Junior Tara Tobin has an incredible gift for designing her own clothes. She debuted her ‘passion for fashion’ on September 14, 2017 at Atlantic City Fashion Week.

  She started sewing when she was in fifth grade at a sewing academy called Cattell Sew and Vac. “I started there with the very basics,” she said, “like sewing on paper and doing different projects. Then I got really interested in the aspects of sewing and creating things.”

  She was trained at Cattell’s to become a teacher and now works there teaching younger kids how to sew.

  This job opened up so many doors for Tara because her boss was going to have a booth set up at ACFW and she came to Tara and gave her an application to submit her own work.

  “I filled out the online application and they sent me an email back saying congratulations you are in ACFW,” said Tara.

  The process consisted of describing your inspiration for the collection you wanted to make and how you were going to intertwine that with your designs.

  Tara also had to make her own patterns for the show, so it was completely original. “We had to make our own patterns and clothing, then fit it to the models they gave us,” said Tara.

  Three different pieces were needed for her collection and all of the contestants needed to arrive at the show at 10 o’clock in the morning in order to prepare the models. “There was a complication where some of the models got switched around so I had to do some alterations, but it all turned out okay,” Tobin said.

  Tara’s inspiration was a bohemian feel. “I like big sleeves and funky prints,” she said.

 ACFW was also a competition between high school and college students. Only eleven students were selected to show off their creations.

  Although Tara did not win the competition, she left a lasting impression on the judges.

  “I got talking to the director of the show and she told me how great my collection was and that I should come back and try again next year,” said Tara.

  She also stated that she learned how to create new patterns and think outside the box. The process was very nerve racking and she dedicated the whole month of August to finishing her collection.  

  Tara now has a portfolio of all her clothes from the show.

  Mrs. Heyers, fashion teacher, said it’s so exciting when a student pursues fashion outside of class. “I am thrilled with her dedication and creativity,” she said.