she was old enough to play with Barbie, the future designer created outfits for her to wear using scraps of her mom’s fabrics and Scotch tape. She first heard about FIDM during a Career Day at Burbank High School and attended the college’s famed DEBUT Runway Show to learn more.
“I imagined myself on that runway and FIDM helped make that a reality for me,” says Angela, who received an A.A. in Fashion Design before being accepted to the illustrious Advanced Fashion Design program and showing her first collection at DEBUT 2008. Since graduating, Angela has worked as a Designer for Ed Hardy Brands and Senior Designer for Johnny Was. Most recently, she was the Creative Director of Badgley Mischka Swimwear + Active.
This fall, she’ll return to FIDM as a Professional Studies student. “I always knew I wanted to come back to FIDM,” she says. “It wasn't a matter of if, but when. My career quickly took off after graduation, so I was initially focused on building my creativity professionally, but I have always been looking for ways to grow and broaden my inspiration as a creator. This year, with all its chaos, has given me the gift of time, and I can't think of a better way to utilize that then by advancing my education at FIDM.”
Angela says she’s stayed connected to FIDM all of these years via participation in various SuperLab projects and events. “It's so rare for a college to be so actively involved in a graduate's journey so long after graduation and I love that about my FIDM experience,” adds Angela, who hopes to find inspiration and growth in her B.A. program. “To pursue a degree that involves studies of culture and humanity that once seemed unrelated to the literal aspect of design is what I feel will help me grow the most as a Fashion Designer now.”
Categories: Advanced Fashion Design Fashion Design Professional Studies Alumni Student
