Gigi Begin
While still in high school, Gigi refined her drawing and painting skills through atelier classes at The Art Students League of New York, where students train with a working artist in a studio setting. Gigi later enrolled at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology where she could combine her artistic skills with her knowledge of clothing design and further develop her sense of color and style in the world of fashion. Shortly after earning a degree in fashion design, Gigi's professional career literally took off. She began traveling the world for iconic designers such as Gloria Vanderbilt, Ellen Tracy and Dana Buchman. Although the lifestyle was glamorous and exciting, Gigi began to realize that the frenetic pace of the fashion world left little time for her artistic expression.
Quiet moments soon became host to a persistent longing. “I wish I were in the country,” she'd say to herself as thoughts of a simpler life evoked images of a quaint village in upstate New York where she would have the time and room for a husband, a family and a creative business of their own. After a decade of fashion shows, clothing lines and merchandising Gigi decided it was time to shift her focus and talents in the pursuit of her dream.