Remember when you were younger and you used get those do-it-yourself jewelry sets that came with over 1000 pieces? Remember sitting for hours stringing the hundreds of tiny beads to make a bracelet that would eventually break a couple days later? Now, remember how proud you were of your design? Sydney Markus never let the frustration of that monotonous task get in her way. Instead, she loved it so much that she hopes to make a career out of it!
Name: Sydney Markus
Role: Student Designer
CollegeFashionista: When did your passion to be a student designer start?
Sydney Markus: My parents say that even from the start, art has always been in my DNA. It is how I express myself, and it satisfies my need to be creative. Fashion is part of my everyday life. Creating artwork comes naturally to me, and it is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
CF: What are your long-term goals with your designs?
SM: My dream is to develop my own brand and mass-produce my designs in the fashion world. As a young designer, I have started to label all of my designs with the circular ‘SMARK’ tag. By doing this, I am developing a trademark for people to associate my designs with.
CF: Tell me about the items you are wearing.
SM: I am wearing the following items: Olive chain and leather bag; I was inspired to create this bag after seeing the Stella McCartney Falabella bag. After examining this bag in depth at the store, I was shocked at the price and decided I would make it myself. I purchased olive leather, suede cord and a thick metal chain. The construction of the bag was fairly simple. As a finishing touch, I added my ‘SMARK’ label. SM necklace; I designed this necklace in response to the recent trend to wear the classic, preppy three-letter monogram necklaces. I like how my SM initial necklace gives a nice twist to the classic monogram trend. This initial necklace is by far one of my favorite pieces. Pearl and black bracelet cuff; This was one of the first metal jewelry pieces I ever designed and hand crafted. In the majority of my designs, I include pearls. Incorporating pearls are a staple because they are a timeless stone. Pearls are extremely versatile and can be worn in as a casual and dressy, making them always appropriate. Pearl chain locket; This is my most recent creation. I made this necklace as a versatile piece. It can be worn doubled or long. Again, I incorporated pearls as an accent on the chain. These pearls are freshwater potato pearls, so each pearl varies in size. This necklace took approximately 45 hours to make.
Learn More: Sydney is currently finishing up her sophomore year in the Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan. Find her around campus strutting her designs, and make sure to watch out for her stuff in the future!
