MSU apparel and textile major, Jillian Granz, entered a contest founded by Suzy Amis Cameron (wife of James Cameron). The prize? Cameron promised to wear the winning design to the 82nd Academy Awards on March 7th. Jillian was kind enough to do an A-Line interview, despite her busy schedule (and the fact that we are Wolverines).

1. Did you always know that you wanted to go into fashion?

I have always loved fashion and I have always been artistic. When I was really young, my parents used to put me in art classes and I was really into it. In highschool, my school offered Contemporary Fashion courses and I took them my junior and senior year. That is sort of when I fell in love with sewing. I actually applied under a different program for MSU mainly because I had no idea that you could take fashion classes here! When I found out that MSU did have a fashion program, I was having a hard time deciding if that is what I really wanted to do. At freshman orientation, I decided that fashion was going to be the right route for me.

2. How do you think you have changed as an apparel and textile design major since freshman year?

Since freshman year, I think that I have definitely developed more as a designer. I started off doing really marketable designs and eventually find my own style and design aesthetic.

3. It’s huge news that your dress will be worn by Suzy Amis Cameron! How did that come to be?

For a class that I am taking this semester called Special Topics: Innovative Approaches to Apparel Design, one of our projects was to create a sustainable look. What a better way to get students’ attention than to have them submit their designs into a contest and have them design for an actual person, right? So, we had to do quite a bit of research on sustainable design and research the client (Suzy Amis Cameron) as well. It was an international contest and I never thought that someone from MSU, let alone me, would win. There were so many great people that submitted work.

4. What are your parents and peers saying about it?

Everyone is really, really excited for me!

5. Any hints as to what the dress will look like?

I really can’t say, but I wish I could! But, we all want it to be a surprise when Suzy gets out onto the red carpet just like any other celebrity at the Academy Awards.

6. What are you going to think when you see your dress on the red carpet?

I really have no idea how I am going to feel. I am really excited to see Suzy in the dress. I’m so honored that she will be wearing something that I designed.

7. Where are you going to be watching the Oscars? Are you going to be in attendance?

This is a really hard question to answer! Hopefully soon, I will be able to give you a better answer. I know that I will be in LA at some point and there has been talk about extending my stay in Los Angeles so that I will be there during the OScars. I hope to attend, but I’m not entirely sure yet!

8. Tell us about the eco-friendly approach with the contest?

Well, the competition is eco-friendly because it was to raise money for Suzy’s school, MUSE, which is a school that teaches kids how to be eco-friendly. My dress is considered eco-friendly because it uses no-waste patterning, meaning that it utilizes all of the fabric and not wasting anything. It made for a really interesting design detail on the dress.

9. Who inspired you to go into fashion?

No one really inspired me. I just took the courses in high school and really enjoyed them!

10. Random question: Did you see Avatar?

Yes, I did!

11. What is your favorite fashion trend right now? Least favorite?

There are so many, I really dont think that I could chose! Right now, I love how people are becoming really open-minded when it comes to what they are wearing. I credit a lot of that to Lady Gaga and her fashion choices!

12. What do you hope to do upon graduation?

I really am still not sure! Up until a few weeks ago, I was really freaking out about this. Hopefully winning the competition will open up a lot of doors for me.

13. What are you going to miss most about leaving MSU?

I’ll miss the people the most about MSU. Our professors are really great and we all become so close-knit in the major because we spend so much time together.

14. Where do you see yourself in the future?

I hope to one day have my own fashion line! We’ll see!

Whether or not James Cameron’s “Avatar” takes home the Academy Award, Jillian Granz is no doubt a winner! Congratulations to Jillian on winning Suzy Amis Cameron’s design competition. We can’t wait to see the design in a few weeks on the red carpet.