Dissatisfied with the factory-made outfits that came with her Barbies, Prina Bagia remembers tearing Barbie’s clothes off as a toddler and redressing her dolls in her own hand-stitched clothing.
That seemingly innate passion for fashion only grew stronger after the Skokie fashion designer graduated from Niles North High School in 2008. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in apparel and retail from Purdue University.
The 24-year-old part-time Nordstrom employee launched her first fashion line in February, called “PRIN” by Prina Bagia. She debuted her spring-inspired couture collection of flowy, feminine and romantic gowns at a Feb. 13 fashion show at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.
Immediately after her first show, Bagia didn’t waste any time getting back to her sewing machine, where she said she spends up to 20 hours a day brainstorming her next pieces and bringing them to life.
Working in a room her family has set aside as a design studio in her childhood home in Skokie, Bagia gets working at 6 a.m. every day, hand-stitching tiny crystal embellishments one-by-one and strategically placing tulle and tasteful sequins in all the right places.
Enveloped in girly accents set on peachy, pretty colors that take on dramatic forms with the use of lace, silk and tulle, Bagia creates dresses to make any woman feel like a real-life princess.
One particular creation, “The Beast,” was designed to be the ultimate princess dress.
With 75 feet of free-flowing tulle streaming like a puffy cloud from a sequined yet understated bodice, “The Beast” is reminiscent of the famous gown Carrie Bradshaw wore in Paris in the series finale of HBO’s Sex and the City.
“It’s a show-stopper,” Bagia said. “We have to hang it from the second-story balcony so it doesn’t touch the floor.”
Although she caters to the girl with the dress-up spirit, Bagia also proved she can dress women for their everyday lives just as well. Those pieces were on display March 27 when she debuted her first “ready-to-wear” line at the fashion show, “RAW Artists Chicago Presents: Mosaic.”
One of a handful of local designers who appeared in the show, Bagia showcased a clean-cut, yet feminine collection with a 1950s-inspired aesthetic of patterned silk and lace items in muted shades of navy, grey, black and white.
With two successful shows under her belt, Bagia is back in her design studio prepping for a May 22 show at Chicago’s Gallery Bar, and a fourth show this summer that will showcase Indian-inspired looks to celebrate her heritage.
She also is making steady strides toward her dream of one day opening her own flagship boutique in Chicago, with her pieces beginning to trickle into Chicago stores including Paul Miller, 2232 N. Clybourn, and Click Shoes & More, 3729 N. Southport Ave.
Bagia, who listens to music for inspiration and lusts after couture from Ellie Saab, Dior’s John Galliano collections and Chanel, still recognizes there are struggles along the fashion industry’s cut-throat road to success.
Because she functions as a one-woman operation, she often has to tear herself away from her sewing machine to keep up with her social life and family get-togethers, she said.
“Time is always a challenge because it’s just me doing this,” Bagia said. “But I make sure to set aside time for my friends and family because they’re always supporting me.”
Pieces in the PRIN collection start at $100 and run up to $4,000.
To inquire about Bagia’s collections, visit www.prinbyprina.com or contact her at pbagia90@gmail.com.
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