Senior Collection: Debra Zerr
Written by Emma Towers, photos by Zoe Brown
Deb Zerr, a senior Fashion Design and Product Development major at Missouri State University, is a talented, hardworking woman and designer. After putting in an impressive 650 demanding hours into designing her senior collection, she has created an inspiring array of looks.
Traveling all the way from Arvada, Colorado to attend Missouri State, Deb enjoys being involved in extracurriculars, and the fashion program here is where she feels most at home.
“Missouri State stuck out to me because of the community, and I like how tight and welcoming everybody was because at other schools I felt like a number, whereas here I felt like a person.”
After completing three internships within the world of fashion, one being at Emma and Grace Bridal Studio, Deb was well prepared and inspired by wedding gowns when designing her senior collection.
When explaining the inspiration behind her collection, she said, “I have been to New Mexico and places very Southwestern-esque and I've always loved the bright colors and the warmth of the tones and just the overall vibe of southwestern style. But then I also love Latin America where it's very punchy colors and kind of in your face.”
After listening to the song Fuego by Eleni Foureira, she envisioned bright colors and movement that further led to her dream of working in sustainable bridal. With a great deal of inspiration from the culture in New Mexico, Deb was able to design for the unconventional yet beautiful bride.
“I still use bridal fabrics and the color white in my collection, but I elevated it by making it more sustainable so brides can wear the pants again if they want to or they can wear the tops again if they want to. They can mix and match throughout the whole collection,” said Deb.
Of course she has done a flawless job with her collection, but it would be a lie to say the road was easy.
Overcoming obstacles is a necessary part of any project throughout life, and Deb handled hers with grace. Even after her ethically sourced fabrics arrived a month and a half late, she rolled with the punches and proceeded to push out beautiful and elegant garments.
Deb shows that being a hardworking student does pay off, and her future shines bright.
“My dream job after graduation is to work for Rue De Seine in New Zealand. They focus on sustainably sourced fabrics and being very environmentally friendly in their practices, while also doing very non-traditional bridal, which is huge for me,” she explained.
Deb loves working in fashion for many reasons, so we asked her what her favorite thing about the industry is.
“I like the fact that it's so expressive, and you're welcome to be whoever you want to be. There's not a limitation for how you want to express yourself or how creative you want to be.”
Deb continues to be a diligent and motivating woman, and surely she will be a successful designer.
One last piece of advice Deb gives to aspiring fashion students is to, “keep practicing, but don't compare yourself to others in your class because you're going to move at a completely different pace than your friend who sits right next to you.”