Apparel design senior Ella Rose makes her NOLA Fashion Week debut

University apparel design senior Ella Rose is one of 19 designers showcasing collections at New Orleans Fashion Week this season. Rose will debut her work at 4 p.m. on March 3 at The Saratoga. the Daily Reveille sat down with Rose as she prepares for the big day.

The Daily Reveille: What served as the inspiration for your Fashion Week collection?

Ella Rose: It started out with a painting of poppies I made and evolved from there. I’m inspired by ’60s silhouettes and love stories like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Roman Holiday.”

TDR: When did you decide    fashion design was the right path for you?

ER: Freshman year, I started out [as] a studio art major, but I hated my photography class. So I went from a merchandising minor to a merchandising major. Eventually I ended up in apparel design. It flowed oddly, but it worked out.

TDR: How long have you worked as a designer?

ER: I took my first sewing class in the spring of my sophomore year. I took two sewing classes at once, so I was working with my sewing machine every morning. That really helped me learn quickly and get on the ball with things.

TDR: Who is your style icon?

ER: I love Twiggy. … If I had to say a current celebrity, well, most of my friends say I look like Zooey Deschanel. Our personal styles seem to be similar, as well.

TDR: Which fashion designers inspire you most?

ER: I’ve been paying a lot of attention to Prabal Gurung lately; he’s about to release a collection for Target. I got the opportunity to meet him at Teen Vogue’s Fashion University program.

Marc Jacobs always knows how to put on a show, that’s something I aspire to do.

Lela Rose, Chanel and Givenchy are great, too. I pay attention, but I don’t want to pay too much attention because I don’t want everyone else’s ideas taking up too much space in my mind.

TDR: Tell me more about your screen printing process.

ER: I stretch a piece of silk screening across an embroidery hoop, then I sketch my design on it. Once the design is perfect, I take Modge Podge [a paint-like craft sealer] and cover the negative space with it. Then I let it dry and lay it on the fabric I want printed, then I squirt a little paint onto the screen and take a gift card and scrape the paint around until it covers all the space I want it to. When I pick up the hoop, the paint will only be on the places I didn’t put Modge Podge on.

TDR: What are your future plans?

ER: If I have any buyers interested after Fashion Week, I will probably work with them. If not, I’ll put everything into a portfolio and apply for a few design jobs. I’d like to send my portfolio to J.Crew. I want to move to New Orleans to start out. If I go to New York, I’ll be a small fish in an enormous pond.

TDR: What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?

ER: Keep going. Don’t let your fears get to you. If there’s something you aren’t good at, just take another class.

TDR: Which of the garments from your collection are you most proud of?

ER: I haven’t even made some of the garments I think will turn out to be my favorites! So far, I love any piece with my poppy pattern and my gold and black brocade jacket.

TDR: What other design opportunities have you had?

ER: I also worked with designer Andrea Loest in her studio last summer while she was creating two collections: “Fair Fit,” a collaboration with Paul Estin, and “Andrea Loest,” a more avant-garde collection. She really taught me a lot about the process of a collection and lots of cool surface design techniques.

TDR: How long does it usually take you to construct a piece?

ER: It really depends on the piece. I can throw a simple skirt together in a day, but more complicated pieces can take quite a while. With the petal skirt over there, I had to construct each piece and screen print it. Fitting the garments makes everything more time-consuming.

TDR: How do you select your models?

ER: I’m really picky. … I like tall, slender models. A model is like a walking hanger, they have to be able to sell your clothes. Taylor Swift would probably be an ideal model for me.

TDR: What are some of your favorite clothing stores/catalogs/websites?

ER: Modcloth.com, Anthropologie and J.Crew are a few of my favorites. I worked at J.Crew for about a year and a half. I would love to get the chance to design for them someday.

TDR: What do you like best about designing clothes?

ER: I like to be able to take art and make it wearable. I like making people feel beautiful. When a model twirls and spins around when she’s wearing one of my garments, I feel like I’ve done my job.

TDR: What are your favorite fabrics to work with?

ER: I’m having a lot of fun with brocade right now, but I love tweeds. I usually work with cotton for my screen printing. Sometimes I hand-paint the garments, other times I’ll screen print the design.

I like to be able to take art and make it wearable. I like making people feel beautiful. When a model twirls and spins around when she’s wearing one of my garments, I feel like I’ve done my job.”