Phoenix Fashion weeks starts Thursday and for budding designers it’s a dream to be accepted...but it’s tough work.
Designer Lily Scalf is gearing up to show her first collection at the three-day event.
She is part of a group of 13 people chosen from all over the US for Phoenix's emerging designer boot camp.
There are homework assignments and challenges and the goal is to make the designers’ passion for fashion into a viable business.
"They just take you through the process of going from small time to being manufactured," Scalf says.
Hundreds apply for the chance to be part of the boot camp but Scalf admits it's no walk in the park.
"You see all the pictures on Instagram and it looks so glamorous and exciting when really you're just completely stressed out,” she says.
It's a far cry from where she started in Peoria, Illinois. "About three years ago I taught myself how to sew."
That self-drive is what's pushing her during Phoenix Fashion Week and even beyond.
Scalf says, “The end goal of course is New York Fashion Week".
For more information on Phoenix Fashion Week visit www.phoenixfashionweek.com
