ALICIA HARDESTY
Founder and Creative Director, Original Tomboy
Alicia Hardesty can’t remember a time when she wasn’t obsessed with clothing, even as a young tomboy growing up in Brandenburg, Kentucky. After earning her fashion degree in Colorado, Hardesty worked in menswear with Aeropostale and designed for several brands on both coasts before running a modest Kickstarter campaign and launching her own brand, Original Tomboy. Almost immediately, her designs were featured in magazines and she was cast in the tenth season of Project Runway, where she finished in eighth place and used her charming “tomboy from Kentucky” reputation to promote the brand. “Fashion is always changing, and it allows for creativity and expression in all areas; room to experiment with new concepts, designs and direction,” she says. “I’ve learned that no matter how great your product, service or idea is, marketing and getting it out there in front of your target audience is the most important thing. Keep your message simple and easy to understand.” Now, when she isn’t doing appearances, interviews, fashion shows, custom orders and managing her business online, Hardesty fosters collaborations with smart, likeminded groups like Project X Squared. She is currently in talks with Amnesty International. And her recent TEDxYouth talk at Caltech has sparked a passion to do even more work with young people.
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