Ashley Helmuth '08

About Ashley

Hometown:
Chambersburg, PA

University Partner:
Parsons The New School for Design

Degree:
Fashion Design

Grant Partner:
Vineyard Vines

Senior Mentor:
Nisa Mellin & Sarah Hand, Vice Presidents of Design

"Having the opportunity to present my independent design project that I had worked on throughout the summer to Shep and Ian, the designers, and the Steamboat team was a unique experience that is not often afforded to undergraduate students. Steamboat offers the opportunity to learn, grow, and bond with other Scholars from different areas of interest.

Scholar Background

Ashley planned on becoming a fashion designer in grade school and has worked towards that goal ever since. She was awarded a full scholarship to the Westtown School in Pennsylvania by the Lenfest Foundation as a member of its College Preparatory Program. Ashley continues to contribute as a Lenfest Scholar by working with new scholarship recipients to prepare them for boarding school life.

At Parsons, Ashley focused on Menswear Design. In 2008, she received the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund award, which encourages talented and enterprising young people to pursue careers in design, merchandising, retailing, and business disciplines. Ashley also received the Patrick Groenendaal Junior Critic Award for outstanding achievement in the Parsons Junior Year Fashion Show. She was a Semi-Finalist in the 2008 Gap Competition and the 2008 Geoffrey Beene Competition. Ashley has worked with Ashleigh Verrier, an up-and-coming young designer who graduated from Parsons in 2003. Admiring top menswear designers such as Thom Browne and Paul Smith, she hopes to work for a major fashion house after graduation.

Internship Description

At Vineyard Vines, Ashley was able to see all aspects of a design company: sales, merchandising, production, and design. She had two Senior Mentors - the two Vice Presidents for Design at Vineyard Vines, Nisa Mellin and Sarah Hand - and was given an independent project to design a patchwork concept for the Men's, Women's, and Accessories collections for Fall 2009. Some of Ashley’s designs for this project will likely go into production. Ashley also illustrated the developing Fall 2009 women's line.