The future of fashion was celebrated in Dallas this year at the Fashion Group International of Dallas Scholarship Competition. More than $60,000 worth of scholarships were awarded to fashion students – in the form of cash, experiences and/or products. A few hard-working winners were recognized for their outstanding work, including Kyle Hermesch. Kyle Hermesch was awarded second place for Women’s Sportswear, receiving an FGI scholarship for his entry which comprised of three separate pieces including pants, a sweater, and a pull-over shawl. The sweater is made of a curry gold boiled wool with a right side seam that has a cowl, giving an asymmetrical, yet balanced, appearance.  The left shoulder seam has a closure with four leather braided buttons, which can be worn open or closed.  The pull-over shawl is also made with boiled wool of three colors (marine green, sienna brown, and dark chocolate). How did his artwork come into play? Well, first Kyle draped and pinned the shawl fabric to resemble his sketch.  After that, he hand stitched it to create the pleats, gathers, and overall drape he wished to achieve.  The pants are made of vertical panels of metallic houndstooth and faux suede with a cargo pocket and accents made of velvet.  Hard work doesn’t come easy, but it sure is worth it! When designing the pants, Kyle wanted to emphasize texture and form. The cargo pocket has leather braided buttons that match the sweater and was made to look like a built-in leg harness. He installed a zipper at each ankle for either a snug fit or vented.  He also wanted to make sure that the inside was just as beautiful as the outside and chose a raspberry color lining to bind all the raw edges and faux hong kong the waistband and hems. The look he went after for this piece was masculine yet feminine at the same time.  He drew a lot of influence from studying military garb from different countries.  He loves studying history and studying historical garb, especially military but also really loves designing with the juxtaposition of masculinity and femininity. “This is actually my fourth look out of a 10 piece collection that I presented for El Centro’s Annual Fashion Show the week after the FGI Competition,” Kyle says. “The entire collection was influenced by military, masculinity with feminine embellishments, structure, color, form, and predominantly texture.” At only 10 years old, Kyle started studying architecture and began designing houses. He designed houses all through high school and loved it so much that he decided to study architecture and civil engineering when he graduated. Although he enjoyed studying it in college, he realized it wasn’t quite what he wanted to design. It took him a few years to realize that fashion was where he needed to be.  He studied fashion for a couple years at Wade College, but then stopped because of work.  He later resumed his studies back up in 2016 at El Centro College and that is where he is pursuing his career now. When it comes to his fashion role models and life inspirations, Kyle admires Prabal Gurung, Zuhair Murad, and Balmain. He dreams of collaborating with fashion designer Prabal Gurung one day since he believes his style and work is astounding and gorgeous. Not only have fashion designers influenced him in his career, but family and loved ones have made a great impact on the person he has become. “My life role models are my father, from whom I learned engineering and critical thinking, my mother, who taught me how to sew, my grandmother, who is very artistic, and my partner of almost 15 years, who has taught me what it’s like owning and running a successful business.” Not only does Kyle have a bright future, but he also has a strong vision. His out of the box creativity and passion to make others feel unique and empowered has him set on two very important end goals within his fashion career. “I would love to make made-to-order/custom clothes that are very well tailored and are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside,” Kyle tells us. “My woman wants something that no one else has and I will make that for her.  Through collaboration and listening to what she wants, she will have a beautiful one-of-a-kind piece.” He is also planning on introducing recycled/reused materials into his garments. He thinks it’s wonderful finding a used jacket and deconstructing it to making something new and beautiful out of it. “In fact, my next collection is going to be 70-80 percent recycled material,” Kyle said. “I’m planning a look made entirely of neckties…it’s going to be stunning!” Keep a lookout for Kyle Hermesch as he continues to design and work his way up Dallas fashion excellence. Congratulations again to all FGI Scholarship winners, we look forward to seeing the growth of Dallas fashion with the help of these up and coming innovators.