From the track to the runway, senior Annaliese Black is closing out her final year of high school by balancing athletics, academics and fashion. While beginning her senior season as a thrower for the track and field team, Black is also preparing to represent her work on a global stage as a Junk Kouture world finalist for her dress, “Sea of Plastics,” in Dublin, Ireland, this spring.
“Junk Kouture is a worldwide competition in which 60 students from six different countries, create designs based off of sustainability, and so it’s 100% recycled materials into an outfit,” Black said.
Black’s interest in design began at a young age, growing from a hobby to a passion that now shapes her life both in and out of school. In addition to competing in track, she runs her own design and floral-focused Instagram accounts and works as a florist on weekends.
“I’ve always loved to do [sewing]. I can’t remember a specific time, I remember my mom taught me when I was really young to hand sew, then it was like I’ve always loved it. I always made stuffed animals and little things, but then I got a sewing machine at the very beginning of this year. I’ve only been sewing with the sewing machine for a couple months, less than a year,” Black said.
As a Junk Kouture finalist, Black not only designed her dress but also modeled it herself, taking on additional challenges throughout the process, unlike many others competing.
“It was pretty difficult [being the model] because my mannequin is not the same size as me. Obviously, it’s a lot smaller, so I had to figure out different ways of putting it on myself, and not having a partner was really difficult. I’m having a lot of fun doing it by myself, but honestly, it would definitely be easier if I had someone else,” Black said.
While Junk Kouture has opened doors in the fashion world, Black plans to continue using design as a foundation for her future career, blending creativity with business.
“I plan on being a florist right now. I’m going to have my associate’s degree in business, and become a florist and own my own business,” Black said.
Looking ahead, Black sees the competition as more than a single event, viewing it as a stepping stone toward long-term opportunities in both creative and professional fields. As Black prepares for the international competition, she continues to share her designs and floral work online, allowing others to follow her journey.
“I’m really just excited to see what it brings in the future, because they do different events where they’ll fly you back and stuff. So this is going to open a whole new door for me, and I might decide maybe I do want to do this full-time. But I’m also excited because I’m getting my real estate license when I get back from Ireland, and then I can start making money so that I can start my floral business just a few months later,” Black said.
