ZOË DAMACELA
Fashion designer Zoë Damacela turned her first profit at just 8 years old. Determined to raise money for a Razor scooter, she sold handmade greeting cards door to door, netting $30 in a single day. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug — and despite living in Section 8 housing — she set her sights on the fashion world as she entered adolescence.
Damacela, 20, credits the Internet with giving her the tools to launch her clothing line while she was still in middle school. “I taught myself to sew by watching YouTube videos,” she says. “Technology allowed me to not need to know anyone. I emailed fashion professors I’d never met. And I actually got some great responses.”
Those responses enabled her to hone her craft — and eventually land a Seventeen cover story, meetings with President Obama and Tyra Banks and a speaking slot at the upcoming TEDx Midwest Youth Event. Now, people from all over the world seek out her ruffled tops and quilted, feminine dresses. “A lot of my orders come from Poland, Ecuador, Colombia and Canada,” says Damacela. “I sell exclusively online. It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made.”
So how does the Northwestern University junior juggle a full-fledged business, two majors, a sorority and a social life? She stays connected, of course. “I actually prefer to sketch on my iPad,” she says, which is where she also accesses her Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. The astronomy minor even admits to scouring the NASA website for sartorial inspiration.