Jillian Lewis

Jillian, 26, was born and raised in the small town Selden in Long Island, NY. In 2003, she graduated from Parsons School of Design to pursue her fashion dream. While there, she was honored with the CFDA scholarship award and selected to design the Perrier girl uniform, which was featured as "Parsons Design Star" on the MTV college network. Jillian is currently working on her own label while consulting for several companies as a designer. Having worked as a concept designer and illustrator at Rugby by Ralph Lauren and as a designer at Searle, Jillian learned the skills of the fashion trade. At Searle, she experienced "the old-fashioned way of tailoring," and at Rugby she became "an expert at conceptualizing a full and balanced collection." Although her experiences have made her a very well-rounded designer, Jillian credits her own talent and personal taste level that sets her apart from the rest. Art stimulates Jillian's creativity, as she's often inspired by the illustrations of Ruben Toledo and Patrick Nagel, the architecture of Antoni Gaudi and Santiago Calatrava, and the art of Egon Schiele. Other sources of inspiration include military uniforms, armor, ballet and the idea of incorporating technology into clothing. Ultimately, Jillian's designs are her visual poetry of the things she loves and a reflection of the world around her. Not satisfied with being just another name on the tag of another dress, it's her ambition to be revolutionary, fashion forward and to one day create a fashion empire of her own.