Everyone wears clothes; no one leaves home naked. Despite the major role clothes play in our lives, few people stop to consider their design and production. However, San Luis Obispo High School junior Madeline Fletcher competed in Fashion Design at the Family Career and Community Leaders of America National Conference this past summer.

 Fletcher took Creative Living classes at SLOHS her freshman year and returned her sophomore year to specialize in Fashion Design and join the FCCLA club. After deciding she wanted to compete, Fletcher had to put together four designs and a portfolio following the year’s Rethink Denim theme.

 “For my project I made a strapless black denim dress with a fitted bodice crisscrossed by zippers and an a-line skirt lined with zipper teeth. I made a choker and two bracelets with zippers. I also used the zipper pieces to make earrings,” said Fletcher.

 At competition, designers stand in front of three judges and spend ten minutes pitching their designs. Fletcher and the FCCLA club competed at the Spring Regional Conference earlier this year, where Fletcher placed first and received a medal. At the State Competition in April, she placed first once again.

 “For the first place at state I got a lot of scholarships, a sewing machine, and a trophy. That also qualified me for Nationals which was a week in Nashville over the summer,” said Fletcher.

 At the National Competition, Fletcher experienced a week of meetings, workshops, group sessions, a gala, and a concert. On the day of competition, Fletcher earned 95 points. At the awards ceremony she received a big trophy and found out she had won eighth place overall.

 “[It was] one of the best learning experiences of my life and opened a lot of doors for me, plus I got a dress out of it!” Fletcher said of the experience.