Andrea making it big in fashion in the big apple

Mullingar fashion designer Andrea Cullen is making it big in the Big Apple and has just landed a partnership with Fashion 4 Development.

A preview of her new collection was shown at the recent First Ladies luncheon during the UN talks in New York.

With a BA (Hons) degree in Fashion Design from Limerick Institute of Technology under her belt, Andrea worked with Joanne Hynes and Ada Zanditon in Ireland and the UK, before taking what she felt was the next most natural step, and moved to New York in January to expand her creative horizons and define her as an original designer.

After successfully completing an internship with Marchesa NYC, Andrea attended the ‘How to Make it in Fashion’ conference as a way as learning as much as she could before her visa ran out.

It led to a 15-minute meeting with a Calvin Klein mentor, who loved her portfolio so much that she introduced her to the head of Fashion 4 Development, who in turn was on the lookout for a fresh designer to create their 2015 capsule collection.

“As its their first collection it’s a little bit daunting but extremely exciting,” Andrea told the Westmeath Examiner.

“I’d describe the collection as sophisticated, classy, edgy and a little sexy. It’s designed with the working woman in mind, the woman who cares about the world and who wants to make a difference.

“She wants to make a difference as an individual for the way forward, that’s why the collection is based on the mantra ‘I am the way forward’, because individually and collectively, every woman is the way forward,” she explains.

Andrea develops her inspiration through words and storytelling. “The imagery in the story is how I design, and the atmosphere of the story acts as the overall atmosphere for the collection,” she said.

Andrea says her work with F4D is exciting as it promotes ethical trading and is a fantastic way to begin her career in the fashion industry.