Story by Tito E. Orjih, Lions Eye Staff Writer & Editor, teo5055@psu.edu

Meaghan Paige is an American designer and founder of Meaghan Paige, a local woman’s wear design company. Paige is a recent graduate from the Penn State Brandywine campus with a major in communications arts and sciences.

Paige first became interested in art when she was five. Paige said, “I remember drawing everywhere with my parents. We would go on vacations and I would always find little notepads at hotel rooms and I would just start drawing anything.” Paige was influenced from a young age to explore and express herself through drawing, which eventually led to fashion design and entrepreneurship.

Meaghan Paige’s main role models in her life were her great aunts, who embraced her like their own child. While attending Penn State, Paige’s great Aunt Beth passed away. Her Aunt Beth personally inspired her to sew and pursue art. In order to remember her aunt, Paige kept sentimental artifacts.

Meaghan said, “she left behind a bunch of bobbins, pins, and buttons that were used for sewing. I basically took them and started making clothes and that was sort of the inspiration behind all of this.” Paige’s late aunt’s death was a turning point and a catalyst for her involvement in the fashion industry, which inevitably led to her success as an entrepreneur and saleswoman.

The young designer’s work is incredibly influenced by art, music and culture. Meaghan debuted her first collection at New York Fashion Week in 2015 after being invited to showcase on behalf of a non-profit organization. Since then, Paige has been on a mission to globalize her brand and business. Paige has traveled with her team and photographed her designs at locations in Paris, Italy, Spain, and Ireland.

When asked if she could share some inspirational insight for aspiring fashion designers and entrepreneurs.

Meaghan said,

First, “Say yes to any opportunity or offer even if it doesn’t interest you that much. The worst thing that could happen is that you don’t learn anything, but if you didn’t know anything about it in the first place, then you obviously have already learned something.”

Second, “Be open and willing to change. It’s a major process of evolving and mastering your craft.”

Last, “Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and speak to people that may not look anything like you — you may find that you have more in common with them than you think! I’m friends with people from all over the world because I was always curious about where they were from.

Meaghan Paige is currently overseas in Ireland with her integrative team preparing a photo-shoot for their new campaign. If you want some more information about Meaghan Paige and her design company visit her website at [ http://www.meaghanpaige.com/ ]