When Allison Margaret Smith reflects on her journey in fashion, she traces it back to the moment her mother taught her to sew, a skill that became her entry point into design.
Now a recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, recognized as one of the top fashion design school globally, Smith’s path has led to top honors: her thesis collection, Golden Plains of Grain, earned both the Critic Award and Macy’s Empowered Design Award at the 2025 Future of Fashion runway show in May.
Her interest in attending FIT began with encouragement from her father, who signed her up for a summer camp at the college when she was 15. The experience proved transformative and solidified Smith’s interest in pursuing fashion design as a career.
“That was definitely a pivotal moment in my choosing FIT, because it was very clear after that summer camp that I wanted to be a fashion designer and I wanted to be in New York City,” Smith said.
She recalled her experience at the on-campus summer camp as both terrifying and welcoming. During a lunch break, she was encouraged to explore, but the idea of leaving the small campus felt overwhelming in the city.
“I was terrified. I literally turned back and just stayed on campus,” she said, describing how she couldn’t bring herself to walk a single block to get a sandwich.
Looking back, she finds it interesting how familiar the area feels now and wonders why she was so afraid at the time. Despite the initial nerves, she quickly found herself surrounded by passionate peers from across the country, including native New Yorkers and students from places like Florida and California.
“It was definitely scary,” she said. “But also, you just met all these people who are so like-minded to you. I had never been around so many like-minded people. It was just a welcoming environment.”
On the first day of the camp, the group visited New York City’s Garment District, where Smith picked out fabrics and created swatches for the first time. The experience sparked an unexpected rush of inspiration — so much so that she remembers spending the rest of the day sketching in her room.
Later at Park City High School, Smith took a sewing and design class which she called her “little oasis at school.” She also joined the fashion club during her junior year and became the junior representative of the club, though COVID ultimately interrupted those activities.
Smith returned for a second summer at camp that year — this time virtually due to the pandemic — and ultimately enrolled full-time after graduating from high school, coming full circle on her decision to attend the school following her first summer camp experience.
At FIT, Smith focused on ready-to-wear fashion, or clothing designed for daily use across various markets, which came from the decision that it was more “overarching” and would be a good baseline of knowledge.
“It’s such a broad term, you can be a little bit more avant-garde, ready to wear, or you can do very basic, everyday ready to wear, even athleisure is ready to wear. So it just felt like it would grow with me if I grew in a certain way,” she said. “It would always be able to adapt.”
Smith explained her current design style as geometric and textile-driven, favoring clear, strong lines. She said she enjoys exploring textures, piles and tactile qualities through fabric experimentation. That focus carried over from her recent collection. Her design aesthetic often blends masculine and feminine elements, favoring bold, broad shoulders that command space while incorporating subtle, feminine details to create a dynamic juxtaposition.
Her senior thesis collection, Golden Plains of Grain, which included two physical garments, was inspired by the natural beauty and abundance of the American landscape, particularly vast fields that sustain both humans and animals and everyone who’s lived off the land, she said. Smith also wove women’s stories into the theme, drawing parallels between Mother Nature and women as providers, vital yet often overlooked.
“I always tie my themes into women’s stories because women’s stories are the most inspiring to me and I always want to bring life back to these stories through my designs,” said Smith.
Incorporating organic materials was also central to her thesis collection, with techniques such as felting raw jute fiber onto fabric to mimic growth along a hem, weaving balsa wood into a basket-like jacket, and hand-knotting countless strands of raffia to evoke the texture of wheat fields.
As part of the FIT curriculum, each class is assigned an industry professional to guide the students’ thesis development. Smith’s critic was fashion designer Sally LaPointe, who selected her look as the winner for her class.
“She basically saw our whole creative process and how we took industry professional advice,” Smith explained.
Her second honor was the Macy’s Empowered Design Award, which honors a student who powerfully conveys their inspiration through a final design.
Smith’s favorite look from the collection — a structured jacket with wide shoulders paired with matching pants — was featured as the opening design in FIT’s 2025 Future of Fashion showcase.
“I love big shoulders,” she said. “I also love making jackets, so I loved it.”
Though still early in her post-graduate career, Smith said her time at FIT expanded her skills and confidence.
“I know so many things now,” she said. “Thinking back to little Margaret going to New York, she did not want to go. And now I’ve walked away with two very prestigious awards that I’m very proud of.”
As Smith moves into the professional world, she hopes to continue telling meaningful stories through her designs and is taking her time to find the right job opportunity. She admits she’s being a little picky, wanting to work for a brand with a mission she truly believes in, not just one that says all the right things.
Sustainability is one of those missions; for Smith, it means creating quality pieces that last, not following microtrends, but making garments that people want to keep.
Looking back, Smith credits her upbringing in Park City — and the resources in the local school district — for giving her a strong foundation, though she hopes to see more investment in the arts.
Now 22 and living in New York, Smith is continuing to design and has already begun working on her next collection. But she hasn’t forgotten where she came from or what advice she’d give to other aspiring designers in the Wasatch Back: explore outside the bubble.
“Explore all sorts of weird things that you wouldn’t normally find here,” she said. “Even if you don’t like it, it’s so good to grow outside of what you see in Park City or what you’re surrounded by 24/7. I would say, just research and explore.”
