Editor's note: For two weeks, Fashionably Cleveland is paying homage to up-and-coming local designers. Each story subject is a graduating senior at Kent State University, and each story is written by another KSU student. Keep an eye out for these emerging fashion designers - you'll surely be hearing more about them in the future.
Melissa Egbers is the kind of person who you can immediately tell is confident, beautiful and a total fashion guru.
Growing up in the beautiful town of Northern, Ky. (specifically near downtown Cincinnati), Melissa always wanted to be a designer. Years of schooling and popularity passed, and she was finally ready to take her career in fashion more seriously.
Melissa applied to a few different schools, but she knew Kent State University’s Fashion Department was one of the best in the nation. She was accepted and ready for her new journey. Having to leave Kentucky for a smaller town in Ohio was not a hard adjustment for her. She didn’t know many people, but she wanted to make new friends.
As Melissa went to school, she found a love for many techniques. One specifically was pleats, which has become her trademark. She likes to use them in different and innovative ways. She is also very good with construction details, which are very precise.
Designers that have influenced her include Lanvin, Dolce and Gabbana, and Givenchy, because of their structure and fluidity, which you can find in many of her designs.
Melissa’s senior collection was influenced by the Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas. She fell in love with his designs - buildings mostly made of curved glass with rods that looked like grids, prominent structure and fluidity. Everything in her collection was hand painted in a dip dye effect she learned while working at Zac Posen during an internship. Her collection is characterized by light grey, dark purple and blue hues. Details and precision were her goal in these creations.
Melissa hopes to move to New York City and work for a high-end designer. From there, she wants to take her experience and hard work to create her own clothing line. Melissa’s line will consist of cocktail dresses, purses, headbands and belts.
For more information about Melissa, visit her website at www.melissaegbers.com.
