Meet the Senior Designers
THE COLLECTIONS 2024
Hannah Hicks
Hannah Hicks is from Lawrence, KS. Hicks is a passionate believer in the body positivity movement, as she experienced the pain of having an eating disorder and struggling with body image. Her mission is to make people feel comfortable and confident in what they are wearing, regardless of size. Interesting in party wear, Hicks found that most party wear brands don’t sell clothing beyond size 12. This fact inspired her senior collections which is designed for models fitting a variety of sizes: from plus size to models who are smaller than standard sizes. Hicks hand sewed butterflies throughout her collection to symbolize a positive rebirth of the fashion industry.
Juliet Forehand
Juliet Forehand is from Flower Mound, TX. She always knew that her senior design collection would be very personal. As someone who has a nightmare disorder, Forehand’s collection is inspired by a peaceful dream being corrupted by an unrelenting darkness. An expert needle artist, Forehand uses color work and a lace stitch she designed in her hand knitted pieces. Forehand also designed with denim, which she hand painted with interesting motifs. However, Forehand wasn’t just inspired by her own story – she was inspired by an untapped market. In the fashion industry, it is an unspoken rule to not design unique jeans for petite (short) models as these models are said to make the jeans have an unflattering appearance. So, Forehand called the industry’s bluff and made her whole collection for petites, as everyone deserves to have a pair of pants that fit them.
Kayla Homeier
Kayla Homeier is from Imperial, MO. Homeier was inspired by her sister’s experiences when shopping for a wedding dress; her sister’s dream wedding dress was a mermaid style gown to emulate her favorite Disney princess: Ariel. However, due to her size, Homeier’s sister struggled to find the dress of her dreams – many stores simply did not have her dream dress in her size. So, Homeier designed her collection to fulfill the dreams of brides who are looking for something unique and fantastical. From feminine dresses to a men’s style suit with feminine frills, Homeier’s collection is made to maker her customers shine on their wedding day.
Bethany Robertson
Bethany Robertson is from Olathe, KS. Robertson was inspired by her connection between her heritage and nature. As someone who cares deeply about nature, Robertson made her collection to be sustainable through upcycled fabrics, sustainable fiber choices, and natural dyes. Through collaboration with her brother who is a horticulture student at Johnson County Community College they worked together to source her dyes locally. Using shells from locally grown walnuts and pecans, Robertson created distinct colors for her collection. Furthermore, using locally grown flowers and leaves, Robertson created her own unique prints on her fabric. Most interestingly, Robertson used waste from avocados (i.e., the pits and skins) to develop a beautiful pastel pink used throughout her collection.