Fledgling designer L’leta van Gom recently graduated with a degree in Fashion Design from the prestigious Academie of Styling and Design Artemis in the Netherlands. She chose the Flame High from LA Gear to complement her fashions in her thesis runway show in Rotterdam on June 10.

LaGearNews sat down with L’leta to find out more about her art and her love affair with LA Gear:

LaGearNews: When did you decide you wanted to be a fashion designer?

L’leta van Gom: I think I was 11 or 12 when I knew that I wanted to make clothes. I really don’t know why I was obsessed by clothes, I just knew I wanted to learn how to make something. So I started to make clothes for my barbies and dolls.

At the age of 16 I enrolled in the Modelyceum in Amsterdam for four years, also Fashion Design, and there I learned the basics of fashion design.

LAG: Tell us about the program you just completed.

L’leta: I just got my diploma in Fashion Design from the Academie of Styling and Design Artemis. In 2 years I learned how to work towards realizing a collection, starting with a concept, sketches and finally the collection. You also learn how to make contact with different people in fashion, that is one of the best things you can learn. With this diploma I can start designing for a company or learn more and start working for designers.

LAG:. How long was the program?

L’leta: I did this in 2 years part-time, because I was also working 5 days a week for more experience in fashion.

LAG: What inspired you to include LA Gear in your show?

L’leta: A friend of mine gave me some original old school L.A. Gears and I fell in love with them immediately. They reminded me of the sneakers I had when I was a little girl. And when I started my final year I knew I did not want my models to wear high heels, I wanted L.A. Gears! My collection was inspired by the 80′s, for summer 2010, and when I saw the new collection I decided to contact the company, because you never know who is wiling to help you out, and L.A. Gear did. I’m still grateful.

LAG: Can you describe the graduation thesis show event?

L’leta: The the title of my concept was “Growing Up”. I did some research and I found out that women get shaped between their twenties and thirties, these years make you who you are as a person. But why does society decide that you are an “adult” when you are 21?  Grown Ups Are Obsolete was the catchphrase in my conceptbook, because who says that you have to grow up anyway?

LAG: Was the reaction to your designs all you’d hoped for?

L’leta: Yes, people really liked my collection, because it really stood out from the rest. I  used a lot of jersey fabrics, and every design stood for a different part of life . My goal is to get people to wonder how I put something together, and it worked. I also got an offer to design a t-shirt.

LAG: Now what?

L’leta: I’m going on a vacation for 3 weeks! Finally no homework! haha. But I really would like to start my own label, that is one of my biggest dreams. But in these times it will be difficult to find a sponsor. So I am going to get my drivers license and start a course photography. I want to keep learning.

Designer: L’leta van Gom/ SugaRush
Styling: L’leta van Gom
Cameraperson: Robbert Jollie
Director: L’leta van Gom/Robbert Jollie
Editor: Robbert Jollie
Music: Hot Chip & Jessy Rose – “Don’t forget my name”
Models: Zulema van Gom, Lindsay Adams, Roswitha, Amy Shisano & Anna Bonkowska

SHOP HERE for the Flame High!