PROVO — Julia Perry spent a decade in New York City working as a fashion designer for big-name brands, but she often dreamed of starting a clothing line that was entirely her own.

Returning to school in pursuit of an MBA helped her make that dream a reality: Perry's line POINT&HUE debuted at Fashion Week Las Vegas on Feb. 19. She is currently a first-year student in the MBA program at Brigham Young University, where school officials say she is program's first-ever fashion designer.

“I’ve worked backstage at a lot of fashion shows, so when I was backstage at my own I was just in fashion show mode, making sure things got done and that it was done how I wanted," she said. "It didn’t really hit me until the end, when I had to walk out on the runway and wave, (that) I just presented my first collection. It was really exciting.”

She said the reaction to her clothing line at the fashion show was better than she expected, with the crowd spontaneously applauding for some of the looks. The POINT&HUE collection focuses on women's contemporary career apparel.

The name for POINT&HUE is derived from Perry's love of art and architecture; particular favorites include Frank Gehry, for his use of crisp lines that are not necessarily orderly, and Mark Rothko, for his study of color. She said she thinks anything can inspire people and that she wants to see life through other people's eyes.

“I gain inspiration from a lot of places” she said. "I never know where it is going to come from.”

Perry, a Provo native, studied design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She put in long hours at various internships and let everyone she met in the industry know she was looking for a job. A few weeks after she graduated, she was called in for an interview at Isaac Mizrahi. She hadn't applied for the position, but the interviewer had a copy of one of her old resumes.

She never found out who recommended her, but wishes she could thank them because it set her on her current career path. During her time in New York City she also gained experience as a designer for names like Ralph Lauren and Elie Tahari.

Related Story

BYU student films documentary after experience in modeling industry

A BYU student is filming a documentary about underage models after experiencing the industry firsthand.

However, Perry always was always designing for someone else, and she wanted to try designing something that was entirely her own. Going back to school for an MBA provided the opportunity for her to learn how to start her own company.

She applied to be in Fashion Week Las Vegas after hearing about it from a friend. She spent three days straight during Thanksgiving sewing her designs and had her sister model the collection for a look book. In December she found out she would be able to launch her clothing line in the emerging designer's section.

Perry said she feels lucky for the opportunities she's had.

“It’s a really hard industry to get into, but possible — it just takes a lot of work to do it,” she said.

Related topics