Becky Hollands Alumni Profile

Alumna Becky Hollands lands Vogue Taiwan

2008 Apparel Design and Manufacturing (ADM) alumna Becky Hollands has earned her way to Vogue. Becky's brand is featured in a recent edition of Vogue Taiwan, which showcases her most recent cutting-edge designs.

The Becky Hollands brand celebrates the individualistic woman who is confident, artistic, and the ultimate 'modern sophisticate.' Becky's exclusive designs can be seen on reality television stars like Bravo Network's Real Housewives to Texas socialites like Joanne King Herring.

Becky says that she loves that she gets to create every day.

"Taking an idea and developing my vision into something tangible is exciting to me. Helping women achieve their best by presenting themselves to their best potential, but most importantly helping them see that is very rewarding."

Becky describes her design concept as one that focuses on the innovative use of textiles, lines, forms, and textures to form pieces that create a sense of elegance and agility.

"I am very much inspired by influential and philanthropic women! I love dressing the social elite. I've always had a love of aesthetics, which grew while shopping with my mother in Hong Kong."

Through her inspirations, Becky aims to advocate for individualism and one's self esteem, the arts, and a sense of modern elegance by her work.

When asked what she considers to be her biggest accomplishments in life, Becky says that living out her dream as a designer tops the list.

"The Becky Hollands brand has been my greatest personal accomplishment and dream come true. I have always wanted to be a fashion designer ever since I was a little girl. I make the sacrifices I do because this is my dream. Creating my own vision and directing this path while seeing it come to life is what keeps me going."

Thinking back on her time in the College of Human Sciences (COHS), Becky says that she thoroughly enjoyed serving on the Dean's Leadership Council as the ADM representative.

"That experience gave me a platform to exercise my leadership skills and help communicate to COHS improvements for the ADM department."

With several years of fashion design experience under her belt, Becky has learned that fashion is a tough industry and continuously changing.

"Know who you're designing for. What is your vision? What does your brand represent? How will you uphold your brand? You can prolong the lifespan of your brand or shorten it by each decision and step you make. Stay true to yourself in this realm because your lifeline is everything."

In order to create designs that are both practical and appealing, Becky stresses the importance of technical design which allow one to create a product that serves its function as well as fulfilling the aesthetic desires.

Becky describes her approach to technical design which requires laborious hand draping as a process that will always be a challenge, from sketch to runway. With a career that poses many challenges, she has learned to stay true to her vision.

Through her journey in the College of Human Sciences and her career thus far, Becky says she has gained the invaluable skills needed to make it in the world of fashion design.

"My career path and past work experiences have been well-rounded in retail, design, merchandising, and wholesale. My experiences in these realms have made me a better designer. I am able to not only design what I want but design for who I want, while understanding my market target and price range for the specific niche, all of which plays a vital role in branding."

To those who aspire to enter the fashion industry, Becky says to get as much experience as they possibly can.

"There are so many realms within fashion so don't limit yourself. You never know who you'll meet or draw inspiration from. Do your homework by walking the boutiques, shop online, and window shop to see how things are merchandised. Merchandising is the key to sales. Psychology in merchandising plays a huge role for the consumer."

Although there is little time left for hobbies after her designs are polished, Becky says she makes her family a priority before balancing her other hobbies.

"I balance my time between family, my brand, and my philanthropic endeavors. Volunteering inspires me and my designs. I like to utilize my skills to give back to the community through donating my designs to charitable auctions to help raise funds for the different organizations and charities I am passionate about."

Congratulations on your success, Becky!