Hoffman Estates fashion prodigy crafts prom dresses for classmates
Hoffman Estates senior Alex Waterman is in high demand.
The 17-year-old budding fashion designer has stacked his portfolio with elaborate dresses for a design school in New York City and is the talk of his classmates wanting an ‘Alex Waterman Original’ for the upcoming prom.
“Fashion, to me, is truly like a vessel to portray authenticity in a sense, and I love it. I love it,” the Conant High School senior said.
The teen first made waves when he showed up at last year’s prom in an elaborate, self-designed garnet, ostrich-feathered tuxedo. But fashion design wasn’t a passion he knew he had until he sat down at a sewing machine during his sophomore year. By the next year, his creations were draped over every last dress form in the classroom as he built his fashion portfolio.
“I was finally able to sew and create, and really just have that freedom,” he said. “I fell in love with it, and I was like, ‘This is what I’m doing until I die.”
Sometimes Waterman will see a fabric he likes and will need yards upon yards of it, leading to a lot of packages on the family doorstep. His mom says a shipment will come at least once each day.
The teen serves up coffee to pay for it all, adding that all the long days behind the coffee bar became worth it when he got the acceptance letter from prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York.
“Seeing that acceptance letter … I cried for a good 15 minutes, and then went to the bathroom and cried some more,” he said.
As word got around school about Waterman heading east, students like Zelda Rosiles jumped at their last chance to get the prodigy to sketch something personal and unique.
“Alex is going to go places, and it will be really cool to say that I have an Alex Waterman original before it he becomes like this big, famous guy,” she said.
Waterman said he’ll be working up to the final hour to fulfill all of his prom dress orders. After that, he’s off to Springfield to present his designs at a fashion conference and then to Parsons this summer.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
