LEXINGTON — Rachel Weilbacker knows the value of hard work, and others are recognizing that trait in her.
After pouring hours into her fashion designs, she garnered several prestigious awards, but was also accepted into Parsons School of Design in New York City.
Parsons is known for its fashion design program and has educated some of the most respected designers in the industry, including Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Donna Karan, Anna Sui and Derek Lam.
The Lexington High School graduate, who just turned her tassle on Sunday, was overcome with shock and excitement when she received her acceptance letter just one day before Christmas break.
“It was one of the best days of my life because it’s something that I had wanted since like freshman year,” she said.
Weilbacker took her studio jewelry class at Lexington to the next level when she began making garments out of metal.
“I just fell in love with creating with metal,” she said. “There’s just something about it that hooked me.”
Starting in October, she began working on a three-piece series dubbed, “Swingin’ 60’s.”
Each of the garments took weeks to complete.
“It was a very intricate process,” she said.
Not only did the pieces swallow up class time, but she devoted many hours at home, as well.
Art teacher Howard Hoffman knew it would be a colossal task to tackle.
“When she proposed this to me, I’m thinking, ‘Do you know how much work you’re getting into?'” he said.
The series features three outfits made with satin fabric, enameled glass, and metal–mainly copper and aluminum. One garment turned into a science experiment when she wanted to create a blue patina on the copper rings.
“I had to do a lot of research to figure out how to create that color,” she said.
After trial-and-error, she discovered the perfect concoction using salt, water and ammonia. The perfectionist in her typically prevents her from being fully satisfied with her pieces.
“But this was like the first time I’ve been really happy with it,” she said of the series.
She certainly has reason to be pleased with the end result. After all, it caught the judges attention during the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition, landing her a spot in the top 300.
She also earned a Gold Key at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for a portfolio submission that featured eight of her pieces, she said. She was one of just three winners in central Ohio.
According to Hoffman, Lexington has never had a student achieve this honor.
“It’s a tribute to her hard work,” he said.
Weilbacker said she wishes she had more time to make her own garments to wear, but with her busy dance schedule, time doesn’t allow for it. She just finished up her last dance season at Richland Academy, but intends to continue dancing in college for her minor.
Her major will be fashion design, though she’s not 100-percent sure what she’d like to do with her degree when she graduates. She’s bouncing between ready-to-wear and haute couture (high fashion).
“I just know I want to be working in the fashion industry,” she said.
