Fashion Forward: Dash Students

WSVN--Beautiful, full-length gowns...

Floral tops, pencil skirts...

And a pair of funky cropped pants.

These may look like outfits you'd see during New York's Fashion Week...

But the designers of these pieces are teenagers from Miami's Design And Architecture Senior High school or Dash.

Students with big dreams for the future.

Alexis Forte: "I want to go into costume design, so hopefully I will see my creations on stage one day or in film."

Elias Gurrola: "I'd say I want to be a big time fashion designer, that's my dream."

But before that can happen, the students learn all about the fashion biz.

And it all starts here, in Dash's design room.

Rosemary Pringle: "This is a 3 year process. There is a lot to learn before you can build your own collection, so they've been working since 10th grade learning all of the technical aspects of fashion design."

Everything from pattern making...

To sketching a design...

To sewing a piece together.

Many of these students go onto study at big name fashion institutes, and from there to fashion houses.

Rosemary Pringle: "A lot of our designers are retiring, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren. I mean those guys are going to be gone in the next few years and we need young vibrant designers to take their place."

But if you think the students are just playing dress up, you're wrong.

Besides design courses, they have a full academic workload. So much in fact, they have an extra hour of school.

But their hard work has paid off.

Not only with senior graduation, but being asked to participate in major fashion events, like Miami Fashion Week last month.

Here they got to show off their collections.

Elias Gurrola: "What i wanted to do especially for this collection because it is my last collection here was to incorporate a lot of the techniques that i have learned to make the most intricate and interesting clothing."

Alexis Forte: "It is definitely an honor to be part of fashion week with real designers that are working in the industry right now."

And for this event, it was a school affair.

Graphic art students worked on the designers' logos.

TV production students manned cameras, lights and the music.

And the fashion students showed off their masterpieces.

For these young designers, they hope it's the start of a great fashion career.

Elias Gurrola: "I couldn't see myself doing anything else."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Design and Architecture Senior High School
305-573-7135
1450 NE 2ND Avenue
Miami, FL