Between the constant studying and ongoing slew of extracurricular activities, the average college student barely has enough time to think, let alone start his or her own fashion line. However, students like Brittany Henderson and Helen Geary show there is always  an exception.
Brittany Henderson, freshman biological sciences major, started her own clothing line, Panache Flair, last summer. The brand’s signature beanies are seen amongst many on campus with popular urban vernacular such as  “Dope” or “Ju.” Now, the line is branching into customizing and reconstructing such items as denim shorts and bustiers.
“I woke up one morning, and I thought ‘I wanna design things,'” Henderson said. “I saw shirts and shorts from different boutiques that have the simple studding that you can buy from Ebay or Amazon, and they’re selling them for $40 to $50, and I do it at half that price.”
Henderson aspires to go into a more high fashion route, but currently she does more of a “Do It Yourself” style of designing.
“I draw a lot of dresses, and I’d love to do more couture one day. My favorite designer, Sherri Hill, does a lot of prom dresses that way,” Henderson said, “but currently I’m going the more D.I.Y. route.”
Henderson has even been asked to feature her designs in fashion shows and is currently working on designs for some celebrity clientele.
 ”A friend in Dallas asked me to feature some of my designs, and rapper EMI contacted me via Twitter to sketch some samples for his clothing line,” Henderson said.
The one thing that constantly peeves yet laughably intrigues Henderson is the pronunciation of her line.
“People always asks, ‘How do you pronounce it,’ and I get so many pronunciation errors with it. It’s pronounced ‘pa-nash,'” Henderson said with a chuckle. “It means flamboyant, and flair, of course, is style.”
Helen Geary, sophomore psychology major, runs her own denim line, Dover Road Denim, based on the classic Americana look with which jeans are associated. Her passion for design, art and the South are reflected heavily within her line.
“The name comes from my family’s farm where all of my childhood pictures are of me on a bale of hay or a cotton field in overalls and denim jeans,” Geary said with a wry smile. “That’s where I got my love of denim from.”
Geary said her inspiration is heavily influenced by iconography and old advertisements from the past.
“I love the ’60s and ’70s,” Henderson said. “Like the Bruce Springsteen cover with just his butt in the jeans. That shows you that there’s nothing better than a pair of jeans.”
Geary said the company signature would have to be classic denim shorts.
“I love making shorts, but not short-shorts or the studded shorts. They’re cute and trendy, but I love the classic American shorts,” Geary said.
Geary is interested making DRD a business but said she will wait and see what happens.
“Maybe I’ll do my own thing one day,” Geary said hopefully. “I got a couple years to figure it out. I’ll just wait and see where it goes and see where the good Lord takes me.”
Though aesthetically different, both talented designers price all of their items $30 or less depending on the item and/or customization.
To purchase items from Panache Flair, visit their Instagram profile for more information. To purchase items from DRD visit their Facebook profile for more information.