The Knightly News

Freshman Maddy Gostomski.

Mercedes-Benz fashion week: massively publicized and widely renowned, it is the premier fashion event in the world.  The best of the best travel to New York City semiannually to live in the limelight.  It takes extraordinary talent to design or model for the event: and freshman Maddy Gostomski got to experience walking the runway in NYC this past summer.

Having started her modeling career about a year and a half ago, Gostomski wasn’t thrown into the event blindfolded—but she was surprised by the extent of her participation.  Knowing of her aspiration to become a designer––and that 14 is pretty young to walk the runway––Gostomski’s manager offered her an internship doing small jobs at the show.  But it pays to be in the right place at the right time.  “I was helping out at a casting call when they needed an extra model,” Gostomski said.  “I was available, so they put me in the clothing.  My manager worked out all the paperwork, and I got to walk in the show.”

To be in high school and gain this experience is highly unusual.  With most models starting their careers at 16, Gostomski is already two years ahead of the game.  “Most of the interns there were in college or at FIT [The Fashion Institute of Technology],” she said, “so to be in high school and get this opportunity was unbelievable.”

Besides working two jobs—modeling and interning—Gostomski was able to make many new connections in the fashion world.  She even met one of her inspirations, Shaun Ross, an albino and African American model who happened to be walking in the same Nina Athasieu show.  She was also surrounded by many other older models who were surprised by her young age, but were, according to Gostomski, “so sweet” and “so supportive.”  And if that wasn’t enough, she even got the chance to sit down and talk with one of her favorite designers, Project Runway-winner Korto Momolu.

“Overall, the three days I was there were so amazing, and it was such a great learning experience,” Gostomski said.  Whether she ends up modeling or designing, with this job under her belt, it’s safe to say we can all look forward to seeing more great things come from Gostomski in the world of fashion.