Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Anderson.
Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a small town about an hour outside of Atlanta called Temple, Georgia. My mother worked as a pharmacist and my father a logger. I have two brothers, one older and one younger, and an older sister. We actually lived in a log cabin that resembled the cover photo of Lincoln Logs, with the addition of animals running around all the time.
I have always loved animals and taken care of them. At one point, I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I don’t think I could handle the loss of an animal. Ultimately I made the right decision as I was eventually able to pursue my career in art. My mom said she knew I was artistic when I was four years old. She said I drew an elephant at a restaurant and it looked so 3-dimensional. Funny enough, I remember taking family trips to Atlanta when I was little, seeing the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and saying, “One day I will go there.”
I am a huge fan of Star Wars. I would even say Star Wars is one of the biggest factors that contributed to my love for fashion. I remember seeing the costumes in the movies and really being fascinated by their designs, particularly Padme (Natalie Portman), whose designs were created by Trisha Biggar. I always loved her costumes, whether it was her Queen Amidala outfits or her wedding dress. Costume design was also something that got me into special effects makeup, which I got to practice in high school at a local haunted house train. Between drawing, graphic design, and fashion, I wanted to find a way to utilize all these abilities and work in the fashion industry.
This dream to do fashion and pursue art became reality in the Fall of 2015 when I attended SCAD in Atlanta. There, I was able to further my skills in drawing, design and, of course, fashion. I learned so much and was able to meet so many unique and talented people. Today, my personal expertise is in sewing, pattern making, creating technical flats, and fashion illustrations
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Coming into the design world I found that many critiques are opinionated. Of course, a professional opinion is great, but everyone has there own definition of success. The biggest thing for me was believing in my self as a designer. It was tough to deal with all these different critiques and pointers given to my work by other students and professors. I had to learn to take in and grow from a lot of their comments, but at the same time, go off of what I know is best for myself and my personal aesthetic. For anyone else with a personal craft or art, I would say to be open-minded to what others have to say but at the end of the day, you get to define what you want to do. It’s all about believing in yourself.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Fashion is a creative, seductive, and evolving outlet for expression. My concepts mainly come from fantasy worlds beyond reality such as witchcraft, flora and fauna of fantasy worlds, time travel and other fictional concepts. The challenge here is to take these unrealistic concepts and turn them into a realistic, wearable style. My style is a mixture between classic and modern silhouettes. These styles make a statement because of the flexibility that it offers.
My senior collection was based on mutation, which gives our world a fantasy/sci-fi aspect. For this six-look collection, I created prints of mutated cells as well as prints of mutated animals, such as two-headed snakes, a tiger with multiple eyes, etc. Each of the outfits consisted of more than one layer (mesh top, dress, t-shirt) that offered a wearable style that could be interchanged.
I would say I am most proud of this collection being included in the RAW Fashion Show in the summer of 2019 at the Masquerade. Seeing my collection shown in a public space where more than just my classmates could view my work was truly heartwarming. I had family, close friends, and even people I didn’t know appreciate my collection.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
For me, I did special effects makeup for students at SCAD. The makeup would be used in films, photo-shoots, and often times these photo-shoots were fashion-oriented, which helped me create connections that I would use later on. Helping out where you can, even if it’s not totally your area of expertise, is something I would tell anyone because those people might be the ones that can help you down the line if you need it.
Also, I would say your family knows you best. They know you well enough to suggest things for you to consider or help guide you in the right direction. No matter how old you are, your family is always there for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.behance.net/laurennadesigns
- Email: l.n.ander09@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauren.anderson.designs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauren.anderson.372
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenA89179674
Image Credit:
Portrait photos by Crystian Hopper @crystianhopperart, Fashion photos by Nina Cammarata @ninacammarata
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
