As he swiped down the screen, junior Luis Torres’ eyes flashed with admiration. Bright lights of supermodel’s green rooms and runway stages moved through the videos he watched. He had always been an artistic person. He’s been involved in photography and film, but fashion design never seemed to spark an interest in Torres until that moment.

After that, he enrolled in the Fashion Design class and unknowingly fell into his passion.

“I really loved it,” Torres said. “I really got into it.”

In the class, he let his inspiration and creativity run across dozens of pages of designs. His sketches blew himself and his classmates away. But his artistic ability wasn’t only 2-dimensional, he also takes pride in his own personal style.

During school, Torres likes to keep his style relaxed. Reflecting his environment, he says he keeps his external expression “mellow.” Once outside of school, he uses that freedom to experiment with his presentation.

“I was really interested in wearing unique clothing, like yesterday I literally wore a crop top,” Torres said. “I’d definitely describe my fashion as out of the box but still in the norm.”

He hadn’t considered it before, but after seeing the amazement in the eyes of his classmates, he began to see those bright lights and runway stages in his future.

“I shocked myself,” Torres said. “I was like ‘Wow, I could actually do this.’”

Six years deep into friendship, Torres and sophomore Armando Palacios flipped through racks of clothing in a storefront inside the mall. The two friends grabbed items occasionally, exchanging things that would look best on each other.

Ever since the day Torres told his friend that he wanted to pursue fashion, Palacios has wholeheartedly supported him.

“He’s always been such a big fashion person, he’s always had a good sense of style and he has really cute clothing,” Palacios said. “When he told me [he was joining Fashion Design] I was like ‘Go for it. Why not? It’s your dream.’”

Palacios says he likes his extraordinary friend’s designs because of their originality. He praises Torres on his ability to be inspired, but not steal from other’s expression.

“He has his own sense of style and he doesn’t let other people define what he does,” Palacios said. “If he finds something he likes, then yeah, he’ll wear a fur coat or a sensible pair of heels.”

He draws inspiration from his style icons, like Justin Bieber’s fashion in 2013 and a genderbent version of Nicki Minaj, Torres began taking classes at the Art Institute of Dallas for Fashion Marketing. Although he’s only a junior, he’s determined to bring his designs to life as a stylist for red carpet events.

“Surprisingly, I’ve gotten a lot of positivity and encouragement to do it, to follow that path,” Torres said. “A lot of people definitely say it fits my personality and that I should go for it because…they don’t imagine me going to a 9-5 job.”

To those not in Torres’ shoes, fashion can seem abstract. Clothing doesn’t seem like more than what it is, threads and colors woven into simple patterns. But personal style and high fashion have a much greater definition to the future stylist.

“I like fashion because you can express yourself through your clothing without really saying anything,” Torres said. “It gives you a little more freedom to define your true self.”

Torres loves the freedom that fashion gives individuals to be themselves. He wants people to know that although it’s not a traditional job, that doesn’t mean it won’t work out for him or anyone else who dreams lie with clothing and colors.

“Don’t let anybody stop your pathway towards whatever you want,” Torres said. “This is definitely a steady career because fashion never dies.”