Mekenna Hartweg is a recent fashion design graduate of Parsons the New School for Design. Her favorite part of designing is the craft of creating the clothing, and that reflects in her work. She loves to sew, and to incorporate embroidery, smocking, pleating, and small touches of embellishment, among many other handwork techniques. Along with the influence of craft, she is inspired most by feelings, characters, and personas, particularly ones reflecting ideas of freedom. She loves stories of people who boldly lived life the way that they wanted to; images that convey a strong sense of joyful abandon, nostalgia, or recklessness; or watching children innocently make up wildly imaginative stories and creations. She is most interested in creating garments that can convey this type of inspiration, and are then able to embody the same spirit, whether it is through the way that they are constructed, fabricated, decorated, styled, etc. Dress is an integral part of everyday life, and Mekenna plans to continue exploring different ways of making clothing that is truly enjoyable to wear. By translating her personal ideas of what freedom means through her work, she hopes that whoever is wearing her clothing will feel free to do things like work, dance, travel, or whip them off.