How I Got Started In Fashion Design

For many years I made handbags and used mannequins as models in the product shots. In time, my enthusiasm for the craft faded, and I gave it up, leaving quite a few mannequins and props - wigs, jewelry, shoes, outfits, etc. for me to figure out what to do with. All of this didn't sit in a backroom with an uncertain future for too long though.  

One day, as a gag, I set one of the mannequins outside in the front yard, "walking" some flamingos. The neighbors quickly started coming over, taking pictures. Passersby were pointing and giggling as they drove by. She even became a point of direction for some of the neighbors - "Passed the mannequin and up the hill," for example.  

Miss Mannikan was born.

At first, I just changed her outfit every few days, but then I began setting scenes around the house and photographing her. Her "life" was beginning to take form and people were asking for more. She had her own Facebook and Instagram accounts, and I started taking her to businesses and other points of interest around town, setting scenes and photographing her. Her evil twin sister reappeared after many years of absence, keeping her on her toes, but Miss Mannikan was determined to live her best "life", regardless of her sister's shenanigans. The problem was that the outfits I had for the mannequins during the handbag-making days were few, and not always befitting for scenes I wanted to create, so I decided to test my capabilities and explore fashion design. 

Yes, you read that correctly - a character created from a mannequin was my guidance into fashion design.