Fashion Designer: Sage Nelsen

When I was two years old, I looked at the outfit my mom picked out for me to wear. My reply? “Nope.” Then I walked into my closet and picked out my own outfit. Ever since then, I have been styling my own quirky little outfits. Unfortunately, being a non-Mormon raised in Utah affected – me and my fashion sense. 

I was bullied in elementary for dressing weird. Junior high and high school brought pressures to conform. With that pressure, I lost all confidence and style. It wasn’t until I graduated and moved to Los Angeles for college that I again started to discover who I am. It was in LA where I discovered no one really cares who you are or what you do with your life. 

During my time in California, my mental health plummeted. LA is a fast-paced environment. It can be difficult to connect with people and to make long-lasting friendships. In an effort to crawl out from rock bottom, I took a trip to New York. While I was there, I stumbled upon a pop-up shop called Melke. The storefront has a sign that reads “Sustainable gender-fluid clothing.” That immediately caught my eye, but once I started looking at all the clothing I was like “Wow, people will really pay hundreds of dollars for these crazy, unique items?” Then I thought, “Maybe I could design some crazy weird clothing.” 

I kind of became “the tie girl” again

Following that trip, I immediately moved back to Utah to pursue fashion. Once I decided to do fashion design, it was never really a question for me if I should be sustainable or not. It was a no-brainer for me that my designs would all be sustainably upcycled. To this day, that trip to New York inspires my designs. I love seeing what people are wearing on the streets via the Watching New York Instagram feed. 

I try to keep my designs ahead of the trends – timeless – in order to keep them in people’s closets longer. New York City is so ahead of the trends. I get some crazy ideas from NYC

As a fashion designer for a little more than year, I have started to realize that most of my designs aren’t even inspired by anything in particular. Most of the time they just come from my brain. It’s ironic, given my childhood, that I never thought I was capable of being a fashion designer. And now …here I am. 

As a kid, I loved adding neckties to my outfits. People definitely thought I was weird for that, but, even in elementary, I didn’t care. I think I have just always had a love for ties my whole life. Incorporating neckties into my designs has evolved over time.

Last year, in my first fashion show, I made a tie skirt. Everyone loved the design. Quite a few people reached out to me saying they wanted to give me some of their old ties. So, I kind of became “the tie girl” again, while growing quite the collection. Then, one of my friends made a joke, saying it would be so crazy if I made a whole collection out of ties. I immediately thought, there’s no way I could come up with that many designs involving ties. But I decided to challenge myself, so I ran with it.

Designer: Sage Nelsen

@sage.nelsen