Kaitlyn dug her feet into the warm golden sand, as she walked along the beautiful beach in Orange County, California. The view of the crystal clear water beneath the cloudless sky was truly breath-taking. She was sporting her new turquoise bikini, which she had completely designed herself. Her hair blew in the wind as she thought about her life back in New York City. Years ago, the idea of becoming a high-end fashion designer was only a far-fetched fantasy. Never in her wildest dreams, did she expect to work with the best people in the industry and to eventually see her name posted on billboards across the country. Her swimsuits had landed on the covers of huge magazines, modeled by worldwide fashion icons. Everything seemed to have fallen into place so perfectly, and as she sat to lounge on her new beach chair; she couldn’t help but smile.

Kaitlyn Desmond started to take an interest in fashion at a very young age. Her grandmother was an art teacher and Kaitlyn loved to visit her as often as she could. One of her grandmother’s students turned out to be an assistant of world-famous fashion designer, Calvin Klein. Kaitlyn would often stay and watch her grandmother’s art classes, fascinated by the unique patterns and designs. Once Kaitlyn entered high school, she became more interested in fashion. As a freshman, she took fashion essentials and was immediately drawn to the bright colors and fabrics. She loved the idea of making something out of nothing; therefore she went on to take a fashion management class her sophomore year.

After graduating from high school, Kaitlyn continued to pursue her love in fashion. She went on to attend college at the Fashion Industry of Design and Merchandising and majored in fashion design. At FIDM, she was able to expand her education in the fashion and explore many different aspects of the exciting industry. Besides the beautiful campus just outside Orange County, Kaitlyn’s favorite part of attending FIDM was meeting a ton of interesting people, who were able to land her internships at local stores and magazine companies.

“My internships were able to provide me with the practice I needed to be successful in the fashion industry. I feel so lucky to have had such great opportunities presented to me, and I so much from being an intern,” says Desmond.

Kaitlyn’s many internships throughout college gave her the extra confidence she needed to really go after her dream of becoming a fashion designer. One day, she approached her professor after school, and told him her dream of someday having her own swimwear and swim accessories line. He told Kaitlyn it would be hard work, but with a lot of experience and the desire to achieve, anything was possible. Kaitlyn carried that positivity with her throughout the rest of college, and onto the real world to pursue her career.