FASHION DESIGNER/ MODEL PAVING HER WAY

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by Nick Christophers "One day I would like to own, edit and distribute a fashion and art magazine. I have always had great journalistic ambitions even though I often spell or see words in my ...

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by Nick Christophers

"One day I would like to own, edit and distribute a fashion and art magazine. I have always had great journalistic ambitions even though I often spell or see words in my head backwards. "These kinds of words would only come from a determined individual. Esther Nash happens to be that individual whose drive and determination has got her as far as she has been.

Born in Manhattan in a single family home she made it her business to be stronger than others. Aside from being brought up with only her mother she also suffered from the learning disability called dyslexia. But she did not allow her dyslexia or the fact that she was from a single parent home hold her back. These obstacles only served to empower her more.

Most of her life Esther dealt with prejudice because of her learning disability. But with each battle came a stronger will power to achieve what she put her mind to do. Esther has had a love for art and fashion since she was a child. During her High School freshman year she was selected to model and present her designs in the Junior/Senior annual fashion show. Her talents not only served as an immediate acceptance to the school's model club but her designs were awarded a show at NYC's Fashion Caf.
The High School she attended was Art & Design High School one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Entry into the High School is very strict and nearly impossible to accomplish.
This achievement only opened other doors. The Cooper Union Summer Honors Portfolio accepted her twice consecutively. But it did not end there she soon was awarded talent and merit scholarships to study at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League, the MET and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

At 18 years of age, Esther began her studies at FIT part-time while she operated three fashion boutiques. While she tackled that she also acted as a fashion Editor for Talent in Motion Magazine. For Talent in Motion she submitted monthly articles on fashion trends, reviews of fashion events as well as practical advice.

At FIT she studied fashion design, life drawing, fashion illustration, graphic design, sewing, draping and pattern making. Esther admits she owes a lot of her perseverance and talents to her mother. Her mother was an honors graduate from Brooklyn College and holds a Masters in Fine Arts. She also worked many years as a NYC Public High School Art Teacher.

Esther learned a lot from her mother and the immigrant stories of her grandparents who struggled in a new country. These family struggles merely fueled her willingness to succeed.

As a young lady Esther saw almost everyday as a show and tell in school. "The students were my audience and my clothing my creation. I was always on display. I dressed in an all beaded fabric one day to be followed by a Kimono the next day to cowboy boots the third day."

Esther always loved to draw and create. Her mother took her daily to the MET where she drew at will. Her mother was a member of the museum for thirty years. "My mother has been a great influence on me. She taught me to be an independent thinker."

Besides introducing Esther to museums she opened her eyes to the art of theater. Attending performances at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tull Hall, New York State Theater of the Opera and many others it only expanded her knowledge of the arts.

Her sister Rachel was another huge influence to her. "Rachel is extremely persistent and never takes "no for an answer." Like her sister she set high expectations for herself. Her sister presently is an attorney whose goal is to be US Supreme Court Judge.

Through her college years she managed to open three boutiques and renovated them herself. She created a new type of shopping experience. Each boutique held its own unique and original style.

After the tragic events of 9/11 Esther became deathly ill which caused her to take a leave of absence. This forced her to close her boutiques along with halting her studies. Her family soon moved to Florida to aide in her recovery.

In Miami, she began to work on fashion articles with fashion illustrations for the Miami Sun Post. Soon her artistic abilities began to flow with her designs being featured in the Miami Herald. In addition, the publication sponsored a fashion show of her styles in Miami.

After about two years she returned to FIT and devoted her life to modeling and design. In turn for the past six years she has been attending and reviewing NYC, LA and Miami fashion weeks.

Within those 6years she has also held the title of fashion editor for the Improper Hamptonian Magazine which has a distribution totaling 250,000 subscribers. Besides these achievements her designs have also been featured on the HBO series "Sex in the City", is presently an IKON model Celebrity designer, Fashion Host, Commentator and model, and also showcased her 2008 Fashion Collection at Eli Klien Fine Art in Soho.

Esther Nash has made major strides in an industry that is demanding and hard to break in. Yet with each accomplishment Esther's desire to become better is increased and more powerful than before. For anyone interested to view her fashion styles they can view them at http://www.mrjustinrogers.com/projects/esther/index.html..