The thick pages and the sleek, black cover of what would eventually be filled with ideas and figures of people and outfit designs on each sheet, a sketchbook is what ignited the flame from the tiny spark in the classroom.
Cameryn McBurrows was brought to a new place with new eyes. Her mouth sealed, and her staring glance slowly grazed the room as new silhouettes of students filled her brain. Her head was down, staring at the table underneath her palms.McBurrows’ new, fourth-grade teacher noticed her behavior and decided it was time for her to take a deep breath. Slipping a cardstock-bound stack of papers in front of her.
McBurrows’ eyes widened, and her stare was enough to compensate for the feeling she had about the gesture. She opened the book, flipping to the first page. Then the second, and the third, feeling each page blow a gust of wind toward her face. The corners of her mouth slowly lifted as McBurrows flipped back to the first page and picked up her pencil.
McBurrows’ mother noticed the sketches that littered her papers, McBurrows would be fixed in her own world, only focused on the people she was bringing to life on her paper.
“I would draw people, but it wouldn’t be stick figures; for my age they were okay,” McBurrows said. “So when my mom saw that, she started buying me sketchbooks.”
Eventually, McBurrows’ passion for drawing people transformed into a devotion to outfit creation. McBurrows would draw different styles of clothing for her characters. McBurrows was also drawn to sewing because of her desire to express herself; she wanted to bring her style to life with her limited resources.
“I started sewing because I liked drawing and painting,” McBurrows said. “And I was like, ‘Man, I don’t have money to buy my own clothes, I should make my own clothes.’”
McBurrows’ mother has been a pillar of support for her: signing her up for sewing classes; sending her to Interlochen for fashion design; helping her attempt to get a tailoring job; and even giving McBurrows her first sewing machine. McBurrows’ mother watered and nurtured her love of sewing, allowing it to grow to its full potential.
Sewing has been something McBurrows has been certain about from a very young age – a constant goal to work towards for her in an inconstant world. McBurrows has traversed many hobbies throughout her life, but she always finds her way back to fashion design because of her love for self-expression.
“I think fashion is a good way of expression,” McBurrows said. “A way of knowing a person before you really talk to them is how they express themselves through their style.” And I thought, why not make clothes for people so they can do that?”
McBurrows had her future planned, making documents and filling out spreadsheets when she was only 12 years old. She’s envisioned her future and knows what it takes to make her dreams a reality.
It would only take the colorful lights of Times Square, the bustling streets and unique street fashion to lure McBurrows to New York, where her dream fashion schools are located. Her future after college isn’t as crystal clear, however, her main goal is to create a business and be her own boss.
From sewing to success, McBurrows has already begun to climb the ladder to her perfect life.
