Alumni

Grad is Dress Designer for Halston Heritage

Since Sophia Vega was a young girl, the only thing she wanted to be was a fashion designer. As a student at Madera High School in Central California, Sophie took art and fashion classes, and entered local design competitions, which she said helped her build confidence. By the age of 17, she was studying Fashion Design at FIDM in Los Angeles, where she received her A.A. degree. Over the last decade, she’s designed for brands such as Forever 21, BCBG Max Azria, Kellwood Company, Topson Downs, and Halston Heritage, where she is currently a dress designer. 

“I got my first job when I was 20,” Sophie recently told the Madera Tribune. “I wasn’t even old enough to have a drink with my co-workers. I always knew what I wanted to do. For me, it was just getting in there to put my hours in, working late, and starting from the bottom.” She said it’s “exhilarating” to see her designs on retailers’ websites and that she occasionally runs into strangers wearing her creations.

Sophia, who is best known for contemporary designs with a specialty towards evening and cocktail, admits that “fashion designer” sounds like a mythical career, but said she’s grateful to get to pursue her childhood dream. “To know you wanted to do something since you were a little girl and now you’re doing it, it’s a really amazing feeling. I’m really fortunate because not everyone gets to that point in their life,” she said. “It’s sort of surreal. I have to pinch myself.”

The designer, who has thought about launching her own dress collection in the future, also added that she’s still learning even though she is now a veteran designer with the kind of experience many fantasize about. “Even though I’ve been in the industry for 10 years, I learn something new every day from talented people,” she said. “I love it.”

Learn more at sophiavega.com.

Portrait via the Madera Tribune 

Illustration by Sophia Vega for Halston Spring 2021

Categories:  Fashion Design Alumni