OH! There is nothing like looking at a statement clothing or accessory and thinking about the pieces that will complete the fit. From the top, to the pants, the belt, the necklaces, the earrings, rings, hair pins, and don’t forget about the bag! You can’t forget the bag!
For many it can be therapeutic, including myself. I personally bought a clothing rack to store extra clothes outside of my closet and of course color coded it because I saw an opportunity to display it as art or decor. Just like my paintings in my bedroom, fashion is art. It’s another form of expressing yourself and how you’re feeling for the day.
I’m excited to introduce another fuego female, a fashionista that is. She aspires to inspire. A young ambition, purpose-driven rockstar.
Meet Emily Peguero, 20
What does fashion mean to me?
That might be too vague of a question.. Why? Fashion is anything you want it to be. Fashion is a form of art; Fashion delivers an individual personality.
Since I was a little girl, I've always felt a passion to help people, but keep myself within things I enjoy doing. During my youth, I was never really sure where my level of comfortability was with my body. It was not a short journey in my self-awareness and my self-confidence. My sense of fashion through the years has portrayed its own unique story based on the different stages of my life.
I grew up as your typical tomboy to a girl who actually, well... enjoyed doing the girly-things.
I loved doing my hair, my nails, putting makeup on, over-dressing for any and all occasions, shopping, and modeling. That new style, pieced me together that I soon found my path and it led me into the fashion industry.
I’ve always viewed fashion as a unique and special form of communication, a universal language. As a little girl, I used to love watching my mom put her outfits together, and still do till this day. There was something about the way my mom would separate prints from base colors, and combined seemingly unrelated pieces of clothing to form amazing outfits that inspired me. She loved the craft of it and I’d often question her look, and wondered whether or not people would judge her.
What I admired and learned about my mom was that she didn’t need validation from anyone. People’s thoughts and opinions didn’t phase her, so she kept doing what she loved. All she cared about was how comfortable and confident she felt. A huge inspiration of mine was my mom and I aspire to be a reflection of her and her fierce style.
My ambition flourished since then, to become a part of something in the fashion industry. I was able to attend one of the most well known fashion schools in the world, The Fashion Institute of Technology. Attending this school has opened up many opportunities to experience what goes on behind the scenes in the industry such as customer service, sales and production to final products.
Spending more of my time in the city has attracted immense creativity. I get to meet like-minded people who want to create and build which gives me motivation to strive and become something bigger and greater.
After my first semester of college, I became more driven and decided to produce my very own first fashion show called, Take It To The Streets. The process was overwhelming at the same time rewarding. The entire show took about 2 months to plan: location, set preparation, seeking for new and upcoming designers, gathering garments, casting our models, and providing catering for our guests. Through that experience I realized to be a producer for any show is not easy at all and to succeed you need a cooperative team. Thankfully I was able to build that.
My show, Take It To The Streets, was about bringing together those that aspired to be in the fashion industry, but couldn't because of self-doubt. I was able to create and give a dream of hope for those who partook in the show, the confidence to keep striving for their dreams and that fulfilled the experience. A family with ambition and integrity was built. To be able to say that I am a Fashion Business major at the Fashion Institute of Technology is an absolute blessing and because of that I've been given the chance to make a difference in this industry.
