After marrying her boyfriend at age 17 and touring for seven years as a keyboardist in the band The Evergreen Sept, Angie Bacskocky decided to give it all up (including her husband) to pursue her dream of becoming a clothing designer. Four years ago, the Titusville, Fla., native bought a house on Richmond's North Side and enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts. "I regretted never having gone to college," the 29-year-old senior says, "and I felt like I didn't have anything of my own besides music, which clearly wasn't a passion for me anymore." After a year in VCU's fashion-design program, Bacskocky moved to London to study at Central St. Martins College, taking classes in menswear design.
While attending school and working as a tailor in a bespoke-suit shop, Bacskocky was hired as an intern for her favorite designer, Alexander McQueen, who's known for his quirky couture designs. She worked long hours, but it all paid off when a pair of hand-dyed leggings she designed was used in the runway show for McQueen's spring 2009 collection.
Now back in Richmond and completing her final semester at VCU, Bacskocky is creating looks for the school's annual juried fashion show, Muse ($25 to $35, 828-1699), on May 1, and for the independently organized senior fashion show We Sew Cool ($15, wesewcool.blogspot.com ), on May 14. She wants to open a boutique in Richmond that will cater to both men and women, but Bacskocky's keeping her post-graduation options open. "We'll just have to see what happens."
