Emily Sanders

Hometown: Clayton, NC
Collection Title: Dacia

Bio:

While Emily grew up in the small town of Clayton, North Carolina, many of her childhood memories revolve around Raleigh, specifically NC State.  Now the third generation in her family to attend the University, it’s easy to see why she always thought she would go here as well.  However, what to study was the bigger question.  Despite sketching fashion designs even at a young age it was never something Emily had heavily considered as a career path.

She started her journey with the Summer Textile Exploration Program (STEP) and fell in love with the small college atmosphere and big college opportunities the Wilson College of Textiles offered.  With this new appreciation and focus, the North Carolina Textile Foundation honored her as one of their Centennial Scholarship recipients focused on Polymer and Color Chemistry.  Upon receiving the scholarship, one of her favorite advisors predicted that she would end up in a design field before she graduated. By her sophomore year this prediction came to fruition.  She is now concentrating in product development within the Fashion and Textile Management Program.  “I need creativity in my life for me to be successful, and that’s what I love about this field it is the perfect balance of technical skill and creative application. ” Sanders explained.

While on campus she has also been an active member of her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, serving as Panhellenic Delegate for her chapter’s Executive Board and as the Executive Vice President of the Panhellenic Association, the largest student organization on campus.  This past summer Sanders’s spent traveling around the Pacific Northwest and Europe for company visits and a study abroad focused on fashion and textiles.

Collection Description:

Dacia, meaning Nomad in Latin, is a collection inspired by being a global citizen.  The question Sanders faced while making this line is what would a world traveler keep in their carry on?  How does one dress to fit in everywhere, no matter if the day starts in one part of the world and ends in another?  This new working generation is moving away from regular office life and instead choosing to work remote and pursue a passion first (or at least trying to one Airbnb at a time).  This change in lifestyle dynamic is creating a new need in the market for this consistent business savvy traveler.  One day they may be in the office in London, and the next they could be off to stay in Budapest.  Sanders saw this dynamic first hand while traveling around Europe.  “There were the people who looked comfortable and confident no matter where they went, blending in like a chameleon to the culture. I want to make that look more achievable.” To do this she is focusing on the individual garments rather than the outfit as a whole. Each piece is designed to be transformable and interchangeable to different looks while still keeping a clean minimalist silhouette and neutral color palette.  The best way to stand out everywhere is to look your best while blending in.

Email: eesander@ncsu.edu