Art Institute favorite
Straight from the Valley to New York, a West Valley High School senior’s medieval-inspired evening gown has won a national award and landed her a full-tuition scholarship to study fashion design.
Tanya Lund, who has dreamed of a fashion design career, entered her gray, wine and silvery cream-colored dress in The Art Institutes’ Passion for Fashion competition. Lund recently learned that her entry won first place in New York City from among more than 35 submitted nationally by high school seniors.
In addition to a $78,000 scholarship to study design at the Art Institute of Seattle, Lund also received an all-expenses paid trip to attend Fashion Week in New York and meet Seventeen magazine staff.
“I get to go to fashion shows and meet fashion designers,” said Lund, who is still adjusting to the fact that she won. “I think it will sink in then.”
“I’m so excited.”
Lund gets to take along one person to New York – her mother – Kaitlin Lund. Although the 18-year-old Lund sewed the majority of her dress, her mom helped with the silk portion. The contest requires that the students do all the design work but allows them to seek help with sewing.
“I’m taking my mom because she’s been with me all the way. She’s always supported me.”
Since childhood, Lund enjoyed fashion and studied her sister’s Vogue magazines from as young as age 10. She learned from her mom about sewing.
“I used to sew little Barbie sleeping bags from leftover fabric,” Lund recalled. “That’s probably how I started.”
This past summer, she took a design course at the Art Institute of Seattle where she learned more about accurate sketching for fashion design. She keeps a notebook and often sketches ideas.
She made her award-winning dress with silk, satin, velvet and sheer material she bought locally from Jo-Ann Fabrics. For her entry, she had to complete a portfolio with sketches, photos, the pattern, an essay and other documentation. “I worked on it for probably a month straight. I think I was up for four nights straight.”
“I got a lot of my inspiration from Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd” (movie) and “Lemony Snickets” costume design. A lot of the fashion wave look right now is the gothic or almost medieval look.”
She also drew inspiration from music and gothic-style buildings, as well as studying the work of famous designers. Her personal favorite fashion is inspired by the mid-1960s “mod-glam” look.
“That’s one of my personal styles. I have a lot of ‘60s vintage dresses I wear,” added Lund, who buys pieces online and from Seattle stores.
Long-term, Lund plans to complete a bachelor’s degree in fashion design in Seattle and then transfer to New York for further training. She hopes eventually to study at the elite Parsons Paris design school in New York.
“My ultimate goal is to start my own line of fashion.”
For now, Lund serves on the Nordstrom Fashion Board and is a WVHS cheerleader. In March, she will compete in the state competition for DECA, a student marketing, management and entrepreneurship organization. Lund created a fashion marketing plan for the DECA contest on how she would introduce a line of fashion prom ware.
She also will keep busy designing her own prom dress. Marcella’s Bridal in Spokane has offered her free material to create another dream gown to wear. Her Art Institute award-winning dress, meanwhile, will remain on display in New York.