Jane Burson: Fashionista

Fashion designers are often noted for taking inspiration from a variety of sources—the cuts and shapes of an earlier era, the colors of a geographical region, or even something as ethereal as a pop culture reference. It’s the stylish fusion of influences that makes a design successful.

Jane Burson has applied her understanding of that artful amalgamation not only to her clothing designs, but to her entire course of study at the university.

“One of the reasons I came to UT was because it is strong in so many different programs,” says Burson, who graduated in May with degrees in business honors, Plan II and textiles and apparel. The multiple degree plans allowed her to combine her love of fashion with the practicality of a business education from McCombs. She often wove assignments from different classes together, creating her own sort of inter-disciplinary specialty. As a junior, Burson won a University Co-op/George H. Mitchell Award for Academic Excellence for her body of work in textiles and apparel. The crown of her portfolio was a project in which she infused elements of her Plan II thesis about traditional Japanese art and design into her senior fashion line.

“The collection was subtle and had elements of layering and collar-work, combining geometrical and angular lines with an organic and flowing look,” Burson says. “I emphasized sashes around the waist, while incorporating decorative Japanese knots into the designs.”

In March 2007, Burson was one of 20 students selected to show at the Fashion Live! Runway Show celebrating the grand opening of North Austin shopping center The Domain. Former “Project Runway” contestant Michael Knight hosted the event and chose Burson’s flowing ivory silk charmeuse wedding gown as one of the top four designs.

It was a proud moment for Burson, whose forays into fashion date back to her childhood.

“Growing up, playing dress-up was always my favorite thing to do,” she says. “When I got new Barbies, I didn’t really care about the dolls that much, but I thought the clothes were the coolest thing ever.”

Burson credits her parents for giving her full rein in developing her personal style.

“I remember going shopping with my mom and even when I was quite young, my mom would say ‘What do you want to buy?’” says Burson, whose current style has evolved from funky vintage dresses to more classic pieces. “She never said, ‘Oh no, you can’t buy that, that looks terrible.’”

Despite her long history with fashion, Burson is not planning to pursue a career in design.

“Fashion is highly competitive and it takes a lot of capital to start a line,” she says. “If you manage that, then getting promoted and into distribution channels to break even is next to impossible.”

Instead, Burson will put her business degree to work as a consultant for Bain & Company. After a few years in the business world, she may try to develop her own line or earn an advanced degree to teach fashion design.

“I’ve always known that even though I have this love of creativity, I was going to end up taking the conservative route,” Burson says. “Now I am going to take this array of experiences that I’ve had at UT and apply them to the real world.”

- Nariman Ahmed