Student
Student and Former Fashion Club President to Walk at LA Fashion Week
Visual Communications Student Sydney Sprenger, a former FIDM Fashion Club President at West Florence High School in Florence, South Carolina, recently appeared on WFXB’s Carolina AM to chat about her inspiring journey. She discussed modeling for the COLORS Dress Prom Showcase in Atlanta and being booked to walk in LA Fashion Week this fall. Sydney, who has more than 222,000 followers on TikTok, is expecting to graduate in September. We chatted with her to learn more about her experience at FIDM, her modeling career, and future plans.
Tell us about your path to FIDM: As a junior in high school, I knew I wanted to be in LA. After hearing a few alumni mention FIDM on shows such as Project Runway and RuPaul's Drag Race, I did some research and fell in love with the school. I started a FIDM Fashion Club at West Florence High School and was invited to 3 Days of Fashion. While I was attending the event I knew that was the school for me! I applied and got my interview over the phone and at the end she told me I was accepted and so I graduated early senior year in December of 2020 and headed to LA in January 2021 where I spent two months studying in-person before Covid shut everything down. Ever since, I have come to almost complete my A.A. degree online, which will be achieved at the end of this quarter in September.
What was your FIDM Fashion Club experience like? At first there were only a few members here and there, but my best friend, Savannah Moseley, was the Co-President and I had an amazing representative, Robin Siegal, who helped me with the club. During my junior year we produced a fashion show! It was small and the models wore clothes that I made. The second one was my senior year in which we had three local boutiques help — Jaycie’s Closet, The Pink Cabana, and Galloway & Moseley — by allowing our models to wear their items. We had a bunch of participants and a large audience. We donated proceeds to the McLeod NICU in our local town of Florence South Carolina, and it was a big success. I attribute that to my success at getting into FIDM.
What are you enjoying most about the Visual Communications program? I love how Visual Communications covers a wide variety of subjects. I get to put my creative thinking skills into use in all aspects of the visual world instead of having to only focus on one area. It gives me a multitude of options for career paths in the future and has shown me so many different skills that I would not have been able to learn without classes like Fashion Styling with Ruth Ritchie, or Design Instillation with Paul Olszewski.
What was it like modeling for COLORS in Atlanta recently? Modeling for COLORS Dress in Atlanta gave me an opportunity of a lifetime. Not only was I able to better present myself on stage but I also was behind the scenes seeing how everything worked. It was a beautiful organization of chaos. It was a very long week with many trials and tribulations, like my car being broken into on the first day and all of my clothes being stolen, but I overcame the hardships with faith for what would come in the future. I wanted to leave the day it happened and if I would have left I would've missed out on a wonderful week and meeting all of the lovely people I was able to work with.
How does it feel to know you will appear at LA Fashion Week? Appearing in LA Fashion Week has been a lifelong dream of mine. I used to be bullied at school because I walked with a little bounce in my step and at a very fast pace; in my mind I felt like the world was my runway and I always acted like it. It feels so good to not only prove to others that I finally am turning that hate into success but it feels good to prove to myself that all hardships and challenges can be overcome. No challenge is too tough to face as long as you stick it out. It also feels good to have the people who have always supported me through the lowest of lows be able to say, Wow I believed in her and look at what she is doing now. I am excited for what the opportunity may bring and what the future holds.
What are your ultimate career goals? I never want to have to settle. No nine-to-five office job will ever be the path for me. I want to be able to travel the world and have a positive influence on people who come to know me and my story. I want to share my faith with the world and make a difference. Ultimately, being able to model full-time traveling all over would be the dream. Who knows where I may end up — I like to live day by day like it may be my last, living life to its fullest potential. I know that I am the only one that is in control of my life and so I get to choose what I do. I want to try as much as I can by being adventurous, daring, and by taking risks. That is what makes life fun.
Follow Sydney on TikTok @sydneyloren and on Instagram @syd.loren.
Categories: Visual Communication Student
