The world of fashion design is sprinkled with bits of fabric, thread and high-heel shoes, spurts of inspiration and splashes of color. While many just dream of becoming a designer, two Baldwin County students are one step closer to making their dreams a reality.

Erin Killian, of Foley, a sophomore at Foley High School and Erin Thomas, of Daphne, a junior at Spanish Fort High School were chosen as two of 40 finalists in the Birmingham Fashion Week’s Rising Design Star competition.

The students’ designs, chosen from submissions by 80 middle-school and high-school students from across the state, will be displayed at the Rising Design Star Exhibit in the Birmingham Museum of Art through Feb. 10.

From there, the teens will have the opportunity to compete at the next level. From the 40 finalists, 30 designs will be selected to showcase on the runway at Birmingham Fashion Week 2013, while competing for $1,000 in scholarships.

“The designs we have received this year have blown us away with their fashion sense and creativity,” according to Jeanna Lee Fleming, Co-Founder of Birmingham Fashion Week. “These students, ranging from 11 to 18 years old, are already well on the way to becoming the next hot designers in New York City and this competition can be the catalyst that propels their dreams forward.”

Killian’s concept for the design is a colorful dress made of comic books. The top is held together with chicken wire and paper mache, and covered with brightly painted coffee filters and cupcake cups. The skirt is held together by a bubble umbrella with colorful comic book strips flowing down. Below the strips are red tissue flowers, and the models are wearing matching tissue flower head bands, Kimberlee Brooks of KC Projects explained.

Killian said that the design speaks from her own style and personality.

“My style is more beachy and skater, very laid back and relaxing,” she revealed. “I want to bring an acknowledgement to fashion, showing that you can still look classy and dressy, but still have the edgy look of a skater or the laid back look of a beach goer.”

Brooks said that Thomas’ design concept is a dress made of a heavy duty garbage bag that wraps around the upper half and is secured with staples. The bottom consists of rows of coffee filters taped together.

Thomas divulged some of her inspiration for designing.

“My interest in fashion design is fairly recent, actually,” she began. “It all started my sophomore year of high school when I was asked to design the color guard uniform; since then, I've been hooked on designing clothes. What really inspires me to draw clothes is to compliment the wearer or the wearer's occasion, when I am asked to design something specific, but when I am coming up with clothes on my own I tend to draw inspiration from my mood. If I'm happy, then what I design will certainly reflect that.”

When asked how it feels to be selected as a finalist, Thomas replied, “It feels exciting, overwhelming and a little bit surreal overall. This contest was sprung on me a little late, and I hadn't really thought about what I would do if I actually made it, so the fact that something I designed and made is going into a museum is absolutely amazing.”

Killian agreed.

“It feels unreal; it’s such an amazing opportunity and privilege to be able to do this,” she said. “Even if I don't win, I'm still very proud of myself that I have made it this far.”

Killian said that her pride stems from a life-long fascination with fashion design and that she’s thankful to those who’ve supported her dream.

“I’ve always been interested in fashion and art,” she recalled. “My Family Consumer Science Teacher, Miss. Smith, is the person that truly motivated me to go through with the competition. She showed me the requirements online and had helped me throughout the whole process.”

Thomas explained that she hopes to succeed because she feels she has a unique perspective to offer.

“To be honest, there aren't very many people like me, or perhaps I just haven't met them, but I doubt they would go into the world of fashion,” she said. “What I believe sets me apart from the numerous aspiring fashion designers I have met is that I'm more concerned with how the clothes look on real people than how I look or am seen. I have a different view on fashion overall: the whole point of clothes is to make the wearer look and feel good. I know that when I try on a new style of shirt and it fits me just right, it is one of the best feelings in the world. It seems that many fashion designers have lost sight of that objective, and I would love to bring it back.”

She said that she’s thrilled to be a part of Rising Design Star and hopes that this is the first of many steps toward a bright future.

“Being accepted into this program is a huge honor on its own; any art college that saw this on my resume would most likely be impressed,” she explained. “Having one of the top 30 designs out of an entire state is one of the highest accolades I have received and I hope that any work place or school that I apply to will see its merit. I'm not exactly sure what I want for the future, but I know that art is going to be a big part of it and having this experience and working with such foreign materials will greatly aid me in all of my artistic endeavors from here on out.”

Thomas said that she hopes this opportunity is the start of a career in fashion design.

“Having this opportunity will give me more exposure as a designer and it would look great on a college application,” she beamed. “My dream is to attend The Art Institute in SanDiego, Calif. and major in fashion design, then come back to Gulf Shores and open my own little boutique called ‘Rip tides.’”

BFW benefits Camp Smile-A-Mile, a year-round program for children in Alabama with cancer, along with Alabama Forever, an organization that was founded to help Alabama communities in need, in response to the April 27, 2011 tornadoes. The third annual runway event will be held Feb. 23 – March 2. For more details and a full schedule of events, visit bhamfashionweek.com.