Dawn-Jade Clover began her journey at Dallas College as a nursing student at Richland Campus. After graduating, she began to feel that her degree didn’t match her creative dream. “My parents are from Vietnam. They left (Vietnam) so that I could get a good education, so I didn’t want to disappoint them,” Clover said. “Then I realized, am I doing this (nursing) for them or for me?”
Determined to follow her heart, she returned to school last semester to pursue her fashion marketing degree at El Centro Campus.
“I love self-expression, I love looking at outfits and how people feel in them. How they can express who they are without having to say anything. You can play with so many things and find yourself,” she said.
Here are some of Clover’s insider details on fashion trends for Spring and Summer 2022.
Pandemic Fashion
Over the course of the pandemic, the fashion industry experienced a huge uptick in demand for sweaters, knits, two-piece sets and sportswear, Clover says. She predicts that quality knitwear will continue to dominate, even in the office wear category, as folks go back to the office.
Fashion on campus has also changed. “I have seen our students’ fashion choices change to include lots of color clashing, hoodies under blazers, the Y2k fashion,” Clover says. “Paying homage to 2000’s fashion choices and color schemes such as crop tops, low rise jeans, sleek slim sunglasses.”
Upcoming Trends
As we head into Spring and Summer, Clover says solar power shades, like gold, bronze, amber and marigold will be a big trend. She also mentions a “Huge emphasis on miniskirts, where runway will show classic Chanel suits, the look of a short-short skirt and blazer will remain modern.” Clover cites pop star Olivia Rodrigo as making the skirt suit a preppy and punky signature look.
“Right now, I’m very into crop top two pieces,” she says. “Crop tops with midi satin skirts are something I’ve been very into. That’s a perfect outfit to wear in Deep Ellum with sneakers. I’ve been really into the off-duty model look, like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner, the stuff they wear.”
Female Designers
Women have become more influential in fashion in the recent years and statistics show that 73% of designers in the industry are women.
Clover says her current favorite female designer is Vera Wang. “Because I’m Asian, I’m a person of color, she’s also a woman of color and is Asian. She actually became a designer later in life. For me to switch from nursing to fashion, it was like, it’s never too late to follow your dream and be successful. I can relate to her story; it resonates with me.”
Once she finishes her degree, Clover hopes to become a trend forecaster, a role that would allow her to travel to different trade and fashion shows to predict trends in fabrics, silhouettes and colors for the upcoming year. She says her family is proud of her new adventure, and she finally feels that she is on the right path.
Clover’s most valuable tip to remember when styling your wardrobe?
“Fashion comes and goes, but having style is forever.”
