Passion for Fashion winner Arianna Janelle Moultrie was inspired by autumnal scenes at her Inglewood home. (Photo by Gary McCarthy)
Story Created:
Mar 4, 2010 at 1:20 PM PST
Story Updated:
Mar 4, 2010 at 3:20 PM PST
It’s official: Teenage fashion sensation Arianna Janelle Moultrie is “fierce.”
Borrowing the catchword from her favorite show, uttered by “Project Runway” star Christian Siriano, Moultrie, a 17-year-old Inglewood resident and senior at City Honors, recently returned from a VIP trip to Fashion Week in New York after winning top honors in a nationwide design competition.
Organized by The Art Institutes, “Passion for Fashion” invites teen fashionistas throughout the U.S. and Canada to compete for a full tuition scholarship to study fashion design or fashion marketing and merchandising and fashion retail management.
One grand prize winner was chosen in each category.
The Art Institutes are a consortium of private schools that prepare students for careers in applied arts, including design, media, fashion and culinary studies.
Along with the merchandising grand prize winner Brittney Paulson, the two students were treated to a $500 shopping spree, a meet-and-greet at Seventeen Magazine’s Manhattan offices and lunch with a editorial style professional.
Moultrie’s said her winning entry — an ethereal, full-length evening gown — was inspired by the autumn leaves that fall from the trees in front of her house.
She was introduced to the art of design by a teacher in third grade and solidified her career path at 14 when her grandmother bought Moultrie her first sewing machine.
“New York was so awesome and so much fun,” said Moultrie. “We stayed at the Western in Times Square and went to the Badgley Mischka show. It was great to see how different designers create their work.”
Moultrie, who will attend The Art Institutes this summer and looks to designers like Valentino and Chanel for inspiration, is set on emulating those illustrious names.
“I want to have my own label one day and a line of women shoes,” she said.
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