13-Year-Old Designer Debuts at NYFW, Crushes It
We all know it’s New York Fashion Week right now, right? You know, that time of year where models all over NYC strut down runways in preposterously uncomfortable outfits that cost more than any normal person makes in a month. But really, NYFW is like one big gallery showcasing the art of fashion. It’s where legendary designers reinforce their legend, and where up-and-coming designers have a chance to break into the big leagues. And on Tuesday, that’s just what 13-year-old designer Isabella Rose Taylor did.
Yes, at the ripe old age of 13, Taylor made her NYFW debut and became one of the youngest designers ever to present a collection at fashion’s biggest brew-ha-ha.
“I’m so excited. The adrenaline is pumping,” she said backstage after the show, according to the Associated Press. “It was so amazing.”
The line, said Taylor, “evolved to reflect the Isabella Rose Taylor girl: a mix of modern hippie, street grunge and quirky details to embrace her ever evolving style. This season’s print and pattern inspiration came to fruition from one of my abstract paintings. I took this painting and transformed it into my fabric.”
Did we mention she’s 13? Right, OK.
Taylor has always been ahead of the game. Like, WAY WAY WAY ahead of the game. She fell in love with art at the age of three, but rather than stick to finger-painting and stick figures like the rest of us, Taylor really committed to fine art (her work is currently being shown in galleries in her hometown of Dallas). As a child, Taylor was inspired to sew fabrics onto her canvases, which led to a stint at sewing camp, which led to Taylor designing and sewing her own collection at the age of nine. Things started snowballing from there, and the young designer soon landed a distribution deal at Nordstrom’s. Earlier this year, she gave a Ted Talk (because OF COURSE SHE DID) at TedX Hollywood and now she’s got her spring juniors collection sashaying down the runways of NYFW. Taylor is kicking so much A and taking so many names that she’s attracted the attention of Dell, whose Women’s Entrepreneurial Network is now backing her brand.
“Wait, she’s 13, doesn’t she have to go to school?” you may ask (I asked, anyway). So get this, in addition to being a creative savant, Taylor is also a total brain who graduated high school at 11 and is currently tackling college courses, you know, when she’s not too busy being a straight-up prodigy.
“There is school and schoolwork and the things you do after school like extra curricular activities and a social life, family, all that stuff,” Taylor told The Daily Beast. “It just so happens that school for me means community college and extracurricular activities are painting and designing and learning as much as I can about running and growing a business.”
Can we just take a second and ooh and aah over this girl? She’s 13 YEARS OLD and not only can she SEW IN A STRAIGHT LINE (which is REALLY hard to do, or at least is really hard for ME to do) she’s got a collection on display in magicalfancyimportantamazingthebest New York Fashion Week. This is like Mozart writing an opera at the age of 14. It’s basically impossible to believe. But there are these wunderkinds that come around every once in a blue moon that make us believe in the impossible.
Isabella Rose Taylor is a straight-up 21st century fashion Mozart and I absolutely can’t wait to see what this fierce prodigy throws at the world next.
