Kristin Cash became a fashion designer almost by accident. “I think the first thing I made was a Halloween costume because I couldn’t find anything to wear,” she said, “so I just made my own.” She bought a pattern from the store, changed it a little and made a corset and a frilly tulle skirt—the perfect costume for a pixie fairy.

When she wore the outfit to school, she got noticed. “People would see it and say, ‘where did you get that,’ and I’d say, ‘I made it,’” she said. Seeing how much people liked her designs, she started making more- without any formal training. “I taught myself completely,” she said.

So how did she learn to design on her own? “Some of it I just made up,” she said. She also Googled a lot, read some books her mother bought her and asked her grandmother, a sewer, for help. “It was definitely hard because I don’t exactly know what I’m doing, but it was really fun to me,” she said. “I really just kind of did it.”

Earlier this year, Kristin used her talent for a good cause, designing and hosting a fashion show to benefit the Jonathan B. Angelone Foundation, which educates kids about cancer.

Using Project Runway as her inspiration, Kristin starting planning the show, with the help of her teachers, family, and friends. One of her favorite teachers worked at Excess Studios, where Kristin held the show. A friend provided the music, her girlfriends modeled the clothes, and local businesses donated tuxedos for the guys, desserts and little gifts for her guests. But Kristin was responsible for creating the designs.

“It was so much work,” she said.  She finished sewing her last dress the morning of the show. She ended up creating 17 original designs in three categories,  innocent, elegant and edgy.  It was a lot of hard work, but “it was fun,” she said.

It was also for a good cause.

“Jonathan Angelone went to my high school,” Kristin said. “He was friends with my sister. He was diagnosed with cancer during his freshman year of college. His parents began the Jonathan B. Angelone foundation to inspire people to ‘Just Be Aware’ and to promote the early detection of cancer in people of all ages. I wanted to incorporate that into it, just so that it had something behind the fashion show,” she said. “Just so that it had a point to it.”

She also had Crazy Pitches, the a capella singing group Jonathan had been a part of, sing in between each category. “So it all kind of worked together,” she said.

They ended up raising $2,000.

Check out her designs here (move your cursor over each photo for info. on the model)

(Photographer:  Brandon Kornprobst)

Kristin is now an 18-year-old freshman at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she’s majoring in fashion. hg nyc caught up with Kristin during Fashion Week to see what she’s been up to recently.

Hg: Hi Kristin! Congrats on getting accepted to Pratt. How’s it been so far?

KC: It’s fun. The first week was kind of boring, I guess because we were getting introduced to the classes and everything. But, it’s going to be fun.

Hg: With so many fashion institutes in NY, why’d you choose Pratt?

KC: Pratt’s like one of the top schools. There’s Parsons, Pratt and FIT. Pratt is a really nice place, there’s a campus, which you really can’t find in New York; it has a nice environment, nice people. People just have fun, they’re all friends, there’s no competition. You also get to meet everyone from different majors like architecture, industrial design and photography, film, so you’re not just focused on fashion.

Hg: So what inspires your designs?

KC: Things I see, buildings, people.  Even if it’s other designers- I might see something and like it, but- I’ll change something about it. I like making things for specific people to wear, not just designing in general.

Hg: Who are you favorite designers?

KC: I love Betsey Johnson, her clothes are just fun. Bottega Veneta, whose clothes are every elegant. Christian Siriano from Project Runway, I love him. I like fun stuff.

Hg: What’s the hardest part about fashion design?

KC: Not knowing what I’m actually doing. For the fashion show, it was hard getting stuff out on time and finding time to design.

Hg: Do you think you’ll do another fashion show?

KC: Right now I’m focused on school. I don’t know if I’ll have time to do another fashion show. People at home were saying they want to make it an annual thing, but I don’t think so.

Hg: What’s your take on personal style?

KC: I like seeing other people wear whatever they like to wear, whatever makes them happy. I’m not really into that whole “colors for fall and you have to be in black or gray for winter” thing. Wear what you want, be happy!

Hg: What about your own style?

KC: Really just comfortable. I don’t have a specific style because I’ll just wear whatever. I shop cheap. I’ll do like H&M sometimes, Forever 21, Target for the basics, but I go cheap. I do not spend a lot of money on stuff. I’m a sale girl.

Hg: Did you go to Fashion’s Night Out?

KC: Yes and it was so much fun! We saw Taylor Momsen from GG, April from ANTM, and Lindsay Lohan. It was a fun night. We didn’t buy anything, we just walked around, but it was fun.

Hg: So what’s next for you? Maybe starting your own label…

KC: I really just kind of decided I love lingerie. It’s fun to look at and pretty. So that’s what I want to do- design lingerie. Only, I haven’t had the time. I’m thinking of naming the label Cashio- it was my great-grandparents’ name before they changed it; and it’s Italian and pretty.

Hg: Any advice for aspiring designers?

KC: If you love what you do and you want to do it, try anything. Figure out how you’re going to get to where you want to be and eventually you’ll figure it out and be happy.