FASHION TWIST
The very fact that Stephanie Helbich-Poschacher actually gets bored in designing sets her apart from the usual fashion design students. That and her ambition to succeed in being a working mum as a costume designer, choosing fashion due to the fast-moving circle and her love for food. The not so typical fashion student studying at UCA Epsom reveals her plans post-graduation to Emily Holmes.
In breezes Stephanie; her trusty tape measurer accessorising her neck looking stylishly cool in vintage style glasses and navy shorts. The petite 22-year-old is not afraid of hard work having worked as an au pair for 12 children during her gap year; but considering a looming deadline for her final graduating collection being so close is surprisingly chilled.
There are many misconstrued ideas of the fashion industry, but Stephanie is not your typical fashion student. Firstly, she chose fashion because “it’s always changing and with a new collection can start something new.” Certainly not the expected cliché of a glamorous lifestyle designing clothes for models to parade down the catwalk in. Secondly Stephanie named food amongst other reasons for why she loves travelling so much: “It’s like in fashion we don’t eat anything but I love it, any kind of food”.
“I love fashion but I especially like fun clothes where it’s not too straight and serious.”
The quirky designer has an unusual source of inspiration too, “I love really old children’s books, I’m still looking for the Alice in Wonderland”. Inspired by the colours, vintage appeal and historical factors Stephanie is excited by costumes “I love fashion but I especially like fun clothes where it’s not too straight and serious.” Having already created Alice in Wonderland costumes during her foundation year; Stephanie’s latest design venture is fit for the Austrian National Costume Day and she hopes to be a successful in costume design.
Yet, once again the ambitious student surprises with her family focus, as her face lights up as she reveals in ten years time she hopes to have a family, later adding “working as a costume designer would be the best”. Her Mum; also being a “very creative person” was the one who influenced her to pursue fashion the most, supporting her to “believe in yourself”. The positive outlook has for sure rubbed off on Stephanie; who has high ambitions and bundles of optimism.
She may have created some masterpieces from flamboyant costumes to tricky coats, but she acknowledges her proudest moment as being “sticking with university,” after considering quitting in her second year and getting through school, as she was “no way academic, because I was more interested in making up clothes and having fun, than learning.”
For Stephanie, home will always be Austria with the wooden mountains huts being her most favoured place in the world, all despite loving the “fresh” British style and her “favourite drink the typical English tea”. But Stephanie’s near future is marked with one of the world’s most renowned costume designers; Art For Art in Vienna; who she has already worked for and so it appears her costume designer dream is becoming reality.
With thanks to Stephanie for the interview and for giving me permission to upload this to my blog.
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