Artist of the Issue: Rachel Birchmier

 by Madeline Best

Junior  Rachel Birchmier talks about her passion for fashion and designing clothes.

How long have you been designing clothes?

“Ever since I was younger, I loved drawing clothes on people and then in third and fourth grade I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer.”

Where do you find your inspiration?

“I like reading fashion magazines, but I also like looking at historical clothes. I have a bunch of books about clothes throughout history and clothes from other cultures too and I think they are really interesting for inspiration.”

What’s your style?

“It’s a combination of everything I like. I like a lot of formal clothes, and I think it’s more fun to design long dresses.”

Do you have a current fashion school you would like to attend?

“There are a lot of different schools that I know are good for fashion and art so any of those are an option.”

What are your plans for the future?

“I definitely want to be a fashion designer or at least work in fashion. My goal is to eventually have my own company.”

Do you have any current projects you are working on?

“I’m always designing clothes and coming up with new dress ideas, but not any giant projects I’m working on right now.”

What type of things outside of STA have you done involving fashion?

“I always design clothes outside of school and sew dresses too. If I ever have a good idea for a dress I could make I always like to try and do that.”

What type of things inside of STA have you done involving fashion?

“I was part of the Fashion Club. I helped with the recycled fashion show freshman year, and also with Mad for Plaid. That was really fun.”

Who are your favorite fashion designers or artists?

“I really like Alexander McQueen because his dresses are so giant and elaborate. I also really like Betsey Johnson. She’s really creative and has a lot of cool designs.”