The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

Artists at Work: Sarah Davis

By Fiona Rosenthal
Drawing patterns, finding silhouettes, using different fabrics, and sewing. This string of events may seem foreign to most high schoolers, but for senior Sarah Davis, they are part of her everyday life.
By Fiona Rosenthal

Drawing patterns, finding silhouettes, using different fabrics, and sewing. This string of events may seem foreign to most high schoolers, but for senior Sarah Davis, they are part of her everyday life.

Davis is an aspiring fashion designer who has an impressive portfolio, including various dresses, skirts and swimsuits. Davis has been interested in fashion since she started to dress herself. She said, “When I look at my notebooks from like second grade they have fashion illustrations in them. I started sewing around fourth grade.”
The sketches and sewing turned into fashion design, which Davis calls her passion. She said she loves it because “it’s being able to make clothes that no one has ever seen before. It’s discovering new silhouettes or new textiles.”

Davis is an aspiring fashion designer who has an impressive portfolio, including various dresses, skirts and swimsuits. Davis has been interested in fashion since she started to dress herself. She said, “When I look at my notebooks from like second grade they have fashion illustrations in them. I started sewing around fourth grade.”
The sketches and sewing turned into fashion design, which Davis calls her passion. She said she loves it because “it’s being able to make clothes that no one has ever seen before. It’s discovering new silhouettes or new textiles.”

And Davis did just that. This summer she created her own swimsuit line. She said: “I just was obsessed with bathing suits in the beginning of the summer. There were some really simple ones that I wished I could buy, but they didn’t exist.”

The line consists of eight different tops and three different bottoms which are on sale online at sarahdavisdesigns.com. Davis said: “The ideas snowballed off each other. I could use my friends, I could use their different body types, I could do all these different things.”

However, these projects are not easy for Davis. “I never took any sewing lessons, so that’s one of the hardest parts for me. Whenever I start a new project… with a new silhouette or a new fabric or anything, I have to start from scratch,” Davis said.

Additionally, the designs can take a long time to create. “When I’m doing something more complicated it can take months because I have to think of my own patterns first before I can start anything, and that leads to a lot of trial and error to find something that works,” said Davis.

With a full portfolio of designs including her own prom dress from this year and last year, it’s easy to wonder what Davis’ favorite design is. She does not have one because she said, “Everything that I’ve made I feel like I could do better.” Next year, Davis will attend Parsons School of Design in New York. As for her plans after college, Davis said, “I want to work in the city for some company. And then, once I have enough money and enough experience, I want to start my own line.”

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

All Hi's Eye Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *