Alumni SpotlightMarch 2011Fabiola Arias,2005 YA Winner in Visual Arts

We recently caught up with Fabiola and asked her to share some insights about the YoungArts program and the life of a visual artist:

1) How has YoungArts prepared/affected/played a role in your studies and career?

YYoungArts affected my studies and career in the way of adding to my resume and portfolio and attracting loads of interest when I was applying to colleges. It really made me stand out especially when I was applying to Parsons The New School for Design, in which I received a big scholarship to and attended from 2005-2009. I have such a high respect for NFAA for supporting young talent and helping students thrive in the arts.

2) What obstacles have you faced in your professional career? How did you overcome them?

HavingHaving started my own fashion line, and setting out to have a business on my own right after graduating from college has definitely been challenging. Like any young designer or entrepreneur you don't always achieve instant gratification and it takes a while to see the results in your business. Some obstacles that Ive faced has been dealing with factories that weren't always the best to work with, or not having the proper fit in the clothes I was designing, and I then realized how important quality was and the investment that it takes to make a good and respectable product.

3) What is the number one piece of advice you would like to give to our new YoungArts members?

AnyoneAnyone who's ever been successful at something, has gotten there because of their perseverance. Nothing is unrealistic, if you love what you do, stick with it, believe in yourself. Make a choice, and decide what is going to be, who you're going to be, and how you're going to do it.

4) What do you think is the relation between Visual Arts and Fashion?

For me, my designs couldn't exist without my background in visual art, painting and sculpting. My fullest expression and interest that I have in design, comes from my use of thick brushstrokes and tactile aesthetic for my fine art work.

http://wwhttp://www.fabiolaarias.com/

http://www.thequestforit.com/the_quest_for_it/2010/01/fabiola-arias-hits-the-big-time.html

There are few Visual Arts alumni who can claim an establishedestablished reputation in the world of fashion design. Enter Fabiola Arias. For this YoungArts Alumna, design was the point of departure to a promising career of success. A 2005 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts, Fabiola launched her line at age 21 after completing her YoungArts Week experience and while attending the Parsons the New School for Design in New York. It was then that Ikram Goldman,Goldman, owner of the Chicago upscale boutique, Ikram, and style consultant of First Lady Michelle Obama, purchased the Fabiola Arias collection.

Fabiola's unique and signature use of texture and surface treatment is visible in her cocktail and evening wear pieces. Because of her training in painting and sculpture throughout most of her life, her use of fabric manipulation is reflective of brushstrokes and paint daubs.

Soon after, Fabiola won an enormous and prestigious sponsorship from Japan Fashion Week's designer incubatoincubator, Shinmai Creator's Project, which provided all of her textiles for her Fall collection, and a high-scale fashion show production in Tokyo during Fashion Week in March 2010. The Fabiola Arias collection is currently being sold in Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour, and San Francisco. Most recently, In January 2011, she won The Fashion Group International's Rising Star Award.

FabiolaFabiola’s life mantra is to “Do what you love and design your life the way you want it to be.” She lives in New York.