Senior Collection

My senior collection, Reverie, is inspired by the film Call Me By Your Name. The collection aims to explore the question, “ Is it better to speak or to die?”. It captures the essence of unspoken desires and the impact of unexpressed love, inspired by a passionate, fleeting romance in Northern Italy. Influenced by Vivienne Westwood's dramatic styles, Padmé Amidala's regal looks, and Charles James elegant draped taffetas, the designs use pearls, beads, and feathers to symbolize the beauty and fragility of love. Aimed at celebrities who appreciate high fashion and emotional storytelling, the collection conveys the intense emotions of a timeless romance.

Howdy!

Howdy! My name is Lauren Elizabeth Kelley and I am a Fashion Design Major at Belmont University. I was born and raised in Austin Texas. I have played volleyball since I was seven and now I coach alongside my former coaches. I have learned the value of hard work from volleyball and the most important lesson of never quitting when things get hard. I took these lessons I learned, and I left Texas for Nashville Tennessee, so I could pursue my degree. My older brother went to Belmont and I fell in love with the college threw him.  I have a dream of designing clothes for people with sensory issues and disabilities, as well as designing graphics and merch for my favorite artists and content creators. My biggest inspiration is music. When I listen to music I see colors and I can envision different graphics based on the emotions I feel during the song. Through my professors, I now have the capability to turn my love for art and music into tangible designs. I am constantly finding new things in fashion that I love and I am so excited to see where I will be at the end of my senior year.

Dear Future Students

Dear future O’More Fashion students,

First off, congratulations on your acceptance to the O’More College of Architecture and Design! I am a Junior and I have learned a few things that I wish I would have known when I started. 

The number one thing I would tell future students is that all of your major classes are a huge time and money commitment. I underestimated the out-of-pocket money I would be spending, primarily on my Draping, Construction, and Studio classes. Fabric and materials are not cheap. You will spend the most money in your first couple of semesters when you buy your sewing supplies. Your Adobe Suite subscription is also an investment, but it is a tool that you will be using for the rest of your career. I heavily recommend sitting down with your parents and talking about a budget for class materials. 

Secondly, I would like to set a realistic time commitment schedule for the studio and lab classes. I typically spend anywhere from 3-9 hours in the sewing lab a day. Juggling your gen-ed classes, major classes, and homework is challenging, but I promise you can do it all. 

Next, I would recommend learning how to use Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator before your Sophomore year. They are confusing programs at first and you will need to be well-versed in how to use them for your projects. You spend the entirety of Fashion Technology using Illustrator and the more you know before class, the better your grades and projects will be. YouTube is your best friend in regards to learning on your own.

Lastly, remember not to compare yourself to your classmates. Each one of you is a uniquely talented individual with incredible potential. Avoid trying to emulate someone else’s style or deign out of fear of standing out. Embrace your individuality, as it is what will set you apart as a designer.

Once again, congratulations on your acceptance to Belmont. I am so excited for your future and to see what kind of designer you are going to be!

Sincerely, 

Lauren Kelley

Why Merch

My passion for designing graphics and merch is deeply rooted in my love of art. Ever since Pre-school, I found a love for creating art and coloring inside the lines. A core memory of mine takes place in kindergarten. I drew a family portrait and colored the whole printer-sized paper in crayon. My teacher proudly held it up in front of the class as an example. The joy and fulfillment from that interaction is what I have continuously been chasing my whole career. 

Since my freshman year of college, I have been slowly collecting different types of content creator merch. I have a gigantic clothing rack solely dedicated to my merch in my dorm room. 14 pieces of merch and more than $1000 later, my whole wardrobe is now merch. The graphics bring me so much joy and I love being able to express my interests and the type of person I am by the clothes that I am wearing. When I listen to music or watch something, my brain automatically creates graphics. From curating my Lovejoy collection to Jake Wesley Roger's collection, I derive immense satisfaction from infusing my creativity into their artwork. I would LOVE to design merch for DreamBranding and Revolt, so I can give back that same joy that I have when I wear my merch to the person who is wearing my creations. 

Thank you O’More

My experience as a fashion student at the O’More College of Architecture and Design at Belmont University has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. I started my fashion career as a freshman with little to no knowledge about the fashion industry and what it meant to be a fashion designer. I originally decided to become a fashion design major because I grew up with sensory issues, especially in clothing, due to being born preterm. I couldn’t wear jeans until middle school because the feeling of tight denim against my skin made my body physically cringe. Growing up and trying to be fashionable in a world of uncomfortable and oddly cut clothing that was not inclusive of my sensory issues and body type was nearly impossible. As a kid, I would read Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor and fantasized about dressing like Nancy and creating outfits that sparked the same amount of joy that she gave me.

