We’ve seen it happen more than once here at Siba—a student enrolls in a program with a very specific career goal in mind, and while in school, decides to change paths because a particular project or class introduces them to a previously unknown passion. And thus they are launched on a whole new trajectory. That was the case for Kinley Brady, the subject of this Siba Spotlight.
In 2018, while working toward her Associate’s degree in Retail Management/Fashion Merchandising, Brady was enrolled in Siba’s Fashion Promotion class. Her instructor, Brainchild Events CEO Dwight Carter, introduced the class project, which happened to be the entire production behind his Pins & Needles event, a well-known and longstanding design competition in the St. Louis region.
Brady’s assignment was to create the flyers for the show: “I had no prior experience with this sort of thing, but I really enjoyed making things come together on a page.”
Her work impressed her instructor so much that he invited Brady to intern for his company, Brainchild Events, so that she could help him with other projects he was producing. Among the items on her to-do list were social media, creating graphics, event planning, and managing events, and Carter said she accepted every task with enthusiasm. Coincidentally, Brady was also finishing up her Retail/Fashion degree when she discovered an equally strong passion for the graphic design tasks she’d been assigned. “I figured if I was enjoying doing a lot of graphics [for Brainchild Events], I might as well hone my craft. So far, graphic design and fashion kind of come together beautifully for me.”
That is when Brady decided to create her own unique educational resume by combining her newly earned AAS in Retail/Fashion with with an Associate’s degree in Graphic Design. She continues to intern for Brainchild Events, bringing new artistic skills and techniques to the table each time she completes another academic term.
Her boss, Dwight Carter, sees a lot of potential in Brady, “She can take an idea and communicate it very well through her artwork. I have never had anyone on my team that could design a flyer, poster and social media posts from scratch.”
Fitting in her homework with such a multi-faceted job takes effort, “Balancing school & work can be a struggle sometimes. I had a really hard time with it at first, but over the course of the last few months I’ve started to find a system that works for me when it comes to doing both. I make sure I do a little bit of work each day, and most weeks I wait until the weekend to do my homework.”
So what’s on the horizon for Brady and the rest of the team at Brainchild Events? That would be the second installment of Fashion Anarchy, a new event that challenges local designers to create a look inspired by St. Louis’ Garment District in just 48 hours. On July 18th, Siba will host the VIP reception for the competition, with the main show immediately following at St. Louis Fashion Fund, just a few doors down from the college. According to Brady, it’s an event you don’t want to miss, “The designers only have two days to create something, so it’s a HUGE time crunch and can be a really great challenge as well as a learning experience for them. It’s amazing to see the end results.”
When asked about her future goals, it’s no surprise Brady is looking forward to something with a little variety. “I really can’t see myself settling into one thing. In ten years, I hope to be self-employed, working on projects that incorporate the worlds of both fashion & graphics” We at Siba are so excited to see where Kinley’s path takes her!
