Amanda Valentine

Amanda Valentine pictured above. (http://projectrunway.com/blog/bio/amanda-valentine ())

I first heard of my personal career hero from the TV show "Project Runway." "Project Runway" is a TV show where clothing designers from all over the world compete to win different prizes within the fashion world. She was brought back from season 11 to compete again in season 13. People from all over America voted Amanda Valentine to come back over three other people. The first episode I watched, I knew I was going to be her fan. I am deeply in love with her style and can connect to her designs. I waited every week for Thursday to come around so I could see Amanda's new design of the week. I would love to follow this path as well.

To become a fashion designer, Amanda took sewing lessons in junior high and high school and then went on to earn a bachelor's degree in Clothing and Textile Design from the University of Nebraska according to My Lifetime. To become a fashion designer you need to go to a fashion school. Once you get into a college, you will take fine arts classes and study drawing, color composition and form. You will also learn pattern making, draping and cutting techniques. The fact that they work really closely with the industry is an advantage. An example school would be FIDM. You can go to FIDM and major in advanced fashion design. You should try to internship at a fashion house and work your way up from there. You also need to be business smart if you want to be a fashion designer. The median salary of a fashion designer in 2014 is $58,277. Some similar careers are an interior designer and jewelry designer because both need creativity and you need to be business smart.

Amanda Valentine's Season 13 design (http://www.amandavalentine.com/project-runway-season-13-fall-2014/)

As a kid, Amanda was very hardworking. She was about 8 when she started sewing. Amanda started making basic skirts and dresses from patterns at around 10. She always had a love for clothes and designing clothes. She realized she had the potential to become a fashion designer when she took her mom's pantyhose and turned them into an edgy clothing piece. She was a makeup counter manager so that helps with color. Amanda worked in clothing stores such as Hot Topic, the Limited, American Apparel, then smaller boutiques. She is currently the designer of VALENTINE VALENTINE. (Her online store) She has come so far in her career and inspires me every day.

Amanda likes to make people feel beautiful by designing clothes. She wants everyone to feel beautiful inside and out. She inspires me every day because she stays calm during crazy times and uses what she has to make something cool and unique. She is designing hip and trendy clothes for the everyday woman and her goal is to have a big name in the fashion world. Her clothes make people feel pretty and fashionable. She loves her job so much and she always puts her best work in and gets the best work out.

To become as successful as my personal career hero, I will start to take classes and practice designing and making garments. In high school, I will take the ROP fashion class and art classes. In college, I will major in advanced fashion designing and take all the courses that are needed. In order to get there, I will need to start now and practice so I can have the skills to become a fashion designer. I have already designed and made two clothing pieces. I made a kimono for Halloween and a sewed fabric to the bottom of jeans that were too short on me. If I continue to practice now and get a head start, then I will get a lot better for the future. I am looking at FIDM Fashion Institute for college right now. They offer a lot of classes and I know someone who goes there. The FIDM located in L.A. would be the best one for me because I can take the train. I am very inspired by Amanda Valentine because her style is very similar to mine. I love her outfits and designs so it makes me want to do everything like her. If I try really hard and let my creativity flow, I can become just as successful as she is.