Written By: Mehreen Umer
Emily Wager, a brilliant Textiles and Apparel senior designer, is now in the last stages before unveiling her senior collection in less than a month. As she prepares to present her Capstone Collection at our upcoming show, Emily shares insights into her inspiration, process, and the intricate details that bring her designs to life. For this interview, we discuss her creative journey and the stories woven into the pieces of her collection.
MU: Tell me about yourself as a designer and as an individual. What do you value most and how does this influence your designs?
EW: So, I come from a very small rural town in Texas, and I really wanted to get out to a bigger city and let my creativity kind of really flow. And I come from a very theatrical background, so I grew up going to theater productions, and being in them, so my design style tends to be a bit more “costumey” and very dramatic. I’m also very influenced by historical looks and almost like fantastical kinds [of looks]. That really informs my creativity and my inspiration when it comes to almost everything that I design.
MU: Tell me about your creative process. How did you plan out this collection and what steps have you taken thus far?
EW: Ever since our first year in TXA, everyone always talks about the Capstone Collection. They always say, “Oh, you need to start thinking about it now.” So, it was a culmination of my entire design journey throughout UT.
It’s what I’ve come up with in the end. And I really wanted to make an homage to the kinds of inspiration that’s gotten me through all of my past assignments and all of my past projects. I wanted to make something that was really me, something someone could look at and say, “Oh yeah, that’s Emily and everything.”
So yeah, I wanted to make something very fantastical, and that I would want to wear, but also something that others would want to wear.
MU: What is the inspiration for your collection?
EW: The specific thing that my collection is that it is based off of all of the kinds of epic tales and stories that I grew up with; that kind of got me through all the high school years, college years and everything.
I feel like fictional, fantastical worlds are something that are a great place to escape to. And, I don’t know, they just brought a lot of creative inspiration into my life, and really brought me a lot of joy. So, I wanted to create something that would go down that path.
MU: How do you feel about your completed products and them being showcased in an upcoming show?
EW: I feel really great about all of our products, and all of our culminations of inspirations and ideas being able to be showcased like this. It’s really amazing that all of these hard working, creative people and amazing students are getting to show their work to people around the community and around the city. I think it’s a great opportunity and we work around the clock too. We have been working around the clock for the past three years, gaining our education in this field and everything and it’s just fantastic that we get to really all come together and show all of our products together.
To see Emily’s brilliant collection, be sure to attend UFG’s annual Capstone Collection Fashion Show on April 28th!
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