Hello all you fashionable people out there. My name is Evann Farrell and yes, I am aware I have a boy’s name. As a young girl, I grew up dressing in hand-me-downs and thrift store clothing. I spent much of my time mixing, matching and throwing together some pretty questionable outfits. I had to use my creativity and imagination to build looks that were unique and all my own. I got used to my family saying things like “Are you really going to wear that?” or maybe, “That’s an interesting choice.” One of my personal favorites is, “Yeah, why not?” I was fortunate enough to have a family that may not have necessarily understood me, but gave me the freedom to express myself the best I knew how: through fashion.
That said, I never really believed that fashion could or would get me anywhere. Cut to a 20-something-year-old studying fashion design at the University of Cincinnati in the school of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).
My time in and out of school, has given me the opportunity to gain a variety of industry experience. I served an internship at a jewelry showroom in New York, where I learned about merchandising and the intricacies of working in a fast-paced high-stress environment. I also received small business experience while working at Atomic Number Ten, a local vintage shop in Cincinnati. Here I not only learned about the day-to-day operations of a small business, but I was given the creative liberty to assist with store promotions. Most recently I spent some time interning at Amazon in the photo studios, learning about styling both for e-commerce and editorial. I loved every minute I was there and was able to grow not only as a stylist, but as an individual as well.
While this industry exposure was instrumental in the shaping of my career path, I was also greatly influenced by my time abroad. I was fortunate enough to backpack through Europe for ten weeks, exploring the following cities: London, Galway, Dublin, Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, Nice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, Venice, Budapest, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bruges, Paris and Interlaken. Throughout my travels, I was able to expand my worldview and cultural outlook. Each of these experiences has pushed me into a deeper commitment to my work, and inspired my future.
I am excited and honored to share this semester with you. To quote one of my favorite movies Almost Famous, “If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt. If you never get hurt, you always have fun.” So let this be a reminder to all of you, that college is the time to be bold, try new things and discover who you are.
