Jayla Dionn Slater is this year’s winner of the College of Communication and Fine Arts Dean’s Outstanding Student Award.

The Fashion student was initially selected to represent the Department of Art.

Here’s how she describes herself.

I was born in raised in Memphis, TN, a city full of music, creativity and life.

My love for fashion grew out of an interest in sewing craft projects and dressing my baby dolls. I soon discovered how diverse this medium of creativity could be and set out of my journey to master it as a way of creative expression.

My fashion design career began with my first runway show, Memphis Fashion Week, when I was 14 years old. I was the youngest designer to participate in the show at that time. From there momentum picked up and I went on to study fashion design with a minor in Japanese at the University of Memphis.

While in school I took on internships and positions ranging from stylist to design assistant as I searched for my voice as a designer.

As of now my design practice is focused on interpreting my surroundings and experiences. I find myself inspired by the impressionist and seek to create “en plein air” using what is around me and capturing the essence and the feelings of each moment.