Shane Smith

I am one of the most talented, ambitious young men you will ever meet. My name is Shane Smith. I am 15 years old and a sophomore in highschool. I was born in Jamaica and lived there for 9-10 years before I migrated to the United states. I was introduced to an almost entirely new place. A place of cultural diversity. Residing in my grandmother's Brooklyn apartment with my dad and sister, I started 4th grade here and adapted quite naturally to the culture. And making friends had never been a problem, as people have always seemed to be drawn to my funny, and quite charming personality. I was also very smart. Being that I was very ambitious growing up, I aspired to make something of myself and my name at an early age. 9th grade, my freshman year in Highschool, marked my love and passion for fashion design and the whole field in general. I saw fashion as a form of art. Everyone felt they were so unique, when they all lacked the creative aesthetic fashion requires. They basically all had the same style, clothes, brands etc. It all started really when I designed a sweater for my friend. He liked it so much, that he wanted me to make it so he could buy it. The following weekend, I saw a Leather sofa outside. I used the leather for my design, as I've always loved texture in garments. The actual construction of the design came naturally to me. Using clever tricks, common sense, and prior knowledge, it took me two weeks to finish as I had hand stitched it. I however, did not sell it, as i felt I could have done a better job. I saw alot of potential in the design. Therefore i made more well crafted ones. I sold one to a friend for $50. Alot of people caught on and wanted to buy more. So, scheduled a released date in the upcoming fall/ winter season. My school dean even set up fashion show at my school's talent show which featured my designs. over the summer, I contributed every dollar towards materials etc. I bought a sewing machine, learned how to use it, and practically slaved over it for whole nights, pushing myself to the limit. I created a website for my brand "SHANE SMITH". I eventually taught myself to make garments from scratch with the 10" X 10" sewing machine I bought. I found Publicolor, an organization which is focused on all aspects of design including fashion, and the psychology of colors in the interior of schools, work spaces, and commercial buildings. My internship with this organization opened me to new ideas and perspectives and opportunities. One of which is a scholarship to college.
I earned a 20$ stipend a week which I saved up to buy a real sewing machine and better materials and fabric. Now my progress has sped up. I also found another organization like publicolor called Cooper Hewitt Design Scholars, that takes me to well funded events and will be taking me on an all expense paid trip to North Carolina to study design with professional designers for a week. My website is currently unavailable as it is currently under maintenance. I took this time off to learn; To research. to gain more knowledge, ideas, and understanding of the fields associated with fashion, and to focus on creating a portfolio for FIT which I toured last week. Another reason for this time off was so that I am able to devote my time and focus to school as it will play a great role in my success. I am now attending extremely well funded events where I am meeting with very wealthy and successful people that even people three times my age can only wish of meeting. Now all that is left for me to do is continue to persevere, maintain my current mentality, and finish school strong. My advice to anyone and everyone my age is to create a dream for themselves, a positive dream, and follow it. Because from experience, I can say that if you want something bad enough, opportunities will find you faster than you can find them.