2025 Designer Profile: Nadia Lessing

 Nadia Lessing is a first-year Economics and Philosophy student.

The Designs

Nadia found inspiration in a striking common thread traversing the diverse range between novels, Greek mythology, and even Disney shows: “the way that femininity can be portrayed as evil.”

“I initially wanted to do it with a fantasy based look with the ocean and mermaids, but I wanted more depth to it.”

She describes her first look as “innocent” - “almost a bridal gown.“

“What sets it apart and makes it cohere to the idea of lust is how the negativity or sexualization of it is from the audience rather than how it is presented.”

The second piece is a striking contrast. 

“The femme kind of black and bold statement beauty.” 

Nadia’s goal: “To pair the idea of innocence and danger. I thought that was something that worked really well together. It's just the way that both lust and siren contrast thematically.”

Industry Background

She describes the rationale behind her initial interest in fashion as fairly practical.

“I think the quality of production has just really decreased or has become way more expensive. If you want to buy something that you think is really nice, it takes a chunk out of the bank.”

Nadia collected and customized vintage dresses to not only circumvent the aforementioned, but also curate a truly personalized style. “That inspired me to try out for Moda and learn more about sewing in general.”

The Design Process

“I've altered a couple shirts here and there and designed some thrifted outfits that I've had. I never really, I mean, built something from scratch. And it has been a process that I've enjoyed a lot. But I also think it is more difficult than it proves to be. I have definitely come a long way from where I was before.”

Nadia describes the experience of designing and workshopping alongside the other designers as instrumental to her artistic growth. 

“I just noticed a lot of my fellow designers doing stuff that I thought was really interesting, and I wanted to expand on.”

That happened in the moment, but she also pinpointed specific skills she would like to cultivate post Moda, like crochet and beading, to expand her design repertoire.

“Whoever you look up to, or whatever you like, should kind of shape your designs for now. And then, when you go into it [the design process], I think you'll find more [inspiration] that you’ll like.

2025 Designer Profile: Gabby Seiglie

Gabby Seiglie is a first time designer, utilizing her passion and artistry from her previous experiences in jewelry making to explore fashion and design. Gabby, pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in MAAD, spent her past quarter in the designer bootcamp, learning how to sew and making her art come to fruition.

What are some sources of inspiration?

I find a lot of my inspiration through Pinterest. For my looks, I was really inspired by Winx Club, ethereal fairies, and that girlie feminine aesthetic. Very mermaid and fantasy vibes. Making jewelry was my main inspiration for this project. I started working with jewelry over COVID, and ever since then I’ve just been learning more about the craftsmanship and the intricacy. I also want to get involved in 3D printing with jewelry in the future. The calming and stress-relieving nature of jewelry making has also influenced my color patterns and designs. I want to create wearable art.

Have you ever done fashion design work before?

So, I have never done fashion design work before, but what I was telling you early is that I work with a lot of jewelry. I really wanted to take it to the next level and turn it into clothing. I am a part of the designer bootcamp, and I go every Sunday. It has been really fulfilling learning a new skill and getting feedback from other designers as well.

Who do you have in mind when you’re designing?

I try to have a theme and color scheme in mind and see where it takes me. I also have to accept that the product is going to be very different from what I expected it to be. I loved getting my supplies and thinking about different ways I could use them. Although it was stressful, I enjoyed seeing how I could modify designs to make them better and more authentic.

Most challenging and rewarding aspects of the process?

It takes so long. The piece that I showed you, I did the entire thing and I hated how it looked, so I had to start over again. With jewelry it really depends, because some pieces it is easy to refine, but other times you have to start from scratch. It has also been difficult trying to combine my new ability to sew with my jewelry making skills. It has been a very rewarding challenge, because I was able to create something I never thought I would be able to.

What are you looking forward to most about the show?

I went to the show last year and was really inspired by everyone else. I knew I wanted to get involved right in that moment. Not only am I excited to see my own art come to life, but I also look forward to seeing what all the other talented artists have created.

2025 Designer Profile: Evelynn Garcia-Ocon's

“I like making stuff in general, I collect a lot of stuff. I've worked through a lot of mediums,” says Evelynn Garcia-Ocon, a sophomore majoring in English and Religious Studies. “I've made jewelry, I'm working with wire, I’ve crocheted, I've knitted, I've done embroidery – I've just always been really drawn to creating.”

Evelynn has not been able to stop herself from creating art out of anything she could get her hands on. She fondly recalls one of her first sewing projects: “It was this super long quilt thing. I don't know if you could call it a quilt, cause it was just really vertical. I made it using scraps of fabric that I put back together.”

