20 Sep Larisa Oancea, the future fashion designer
Larisa is the kind of outstanding student who has already discovered her spark. She is very determined about what she wants to become when she grows up – a fashion designer. Ever since she was little, she was fascinated with her dolls’ clothes and enjoyed drawing portraits of her favourite people.
Some might argue that she is still a little girl. She is only 15 but she inhales inspiration and exhales art. This has led her to the next step in her career – getting accepted at ISCA- the International School of Creative Arts in the UK. Larisa will be studying fashion design and graphic communication as major subjects.
I think it was all meant to be. It was only when they offered me a place there that I realised it is actually possible to do art and fashion design.
Following this study path also means that she skips a year. Instead of starting Year 11 at Transylvania College, she starts Year 12 at ISCA. She will be attending Year 13 there as well. After ISCA, her next step is to apply at Central Saint Martins School, a world-renowned arts and design college under the umbrella of ULA (University of the Arts London). Her chances of graduating the same college as Mark Jacobs and Alexander McQueen are reasonably high!
You might wonder how this happened.
Larisa always had in mind finishing high school abroad and pursue her studies in art. She never thought her passion for fashion design would become real so soon though. What she knew was that she loved drawing and was passionate about art in general. So this summer she attended an Art Camp for two weeks, organised by Central Saint Martins Design School. All summer long she learnt as much as possible and expressed her passion through hard work. Her effort was not in vain – the teachers acknowledged her talent and effort and offered her a place at ISCA starting in September. Even though she is one year younger than the common admission age, she proved herself strong-willed and skilled enough to start her education in art there.
I never thought my passion would turn into a real thing!
The idea of moving abroad was never far-fetched since she used to live in different places before – Atlanta and Monaco are to name a few. She also travels a lot with her family, so the idea of living in one place for too long was not very likely to happen.
Her parents always encouraged her to pursue her dreams and follow whichever path she felt suitable. Growing up in a supportive environment made her who she is today and gave her the courage to move to the UK by herself and focus only on art, instead of following a more traditional educational journey.
Her experience at Transylvania College helped her understand the fashion design industry. One of her main accomplishments was attending theWork Experience programme offered by the school. She completed an internship at Concepto, where she learned that fashion design is not just about drawing and creating clothes. She understood that it is also about logistics, orders and managing customers’ expectations. As Larisa put it, it was very real.
She is also grateful to her Art teacher, Miss Irina. With her teacher’s help, Larisa tried new things and expanded her limits in expressing her love for art.
Before she left, she told us that she finds this change a bit scary. Nonetheless, she feels that for the first time in her life she has the power to turn her drawings into something tangible. This feeling makes her feel empowered to do anything she wants to do in life.
No Comments