Desiree Hedrick celebrates the master’s degree she completed this summer from the International Fashion Institute in Paris. “A&T did so much for me that I didn’t realize on so many levels,” she said.

Paris was a dream come true for Desiree Hedrick. 

A year after graduating from N.C. A&T with her bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and design, Hedrick moved to Paris to study for a master’s degree and immerse herself in the exciting world of high fashion.  

Though the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her studies, Hedrick persevered and earned her master’s this summer. She also achieved a first: Professors in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences’ fashion merchandising and design program say that she’s their first graduate to get an advanced fashion degree from a Paris institution. 

“A&T,” Hedrick said, “did so much for me that I didn’t realize on so many levels.” 

Making a splash 

When Hedrick arrived at A&T, she had no sewing skills and no deep knowledge of fashion. But she possessed a love for fashion and a desire to learn more.  

Hedrick blossomed in the program. In 2016, she took a design she made for a Visual Merchandising class assignment and turned it into a business, Desiree Monique Custom Designs. She got good grades while being active in clubs and working part-time at her family’s childcare business.  

As a senior, she won a statewide runway fashion show, and its $1,000 first prize, held at the N.C. Museum of Art in conjunction with the Ebony Fashion Fair. In 2018, she got both her degree and the Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence, one of the top prizes given to A&T’s graduating seniors.  

Devona Dixon, Ph.D., an associate professor of fashion merchandising and design, called Hedrick a conscientious student who always strived for excellence.  

“I am awestruck at how her energy level was always high and her attitude was always pleasant,” Dixon said.  

Off to Paris  

After taking a year off to create custom designs and raise money for grad school, Hedrick enrolled in fall 2019 in IFA Paris.  

The international school based in Paris offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in both the design and business sides of fashion. Hedrick’s 15-month program would lead to a master’s degree in contemporary fashion design.  

Hedrick’s 30 classmates came from all over the world. Her first-term courses covered a wide range of subjects, from fashion design to fashion law. All instruction was in English.  

 “It was more than I expected,” Hedrick said. “The fashion design classes pushed you to think outside of the box. It wasn’t the normal ‘This is how you create a pattern, this is how you create a dress.’”  

Because designers recruit interns from Parisian fashion schools, Hedrick worked three runway shows in early 2020.  

For big European fashion house Ralph & Russo, she was assigned to the celebrity section, where she took care of A-list guests. (Hedrick said she saw plenty of stars, including actor Gabrielle Union and singer Ne-Yo.) For designers Rick Owens and Sean Suen, Hedrick worked as a dresser, who’s responsible for prepping the models to walk the runway and packing up the garments afterward.  

“I’ve done shows in North Carolina,” Hedrick said, “but nothing compares to fashion week in the capital of fashion.”  

The pandemic  

When COVID-19 hit, Hedrick packed up her suburban Paris apartment and returned home to Greensboro.   

The change forced her to wake up at 4 a.m. to take her classes virtually. She felt disconnected from school because many of her classmates stayed in Paris.  

But with prayer and a strong network of friends and family, Hedrick persevered.   

She successfully completed her master’s project — 12 outfits, plus a business plan, a portfolio and a lookbook with photographs of her final products — from home. She presented her collection project to industry professionals virtually.   

When the world briefly opened back up this spring, Hedrick finished the program with two months in Florence, Italy. She graduated July 8.  

The whole experience could have intimidated a recent college graduate who relied on Google Translate to get around Paris. But Hedrick said A&T had built within her a solid foundation of knowledge about the fashion world. It also gave her the pride and confidence to navigate a majority white space as a Black woman and open doors for future students from the fashion merchandising program.   

“Being the first is hard,” Hedrick said. “But I just had to have the confidence that what I’m doing would inspire and motivate somebody else to do even more.”  

What’s next  

Hedrick plans to continue making handmade jewelry and custom-designing clothes. She’s seeking a team to help her produce her grad school collection, which she’ll then sell on her website.   

One of her passions is using fashion to help women renew themselves both inside and out. To that end she’s in the process of starting a mobile fashion boutique — a fashion truck to create a personal luxury shopping experience.   

“It’s time,” she said, “to jump-start my business with all the knowledge and experience I’ve gained.”