CARLISLE — When Bridget D’Arcy decided to apply to the Art Institute of Philadelphia in January 2008, she knew she wanted to learn about fashion, but had no experience in the field.
“I had gotten a sewing machine as a gift, prior to college — couldn’t figure out how to work it and there’s really nowhere in Carlisle that you can take sewing lessons,” she said. “It frustrated me so much that I had in my possession a sewing machine that I didn’t know how to work, and I absolutely love clothing — and that’s what my driving force was. I had a challenge in front of me, and I had to conquer that challenge.”
D’Arcy decided to apply to the art institute and was accepted into the program. Within several weeks, she moved to Philadelphia and got ready to dive into the deep end of fashion.
She had no idea how to use that sewing machine gift, so she had to start from the bottom — taking beginner’s courses in pattern making and sewing.
The now 26-year-old eventually graduated from the school, now knowledgeable of how to use that gift. In October, she started making dresses, eventually creating 14 pieces for a new line that she plans on showcasing at a fashion show in Philadelphia next month.
D’Arcy said she plans to create another three by Thursday for a photo shoot that will take place inside the Point at Carlisle Plaza. She said she will likely have even more dresses by the time the show in Philadelphia rolls around.
“I would have to be at my sewing machine for 12 hours or more, but it was well worth it,” she said. “I’ve been trucking along pretty well — I lost a little bit of steam during the holidays, but ... I’ll start those three pieces; I’ll get them done before Thursday, and I’m right back on track.”
D’Arcy was one of 10 designers selected to be a part of the show. It won’t just feature one style of clothing — there will be women’s, men’s and children’s wear, she said. The Feb. 8 show, Style Takes Over Philly, will support domestic violence awareness, a cause that D’Arcy said is close to her heart.
“It’s one of those problems in society that people don’t want to discuss, ever,” she said. “I have my own ties to the cause against domestic violence because I had lost a friend of mine two years ago to domestic violence. She used to model for me and it was such a loss, and so that’s why I want to give back.”
The New Mexico native moved to Carlisle with her family in 2006 when she was 18 because her mother transferred to the Carlisle Barracks. She began her course work at the Art Institute two years later. D’Arcy said she completed the four-year program in Philadelphia in two-and-a-half years by taking extra credits and working through the summer.
D’Arcy said she is not one to sit around — she said she is more interested in working to make her dream come true. She plans to start her own website and business with the photos from her photo shoot and eventually hopes to open a boutique in Carlisle. While she said she knows that people don’t think of Carlisle when they think of fashion, she hopes to change that, at least somewhat.
“My main goal is to start my own clothing line,” she said. “At some point, I’d love to get my website up and going, and then I can run a business that way, and then maybe a few years down the road, I can open my own boutique, which, of course, I would do in Carlisle. People usually have to travel to Camp Hill to get a certain garment, but I don’t see why we couldn’t make it happen here.”
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