Student

Student Kayla Fitzpatrick Donates Homemade Face Masks to Nursing Homes and Clinics Around Los Angeles

Fashion Design student Kayla Fitzpatrick did an Instagram takeover last week, demonstrating how to make a face mask. Doing her part to help out in the shortage hospitals across the country are experiencing in this pandemic, she has been busy making masks and is currently donating them to people in need at nursing homes, home healthcare companies, and vet clinics just outside of Los Angeles. We caught up with her to find out more.

Tell us a little about yourself: I'm from Scranton, Pennsylvania (yes, like from The Office), and I moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to attend FIDM and pursue a career in the fashion industry. I've been sewing for quite some time—my mom taught me when I was 7 years old and ever since I always wanted to create clothing. Moving to Los Angeles has been the scariest thing I have ever done but it’s also been the most rewarding, I'm so happy that I took that leap and started a new adventure at FIDM (even if it was 3,000 miles away from the only place I had ever called home).

How are you showing up for your community, your career, and yourself right now? Right now I'm showing up for my community by doing what I can, sew! The medical community is struggling and is in need of face masks, and being someone who has been sewing as long as I have, I couldn't not do anything! There was something I could do to help so I knew I had to do it. It makes me feel good knowing that I can help people in this time of need.

What are your career goals and how is FIDM helping you get there? My career goal is to work as a designer in the industry. Learn all the ins and outs and keep developing and perfecting my craft until I can confidently start a business of my own one day. FIDM has pushed me further than I thought possible in such a short period of time. The connections that are able to be made at FIDM with fellow students, teachers, and alumni are amazing and I love being part of such an inspirational and strong community.

What are you doing to stay inspired during these challenging times? Staying inspired recently has been a tough ordeal, but I'm constantly inspired by seeing all the good things my peers are accomplishing and doing to help out wherever they can during this tragic pandemic. I think in times like these it’s when we need to look to inspire those around us who need it.

What have you noticed about how your fellow students are responding to what's going on...how are they staying the course? Speaking of being inspired by my peers, social media has been blowing up the past few weeks in wake of this pandemic, the creative flow of ideas and ways to help and stay creative is mind blowing, nothing can truly stop the creativity from making its way onto any kind of canvas available, it's nice to see how everyone is trying to adapt and stay connected and stay a community of creative individuals during this time.

What are you noticing about how the fashion industry is responding to the pandemic and the needs in the world right now? The fashion industry right now is in almost a limbo kind of state... you don't really know what is going to happen next and how it is going to affect the economy, but seeing companies like LVMH and fabric supply companies like Jo-Ann's coming together to get supplies to medical facilities is amazing. That's what we need right now, a sense of community throughout the globe. I think as of now the future for fashion going forward is uncertain at best, this may even be eCommerce's time to shine but only time will tell, right now we just need to put our heads together as human beings and help wherever and however we can. This is bigger than all of us.

What do you love about FIDM? I believe FIDM is a very special place. You meet people with the same motivation with creative mindsets, we’re all people who like to think outside the box and be unconventional, and that is what makes FIDM's community so strong, we’re all creative minds feeding off of one another. The fashion industry is a tough one and making connections and friendships is a must, it's nice being around people who are equally as eager to make those connections.

What advice do you have for someone thinking about going to FIDM, and pursuing a career in this industry? Advice I have for anyone thinking about attending FIDM would be to not hold back. Never hold back, express yourself how you want, create what you want no matter how difficult it may seem, just never hold back, there is no need to here. The best way you can make a mark in the industry is by pushing yourself and being confident in your abilities, and to be truly confident in your abilities you can be holding yourself back, not for one second.

Anything else you’d like to share? I hope everyone stays safe and healthy during this time, as well as staying connected, we are a community whether it's face-to-face or screen-to-screen, we need each other now more than ever (but at a safe distance!). But most importantly, if you can help you need to help.