"Just a Thought" Column continues in LA Prensa of SA, 1-26

Just a Thought: Lauren Nicole
By Steve Walker

At the age when most teenage girls are thinking of dating and impressing boys, 13-year-old Lauren Nicole is impressing professional designers of women’s clothing.

The 8^th grade student at Providence Middle School in San Antonio appears to be well on her way to a successful career in the field as she is gearing up to attend a week long fashion seminar this summer at the prestigious Parsons Design School New York in New York City. Attendance is by invitation only.

She is already making a name for herself. Last summer at the age of 12, she attended a week long seminar at LIM College, also in New York City that is touted as promoting the business of fashion in a fast paced field offering hundreds of career options. New York City is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world.

As it happens she was the youngest selectee to attend the seminar.

More exciting about her attendance at LIM College is the fact 3,300 hopefuls, applied and only three hundred girls were accepted from around the county. During the week long seminar the instructors focused on fashion, retail and design.

During the design and fashion portion of the seminar Lauren learned how to make dress patterns and sketch designs. During the retail section she learned how to advertise and become a good salesperson in selling her creations.
 

Since I have known Lauren since she was five, I asked her when she decided to pursue a career in fashion. She pointed out to me that it wasn’t until last year that she realized “this is something I definitely can do.”

She says her love of fashion however began when she was only nine years old but it wasn’t until she was 12 that she got “really serious about it.”

Lauren informed me that at some point while shopping in a store with her mother she looked around and thought to herself, “Wouldn’t it be nice to actually own my own stores with designs that I created myself?”

Within the last six months the teenage phenomenon has designed eleven pieces to include three prom dresses, one bikini swim suit, two summer dresses and five summer outfits to include skirts and shirts. She favors bright colors to include yellow and neon to contrast with lace.

She laughingly says she is currently getting requests from girls of all ages and even a mother to critique their clothing and even go shopping with them to help pick out their wardrobe.

It appears Lauren is on her way to a long successful career in clothes design at a very early age.

And as always, what I write is “Just a Thought.”

 
Steve Walker is a Vietnam Veteran and former Justice of the Peace and Journalist.