Allow me to introduce myself CollegeFashionistas/os. My name is Ivy Rose Craft and I am a junior at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). This semester will be an exciting quest as I embark on a new journey such as being a resident assistant and being a style guru for the College Fashionista team.
Looking back at my journey fashion has always been on an influential pedestal in my life. Growing up under my mothers wing as she worked in retail companies like Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom’s, I was inspired by high end industries that gave me a behind the scenes view at an early stage in life. My daily after school activities consisted of waiting in the back office as my mother was on the clock. There were times I did my math homework next to the new Marc Jacobs collection or was tutored by sales associates. As I progressed into my teenage years I decided I wanted to submerge myself more into my passion for acting and attended Las Vegas Academy of the Arts as a theater major. It was at performing arts school where I grew to know the meaning of a hipster and it was not too far into my sophomore year where I became one. My fashion choices became riskier and I truly grew more confident in how I wanted my outfit to reflect me as an individual. Brand names did not matter as much to me as they once did as long as my outfit ensemble was on point. Although, high school taught me a lot about myself, post high school taught me even more.
Subsequently, after graduation I interviewed for a job I had dreamed to work at for years. I was hired and worked for Victoria’s Secret for two years and learned much about branding and how a successful company is built. Marketing and management caught my eye and it did not help that everything I sold was cute. Spring semester I was cast in Broadway in the Hood’s version of, Dream Girls, at the Las Vegas Smith Center. There, costuming and branding influenced me as well. Now as a resident assistant at UNLV, my management and marketing skills are put to use inside and outside my major. However, I still yearn for that artistic element in my life where my creative juices can flow. Thankfully, CollegeFashionista handed me that opportunity.
Overall, being a Fashionista in Las Vegas is being like being a rose in the desert. In a city that is not known for the fashion culture, finding inspiration to grow culturally can be like a flower finding water in the desert to bloom. Yet, I hope to bring street chic, high heel standards and flower child love to this city. The best is yet to come.
