Though designer clothes, outfits from magazines and red carpet ensembles capture the attention of many teens, senior Megan Ortiz disregards the norm by designing unique clothes that portray her funky sense of style.

“I discovered I had a knack for creating things sophomore year when I was in home ec.,” Ortiz said. “I began to look at clothes differently and try to figure out how I could make things cuter or more exciting.”

While an elaborate design can take a lot of work and effort, the finished project gives Ortiz a feeling of accomplishment.

“My favorite part of designing is the end result,” Ortiz said. “I love wearing my creations or giving them away. When people compliment my creations, it gives me a huge feeling of satisfaction.”

While inspiration can come from many different sources, Ortiz’s main encouragement comes from a Web site with videos and design examples.

“One of my inspirations is the Web site threadbanger,” Ortiz said. “It is very original and really helps me to imagine and create. It shows all different ideas and video clips of creative things to design.”

Although she currently views her creations as a hobby, Ortiz hopes to make her passion into a career.

“I want to go to the Institute of Portland and major in apparel design,” Ortiz said. “After that I want to have my own boutique and my own brand of clothes.”

Friend and admirer Kristina Palmer applauds Megan’s talent and ability.

“I really like her designs because they are unique,” Palmer said. “She made me a shirt and it is my favorite shirt because I have never seen another shirt like it before and it is really creative.”

Palmer is confident in the expansion of Ortiz’s potential career.

“I definitely believe she has the potential to be a professional designer,” Palmer said. “She is one of those people who can do anything once she puts her mind to it. She is very determined.”

During the four years since Ortiz began designing clothes, she made her favorite creation: a blue and pink dress.

“I recently created my first dress and it is my favorite item so far,” Ortiz said. “I had an old dress that I cut up and put extra blue fabric on the top and pink fabric on the bottom. It took about three hours to make. But the end result was definitely worth it because I love to wear it.”

While juggling a busy school schedule and varsity tennis commitments, opportunities for Ortiz to design often occur on weekends.

“I don’t really have a set time to work on my sewing but whenever I get inspired by a picture or a theme, I will sit down and work for two to three hours creating my idea,” Ortiz said. “Usually my inspirations come randomly but I am still trying to discover the theme of my creations and a unique look that will set them apart from the average designs.”

For more information on clothing and styles, visit Cydney Curtis’ Sept. 15 article, School ushers student spenders.