Courtesy of Elleanor Ross
Elleanor Ross walked into her first day as an intern for the children’s department of Abercrombie & Fitch in 2023, ready to prove herself in the fashion world, unaware she would one day be designing for them.
Ross, a textiles and apparel alumna ’24, started her full-time job with Abercrombie’s Gilly Hicks as an assistant designer last September, creating versatile lounge and activewear. Though Ross’s love for fashion started long before her career with the brand, she said she struggled to fully commit to the work.
“What truly helped me was (my UT advisor who) asked me if I see myself in a lab researching or creating,” Ross said. “I just envisioned my future.”
Before starting her full-time job, Ross said she fell in love with Abercrombie through a sophomore summit hosted by the brand. From there, Ross decided to apply for an internship, despite her differing design style, and got placed in their children’s department, creating soft dresses and flowing knitted tops.
“My own design style is on the evening wear side,” Ross said. “So having to go to kids was really interesting … for example, all garments have to have sleeves. It’s a really cool category.”
Ross said the job now includes learning about the life of a garment, from sketching and presenting the designs in meetings to a deeper understanding of the production and distribution process. Despite the late start from switching her major, Ross said she felt immediately welcomed into the fashion community, gaining support from peers, professors and mentors.
“If you don’t understand how to do something, you can ask anyone in the lab,” Ross said. “Even down to supplies, they’ll lend things to you, so I felt supported there.”
Nathalia Gomez, a textiles and apparel freshman, shared the same sentiment as Ross, emphasizing the support from her dedicated faculty and small class of seven people.
“(The community) makes me feel less like just (a person) at UT,” Gomez said. “It makes me feel like I do belong here.”
UT’s fashion community also fostered the support Ross needed to begin developing her own fashion network. Once accepted to the Fashion Scholarship Fund, Ross said she gained one of her most important connections from her mentor Tori Nichel Gibbs, founder and CEO of the evening wear brand Maison Black. Gibbs said she feels pride when thinking of Ross and her progress and work ethic.
“(Being successful) takes some multitasking and some time management,” Gibbs said. “Those are all qualities needed to be successful in fashion above and beyond your creativity and design talent.”
Alongside giving advice and encouragement, Ross said Gibbs inspires her. Ross wants to, eventually, launch her own line of evening wear — big enough to reach the red carpet.
“I would want celebrities to want to wear my pieces because they like them, but also because they have (some) emotional impact to them,” Ross said.
Overall, Ross said she desires to keep learning and replicating Abrocrombie’s brand while translating her own style and being innovative with the clothing she makes.
“Make sure you can replicate a (brand’s style), especially when it comes to working for a brand,” Ross said. “But also, when it comes to making a brand for yourself, make sure to tell a story. Everyone can sketch something, but not everyone can physically produce a product.”