This creative drive, she explains, comes from her mom’s side of the family where sewing is a shared talent. Her aunt gave her “a ton of yarn”, and her mom let her use her sewing machine from a very young age. Evelynn explains how working on the MODA show pushed her to explore the versatility of that machine: “I had it and it was on a setting and I had never changed that setting up until now. I've experimented with different stitches and stuff. I was reading the book it came with and I was like, damn there a lot of things you could do. It can sew a button! Like, what?”

““I like throwing everything together, not necessarily just sewing””

Evelynn is very passionate about the use of mixed media. This is apparent throughout all three of her looks for this year’s show. She describes the first look as “Mother Earth with a parasitic flower on it. It tells a story. It’s dramatic, first of all, and I just think it’s fun. Not all of my designs are story-driven, but that one definitely is. I think when it all comes together, you’ll be able to tell what is going on”. She plans on molding the flower (based on the Rafflesia arnoldii) out of foam, giving it a cartoony aesthetic. Juxtaposing this, the model will be draped in a simple loose folded gown reminiscent of ancient Greek attire. The second look resembles a humanoid rose, with large petals sprouting from the neckline and extending upwards, framing the model’s head. Finally, her third look is inspired by the Orchid Praying Mantis, creating an otherworldly silhouette. The design features body-hugging elements contrasted by large voluminous arm and leg warmers looking structures.

One thing all three of these concepts have in common, is they all incorporate some sort of mask. Evelynn describes the emotions she aims to invoke in the audience: “I’m trying to create this ethereal vibe. Not necessarily human, and not alien, but something else, like a third category. One idea I had throughout my design process was how you always look at people’s eyes when you first see them. There’s a whole expression about eyes being the window to the soul. So what happens when you take that away?” Though she finds it difficult to pinpoint an exact name for this feeling, she is pursuing a look that is both beautiful and off putting, intriguing yet uneasy, inviting each viewer to question and connect in their own way.

Experiment with stuff!

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Experiment with stuff! ★

A standout piece is a stunning mask she crafted from cardboard and paper mache, designed to resemble an orchid. Originally aiming for a more surreal look for the mask, she soon realized that it didn’t match her overall vision for the outfit. She scrapped the initial concept, and started fresh. One of the biggest challenges she encountered was balancing aesthetics with functionality: “The problem was the model needed to see out of the mask, but also it has to look good enough where you can’t really tell she could see through it. I ended up using sunglass lenses with a kind of meshy material layered over them. I used the base of the sunglasses to help it stay on her face, and when it all came together, I was like, ‘Woah.’” For Evelynn, the problem solving aspect of creation is the most exciting part of the design process: “The way I work, I don’t follow a strict plan. I’ll break things up by weeks, like, this week I’ll focus on this outfit, or this specific part of the design, but it’s not set in stone. Everything changes as I go, and I love working through challenges and figuring things out along the way. That’s my favorite part of the whole process.”

Even after spending her entire winter break constructing this mask from nothing, her inner perfectionist wasn’t satisfied. Still, she learned to focus on the bigger picture: “It looks good from afar, and I have to remind myself that no one is going to be zooming in on the runway. I always have to step back and remind myself that it's okay if something is slightly off, it won't be noticeable from far away. I’m really happy with how it turned out in the end. There were definitely phases where it didn’t look great, but seeing the finished result I’m happy.”

This mindset compliments her eclectic approach to design: “Typically, I like to start with a concept that I like and go from there. I use a blank model template and play around with colors I think would look good together. It's not like I'm dealing with fabrics right away, so I just use colors. And then I sketch out the general shapes, cause the silhouette is important, and I will refine from there. At this stage, I look at where the weight is being held, and make sure to balance the look out, although I will say I do change a lot as I continue to work.” Going with ideas and figuring things out along the way is a hallmark of Evelynn’s approach. She admits: “I don’t really use patterns because, honestly, they take a long time to put together, and they don’t always fall the same way fabric does. When I’m making something, I prefer to work directly with the person I’m creating for. If it’s for myself, I’m constantly trying it on or putting it on my mannequin to see how it looks. Patterns are fine, but in my experience, they don’t always work out as expected. I’d rather freestyle.” 

Her process is very iterative, a quality made possible by the flexibility of both her mindset and approach to design. However, this adaptability also brings its challenges, especially as this is Evelynn’s first time making clothes for people other than herself: “It’s interesting because I’ve never really sewn clothes for other people before, especially people I don’t know that well. My models are all very nice, and I love them, but I don’t know them super well, so it’s definitely a new experience. I end up going through cycles of being like ‘Oh my God, this is great, I love this’ and then being like ‘I actually hate this’. But this is part of what keeps me going! The thought of seeing the finished product. I just really want to see how it all comes together in the end.”

