Design Come True

Forget Disney World or meeting a celebrity, if 13-year-old Elisse had one wish she would be a fashion designer for a day. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT), she doesn't have to wish anymore. Earlier this month, the eighth grader presented her first fashion collection.

As the bass thumps and a Cherish song comes over the speakers, a pair of curious feet peer out from underneath the plastic curtain at the head of the IADT runway. Taking their cue, the audience of more than 80 people lower their loud buzz to a quiet murmur. The curtain parts and Elisse bursts out donning the first of six looks that she designed and IADT students constructed.

The process started four months ago when Elisse's doctor referred her to the Make-A-Wish program. A rare and life-threatening heart condition has ailed the teenager since birth. While her peers fill after-school hours with turbo texting and Wii, Elisse makes doctor visits. Make-A-Wish is designed to cast some light into lives like Elisse's.

"We enhance the human experience and give them hope, strength and joy," said Karen Iglesias, president of Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Judging from the pep in Elisse's step on this Friday evening, the plan thus far has been successful. After she strikes a pose and marches back down the runway, her friends emerge in the remaining outfits, one-by-one. Some blush their way down the catwalk, others do their best to pop hips that aren't there yet. Applause breaks out with each look.

Elisse's designs vary from Bohemian to menswear-inspired to urban chic. Or, as she describes them, "Sk8er Beachwear," "Semi Formal" and "Normal Outdoor." Each look began with colored pencils, a sketch pad and an active 13-year-old imagination. Elisse just shifts her eyes and shrugs her shoulders when asked where her inspiration comes from. "I don't know," she answered through a giggle. "I just like to mix things. Right now I'm into skinny jeans and Nikes."

She may hesitate on exactly what inspires her, but Elisse knows full well who planted the design bug in her. "I get most of my ideas from my grandma," she said. "She made curtains, bedspreads and pillow cases."

Before her debut as a fashion designer, Elisse already had a handle on sewing and the new trend of re-designing. Her friends, who she refers to as members of her "group," take turns leaving their wide-leg jeans at Elisse's house. When she works her magic and returns them, they have narrowed into skinny jeans.

"For not going to school yet, she's a pretty good designer. There's definite potential," said Shellie Greer, the IADT student who coordinated Elisse's fashion show. Greer also oversaw the six designers (Hilary Caldwell, Gracile Madison, Brittany Jones, Crystal Gutierrez, Kathy David and Channell Coleman) who actually crafted the clothes.

When Elisse sashays the last look down the runway -- a long, fitted hoodie with thumbholes, jeans and knee-high Converse sneakers -- the audience bellows with cheers and whistles. Elisse stands, hands on hips, exposes her braces with a big smile and absorbs the moment.

So what now? "We'll go on with our lives," her mother, Rica, said. "One day, maybe she'll be a successful designer. I hope with her defect that she will not be hindered by that. I hope she makes it through life."

Contact fashion reporter Xazmin Garza at xgarza@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0477.