Linda Nguyen

While she has been interested in design for most of her life, she had never experimented with bringing her ideas to life until she joined the Fashion Interest Group at UC Irvine. Her line entitled “Fantasy”, which is part of her brand, "Le Papillon Noir," earned her a $1500 scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing. Her collection was inspired by all the characteristics of the woman she hopes to one day become.”I want to be responsible, intelligent, classy, and beautiful. Not just physical beauty but from the inner self and how you want to express yourself.”

She started work on her line during the summer of 2014 with inspiration and sketches but did not start piecing together her clothes until January of this year. Nguyen can typically finish one dress in as little as a day, but with school, clubs, and other commitments, it took her nearly five months to complete her dresses. 

 

Selecting the fabric for her designs was a challenge. Nguyen decided the fabric colors that would work best with her collection would be white and variations of blue. This turned out to be more difficult than she had expected since not many stores provided her with different options of easy to work with white and blue fabrics. “ I don’t know why I pick the hardest fabrics to work with, but they look so good on stage so I’m happy.” 

 

They day of the show a whirlwind for Nguyen with last minute fittings and preparations for the runway. It wasn’t until her models were in hair and makeup that she began to panic. A few of her models had lost weight for the show and Nguyen wanted all their dresses to fit perfectly. Afraid that her dresses would not took as good as she had originally planned, Nguyen began to make quick alterations right before the models walked the runway. “ I had a vision in my head and when I have a vision I really want what I see in my head to be exactly what I show in real life.”  

Although Nguyen won a partial scholarship to FIDM, it is not something she intends to use. She entered the show for the experience and never imagine that the judges would react as well as they did to her designs. Nguyen is still unsure if fashion is what she wants to pursue in life and instead sees herself designing for private clients. “When I try to design for someone I just want them to look as good and they can be and see that smile on their face and know that  I made that person happy.”

 

Profile By: Neena Pesqueda