Evelynn hopes more people will embrace this eclectic and experimental approach to art and design. Her advice?:

““Experiment with stuff, just experiment! I love mixed media, and more people should try it in general. Everyone likes something, so, you know, just go crazy!””

2025 Designer Profile: Gavin Reid

“My name is Gavin Reid, a junior at the University of Chicago studying Economics and Public Policy. I’m originally from New York City and I love to play soccer.”


How did you get into fashion Design?

I originally got into it because I was looking online for a pair of pants and I couldn’t find anything that replicated what I was looking for. And I said, you know what? I already have pairs of pants and kinds of clothes that are 90% there, but are missing that last 10%. Let me learn how to alter clothes. Altered my first pair of pants, and I fell in love with it. And from there, it just kinda spiraled into me buying a sewing machine over the summer, learning how to sew, and then starting to bring the fashion designs that I always had to life. 

Having designed both men’s and women’s clothing. Which do you find easier?

I found for the designing process the women’s side much easier because a lot of aspects in fashion are tied to women’s fashion, and when I was doing research in terms of my designs and was looking at fashion shows for reference, a lot of the women’s designs really caught my eye, so it was a lot easier for me to draw patterns and designs for them. But men were a little bit more difficult because men have a lot more of a muted style. You can either go the very avant garde very experimental route, or you can do the ready to wear route which is kind of a clean cut, very minimal. So I wanted to try and find a balance between the two, so that was a bit more challenging.

What were some sources of inspiration for the collection?

I have always been interested in architecture growing up in NYC, so that’s always been a thing I reached to when I was looking at a design of any kind. My inspiration for this collection actually came from my CIV class, my first year, where I was learning about Egyptian empires. And one topic we stumbled upon in class was Assyria and the culture and their architecture. For me, this was really eye opening because for one of our assignments, we went into a museum here on campus and I got to see that firsthand. That really gave me the courage and instilled me with passion to go make my designs inspired by that. So, for me, the theme of my designs is that you want to feel like you’re walking through the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a mythological place which is believed to have been in Assyria. 

Who do you have in mind when you’re designing?

When I’m designing a piece of clothing, I love the idea of somebody being able to see themselves in your piece of clothing. I feel like that even though I've gotten more into fashion, that’s something I still struggle with in terms of what is considered a good design if I can’t see myself wearing it. I want people to be able to look at my designs and sit, “you know what, I might not wear all these designs, but this one piece is really nice.” Or “I would wear this one.” “I could see myself wearing this to dinner or to hangout with my friends or to the beach.” That is something I really wanted to peer through my designs.

Have you ever done fashion design work like this before? How did you find the design process?

No, absolutely not. I never envisioned myself doing any of this, but being able to experiment over the summer and buy my sewing machine, really instilled within me the confidence that although this may not be a career for me, I really enjoy this hobby. I didn’t find the design process too bad. I didn’t have any experience with physical patterns, or pattern books and drawing them up, I had to learn Code 3D, which is a pattern making software. And then, at first with the sewing machine, it’s like trying to learn anything else. I was taking in youtube videos one by one, but once you stick with it and are resilient with the process, it rewards you. And I feel like I have definitely been rewarded with the process of running Code 3D because not only have my designs turned out really well, but I have been able to help others do the same. The community around me has also helped me tremendously along the way. The community through MODA is filled with so many great people who have given me support and instilled me with the confidence to continue my designs.

What are you looking forward to most about the show?

I’m the kind of person that once I’m engrossed in something I don’t easily give up, so I am most excited for people to see the hard work that I have put in. My vision will come to life with these clothes. Starting the whole process I was very worried and wondered if I was equipped to do this and if people would be able to see what I am going for. But, as I have gotten closer to the deadline and the clothes have started to come together, I feel more confident in them and I am very excited for people to see what I’ve made. 

If you could give any advice to your pre-designer self, what would it be?

The one piece of advice I would give myself is: Don’t give up. There were many times where I was trying to thread the sewing machine or I was trying to put together these pattern pieces and I was like oh this is too complicated, maybe I’m out of my depth. So, what I would say to myself in those moments is: “Just keep going forward, remember there is no pressure, this is something you enjoy and you’re doing it because you enjoy it. So have fun with it, rely on other people and learn from your mistakes.”