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Spotlights
Vanessa Ibarra
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Enjoy the
detailed story behind our homepage spotlight!
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Glitter and glam. That’s what fashion is to a lot of aspiring
fashionistas, but for Vanessa Ibarra, it’s a dream come true.
“I have always had an interest in fashion design, but I never
thought I would one day become a designer,” says Vanessa Ibarra,
25. She emigrated from Mexico City when she was nine and quickly
learned English and went on to graduate from Santa Ana High
School.
She went straight to Santa Ana College (SAC) and began tackling
general education courses for an associate degree. After
completing those requirements, she wondered about her career
choices and remembered her roots. In Mexico City, her family
operated a clothing manufacturing company that produces clothing
for Gloria Vanderbilt. How could she jump into the trade?
A friend told her about SAC’s fashion design program, and she
knew that was her direction. The program offered majors in
fashion design and custom clothing, apparel production or
fashion merchandising. With a desire and an interest in the
fashion industry, now, all she needed were the skills and
guidance of a solid program to continue the family tradition.
The program was challenging, and she wasn’t sure if she would
succeed. But she worked diligently and mastered every process,
including patter design.
Vanessa worked full time and attended college part time, so the
37-unit program took her a little over two years to complete.
She credits her success to the instructors at SAC. “They have
in-depth fashion design experience and helped to instill a sense
of confidence.”
Vanessa is finishing up an internship with Haley-K, a
contemporary design company under Fang Fashion, which is sold at
Bloomingdales. “My experience has been amazing,” continued
Vanessa. “Everything I learned in the classroom, I’m now
applying in the fashion industry. SAC prepared me to tackle the
fashion industry and succeed!” She has won first place awards
for her designs at the 2006 Santa Ana College Fashion Show, a
competition among fashion design students, and at the 2006
California Fashion Symposium, a statewide competition for
college and university fashion design students. In June 2007,
Vanessa graduated with her associate degree in fashion design
and custom clothing. Her ultimate goal is create her own designs
under her exclusive label, Ibarra.
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