Freshman year I was terrified of sewing on the industrial JUKI machine and my wonderful professor, Nathan Chapman, threw me in headfirst learning how to thread and sew my sample patterns. I am not going to lie, I had to rewatch how to thread a JUKI machine way too many times during my freshman year to remember how to do it properly. I was constantly confused about which steps were next during all my construction classes and would ask for help every 10 minutes. I was worried that I wasn’t good enough to be in the fashion department compared to my classmates. However, I grew up playing volleyball from the age of seven. My late volleyball club director, Greg Watts, taught me from the age of 11 that you never quit. I had a notecard taped to my bathroom mirror for years that Greg gave me that read, “ Never Quit”, and I was not going to let him down by quitting because things were hard. Even though I was no longer on the volleyball court and I was in front of a sewing machine, the same principle applied. I continued to ask questions and stay late after class, trying to perfect my techniques and learn on my own. 

By the time Sophomore year rolled around, I was so much more confident in my abilities. At this time I had my professors multiple times and had grown a strong relationship with the majority of them. I had a support system of teachers and students that gave me a new passion for my creativity. I had just started my Fashion Technology class and was learning how to use Adobe Illustrator. In the beginning, it was awful. I was at a loss for how to operate this program. My professor was strict and she was a ruthless grader. As a student who strives for all A’s and a perfect GPA, I was not about to let a computer program get the best of me. I watched video after video, learning the ins and outs of Illustrator. I would spend hours on the program drawing and bettering my skills. My computer battery and posture were dwindling but my grades and proficiency in Adobe were rising. All-nighters finishing projects and a caffeine addiction on the rise, all of my hard work was paying off. I won a competition for my Final project in Fashion Technology 1, which was judged by a panel of three professionals in the fashion industry. I was so shocked by my win and was so excited at the prospect that I was capable of so much more than I once believed. Yet again in Fashion Technology 2, I had the challenge of creating a capsule collection with Chloe Claudelle for the new Belmont Store. A handful of our designs were chosen to be printed and now they are being sold in the Belmont Store. To see my work come to life and have that amazing opportunity is truly something that could only happen at Belmont and I am so grateful for that experience. I have found a new love for merchandise and the graphic design element of fashion. I would love to design merch for Dream Branding and Revolt see my designs on people and make them feel as special as I do when I wear my merch. 

The O’More Fashion Show was also a one-of-a-kind experience to be a part of. I had two looks go down the runway as a sophomore. I got to work in different teams for both outfits and the whole process from conceptualizing a collection with my classmates, learning how to drape a pattern, picking out fabrics, spending late nights in the sewing lab crying over zippers and broken needles, fitting and alterations, to working backstage and seeing your designs go down the runway, was a surreal experience that I am so much stronger for.

Currently, I am in the beginning stages of creating my Junior collection for the fashion show. The theme for the junior collections is “underserved markets”. My underserved market is for people with Anxiety who are neurodivergent and need a way to efficiently and safely self-soothe in public. I am bringing full circle to why I originally joined the fashion program and making sensory-friendly garments that make someone feel amazing and fashionable. I am unbelievably excited to see how this challenges me and to see my hard work yet again walk down the runway. 

To put it plainly, I am extremely grateful for all the amazing professors, classmates, and opportunities that O’More has given me. It has been hard and mentally and physically draining but I am so happy for it. This major is not for the weak and I am armed with the support of my friends, family, teachers, and past mentors to make my dream a reality.

Junior Collection

For my Junior Collection in my Studio 1 class, we were assigned to create a collection of 5 looks that cater to an underserved market. When I came up with the concept for the underserved market I wanted to design for, I was having a difficult time. I then stopped and asked myself, “In what ways am I being underserved in the fashion industry?”. Then it hit me. I have been diagnosed with ADD and anxiety since Elementary school. My whole life I have been modifying my outfits to accommodate my sensory issues and anxiety, so I can be comfortable and calm. It can be exhausting to constantly be thinking ahead of what I am going to need to function during the day. I decided that my underserved market would be the neurodivergent community, specifically those who suffer from anxiety and need a way to fidget and self-soothe in a discrete, safe, and convenient manner. 

To achieve this, my garments will collectively stimulate ⅘ of the senses to ground someone’s mind who is experiencing anxiety. This will be showcased through soft inviting textured fabrics, soothing lavender patches, fabric colors that are proven to help with anxiety, strategic color blocking, pockets to store and clip fidget toys, weighted jackets, and compression tops. 

Embedded within every detail of this collection is a piece of my soul and a reflection of my personality. It's a labor of love, inspired not only by my journey but also by someone very dear to me: my brother and best friend, Jackson Kelley. He graduated from Belmont University in 2023 and I miss him dearly. Jackson has also dealt with major anxiety and depression. He has ADHD and has been on medication his whole life. Within my collection, I pay respect to my brother through two specially crafted male outfits. This collection goes above the boundaries of a studio assignment. It's a tribute to resilience, empathy, and the shared journey of two siblings navigating life's challenges with anxiety.

I am beyond excited for my Junior collection and for my brother to see it go down the runway in April. Hopefully, my collection can spark a healthy and productive conversation about mental health and anxiety in the fashion industry.