Through my graduate studies, I was able to take part in a fashion design and illustration competition through the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was a finalist in, and winner of, the 2D category in fashion illustration for the 2025 year. Devoted to the theme of “Tailoring Black Style,” my work’s theme coincides with this year’s Met Gala and exhibit, both of which are based off of author and researcher Monica Miller’s extensive body of work on the concept of Black dandyism. I focused my six-look collection on color, vintage-inspired florals (see the 1960s “Peacock Revolution”), and a sense of unique identify—agency through clothing is what this project was all about! Thanks to the Met and the Costume Institute for the Opportunity!