College:

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Most girls remember the first time they went through their mom’s closet, browsing through her giant heels and extravagant cocktail dresses. For Anna McGinnis, senior, those memories held the key that unlocked the door to her future.

“When I was a little kid, [I decided] I was either going to be Taylor Swift, or I was going to be a fashion designer,” McGinnis said.  “I took [fashion] classes until 6th grade, and then I [stopped] during COVID and I started working on my own stuff at home and figuring things out myself.” 

She started high school a few short years later, but her passion for fashion was not as simple as a COVID hyperfixation. 

“I’ve known Anna since her freshman year, and she’s pretty much taken a class with me every semester since,” Amanda Roberts, fashion teacher, said. “She finds her inspiration [and] works faster than any student I’ve ever had. I’ve seen her skills go from somebody who was good, to someone who’s amazing.” 

Roberts said one mistake in garment making can affect the rest of the piece. However, she said McGinnis has the ability to foresee those problems and proceed past them with ease. Over her 17 years of teaching, Roberts has only seen eight or nine of her students take their high school sewing career to the next level, and McGinnis is one of them. 

McGinnis said her plans at the university are indefinite. She said she hopes that SCAD will help her get closer to her dreams and turn them into reality. 

“People are always asking me if I want to have my own brand or who I want to design for, but I don’t know yet,” McGinnis said. “I’m going to school, because I know it’ll help me [get] into the industry and figure out what I want to do.” 

 If you are so lucky as to own one of her pieces, I would have her sign it. Who knows, you might get to say it was made by the Coco Chanel of our generation. 

“I’m going to SCAD without major plans,” McGinnis said. “But I know I’ll [be able] to make my [passion] a reality.”