There’s nothing I find more fabulous than ambitious, self-starting young people.  I’ve had the pleasure to know this up and coming fashion designer since she was a little girl. Lexi Lowrie may have just turned 18, but she has been designing clothes for as long as I can remember. She does so with passion, confidence and an unwavering drive to realize her dream. To date, she has a portfolio that any aspiring fashion designer would be proud to call their own. Be sure to check out Lexi Lowrie Designs on Instagram.  While I’ve known Lexi for many years, only in the past two has she driven my oldest daughter, Julia, to and from school. When a school assignment came up for Julia to write about someone she admired, she chose Lexi. Upon reading the finished piece, I was impressed; with both Julia’s writing and her subject; the talented and tenacious, Lexi Lowrie.

With truly no friend or family bias, I offer you today’s guest post written by Julia Daigle, 15, in March 2016.

A Fashion Designer in the Making

Written By: Julia Daigle

On Saturday, March 19, 2016, multiple clothing boutiques will showcase their collections in a fashion show to benefit cancer research. The show will take place at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The models are students from Central Catholic High School who have volunteered their time for this fundraiser. Over the past 8 year, this fundraiser has raised over $195,000. Lexi Lowrie, a junior at North Andover High School, will participate in the show. She has designed 9 pieces and is the only student designer.

Lexi’s fashion journey began at age 7 when she first showed interest in designing. Although she is young, her designs are just as sophisticated and developed as other, more experienced, fashion designers. Lexi learned to sew from her mother’s seamstress, Laura Diblasi, who lives in North Andover as well. Although it was Laura who taught Lexi to sew, the seamstress can’t take credit for being Lexi’s inspiration, however Laura allowed her dream to become a reality.

Lexi first went to Laura at age 11 to gain more experience designing. She went on to take lessons for 2 years. Although she only took lessons for a short amount of time she quickly developed into an amazing designer. ”I’ve had a few students over the years, and I don’t think any of them have reached what Lexi has in designing,” says Laura. Lexi has reached new heights in her time, working with Laura. Not only can she sew, but her creativity allows her to take her ability to another level. Laura recalls, ”I think designing and creating new stuff is her area. I can sew, but I need somebody to tell me exactly what they want.” Lexi’s persistence and creativity is exactly the reason why she is now going to work for Laura, after so many years of being her student.

Realizing her true passion was just the first step for Lexi. Next, she had to bring it to life. Lexi recalls that at a young age she wanted a sewing machine. ”I was really upset one day, and my mom came into my room. She asked me what was wrong,” Lexi shared. “I told her, I can’t afford a sewing machine because I only have three dollars.” She was afraid that her allowance of a few dollars a week wouldn’t cover the cost of a real sewing machine. Despite that, Lexi knew she wanted to create clothes, and managed to buy a sewing machine. She then was well on her way to becoming an inspiring designer.

In grade school her designs were as flawless and chic as they are now. She would make her own dresses for father daughter dances that left other girls envious of her talent. She began drawing designs in first grade. She recalls, “My models used to be little boxes.” Not being able to draw very well didn’t stop her from achieving her goals. She now begins her design process with a well-crafted silhouette of her model. She then will start to draw the outfit with pencil, gradually moving over to charcoal. If it’s a “good day,” the outfits will be colored in with a colored pencil. Once the idea is formed on paper, she builds the outfit starting with a pattern. She creates this pattern on muslin fabric, then cuts it out. Next, she sews the pieces together to produce an elegant and stylish piece of clothing.

Although, she makes it sound easy, it takes time to master the art. She explains that designing a piece can take minutes or hours, “I made something with style lines out of velvet that probably took me a grand total of twelve hours.” However others take her about half an hour to make. No matter how simple or complicated the piece is, she puts her all into every one. Each is one-of -a- kind. Emma O’Neil, a model for the upcoming fashion show shares, “I love the designs.” Her words are sweet and simple, just like Lexi’s clothes.

Although the show is a month and a half away, Lexi has a lot of work to do. She began work on the designs in November and has already made two outfits with seven more to go. She is dedicated knowing that people look forward to seeing her hard work pay off on the night of the show, as well as in the future. Looking forward, she plans to have her own label as a fashion designer and will continue to pursue her amazing talent. It took time, diligence, and hard work to get to where she is now and for people out there who want to design as well she says, ”Go for it, never stop drawing, even if you don’t know how to make them, you can always find someone to help you.”

Thank You

Thank you to Julia and Lexi for sharing their work. Currently, Lexi is in the process of applying to fashion design schools across the country and in England. As part of her submission portfolio, she asked Julia and Ally to model some of her designs.

Lexi Lowrie’s future as a fashion designer is bright and, undoubtedly, well- dressed.