An immigrant from Georgia, Russia, Keti Lagvilava came from humble beginnings and achieved her version of the American Dream. As a little girl, she dreamed of owning her own store and becoming a well-known designer. She exemplifies the myth of the self-made man by coming from her poor home and moving to New York for a better chance. Living in America, she learned to value education. That knowledge also helped her to succeed in her efforts and rise to the occasion when any given opportunity came her way. Now as a designer and business owner, Keti empowers other young, aspiring artists to not give up on their dreams. When Keti was young, her mother and sisters taught her how to sew and embroider. A family tradition, they passed on their skills to the younger girls in the family with hopes that they would continue to pass on their knowledge as…show more content… After wearing most of her own designs, her boss saw her potential and allowed her to start working on alterations. Using what she already knew Keti did not have any formal or technical training and decided to go back to school. She learned about pattern making and garment construction as well as various design and art themes. Quitting her job at the drycleaners, Keti tried her hand at fit modeling. The purpose of a fit model was for a designer to check the drape and fit of a garment before completely finishing the product. Her experience as a fit model enabled her to catch her lucky break by becoming a technical designer for Federated department stores, or what is now known as Macy’s. Her job was to make clothes mass producible for the mass market. This meant checking the details and measurements of a garment and processing how an article of clothing can cost less. Wanting to succeed, Keti had no time to waste and had cut off most communication with her family. She worked her way up to become a product developer and gained even more experience and made even more
