RADFORD, Va. (WDBJ) "I fell in love with fashion when I was about 7 years old," Mashail Alghamdi said with a smile.
However, she wasn't able to pursue her passion until she came to Radford University.
"Mashail came into this program not really knowing how to sew, maybe a little bit about how to draw," John Jacob, an associate professor in the Department of Design, said.
"I literally started to learn how to sew and do sketches and all the techniques that I'm using now," Alghamdi agreed.
Four years later, she's getting ready to debut her own clothing collection at New York Fashion Week.
"I think this is a good opportunity to be with the big designers," Alghamdi said.
She's also representing her home country of Saudi Arabia in a big way.
"Being in New York Fashion Week, I'll be making history. I'll be the first Saudi designer to make it to New York Fashion Week and that's so exciting."
"This is huge. It's absolutely huge," Jacob said. "It's an exceptional honor and an exceptional opportunity."
Alghamdi says her collection is designed to empower women.
"I want my customer to feel confident, sophisticated, and so powerful when she wears my piece."
She also hopes more woman will pursue their dreams.
"I want to inspire all woman to work on their dreams so hard," Alghamdi said.
