1. Who are you? What were you like as a young child?

I’m Grace Rose, I am a clothing designer and a performer. I love musical theater and I’m obsessed with Sim’s and building houses. I go to open houses in my free time because I love real estate too. I am an advocate and spokesperson for Cystic Fibrosis and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. I am a believer in giving back and helping others! PS. I also have a pug and I’m kind of obsessed with them too. As a young child my mom says I was very energetic and always making people laugh. I also had an alter ego, lol, which is how I got the name Rosie G – for my clothing line.

2.You have been designing clothes for the runway for years, how was Rosie G conceived?

Yes! My mom and I have been fashion designers for a long time. I have been designing clothes since I was two years old and my mom started as a young adult. When I was born with Cystic Fibrosis my mom held fashion show fundraisers every year to raise money and awareness. I was always very involved. When I was 10 years old (at my 10th Annual Fundraiser) I got more involved and helped out. I wanted to design the whole collection myself. By the end of the show we auctioned off a couple of the pieces and people were wondering where they could buy them year-round and we went started a website and went from there.

3. Tell us about the life of a fashion designer.

I draw and sketch when I’m doing my treatments or when I have an idea. My sketchbook is by my desk, then we put together a storyboard with some ideas colors fabric and inspiration. We have to find fabrics so we go downtown to see textile vendors. It’s really hard to narrow down styles once I’ve got so many ideas but that’s important for cost. We sample styles and I fit them, I organize the photo shoot and then when we create a line sheet I show them to store buyers like Nordstrom! Once we get the orders we determine which styles to pattern and produce. It’s a long process and I overlook all of it with help from my mom, of course.

4. What have been the biggest challenges & biggest gains with having Cystic Fibrosis?

Some of the challenges of having CF are my daily hour-long treatments and my medications. Taking all of the meds and going to see all of the doctors and missing time with friends, school or sleepovers. Some of the best things are I get so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t have CF such as my clothing line and public speaking. I love being on stage which is helpful when I have to speak about my cause. I also get to meet so many wonderful people who are all passionate about helping others in so many creative ways.

5. You left New Orleans (after Katrina) for LA, what are the biggest differences in the two cities?

When I was little I used to say I lived in New Orleans and went to school in Los Angeles and people used to laugh and say “wow what a commute”. But I love it!  We go back all the time because most of my family is there. New Orleans has a lot of character – it’s an old soul, and the food is AMAZING. I love LA too. There’s so much to do here. There are so many different things I love to do like performing and fashion that are easy to access here. I also love the beach and the hikes are so beautiful. It’s really nice to have so much nature in a big city. The weather just puts the cherry on the top.

6. Who and what are your biggest inspirations in life and design?

My mom is my biggest inspiration in Life and Pinterest is my biggest inspiration in design. Ha ha. I get inspired by researching what’s trending, what my friends are wearing and what they are into – which can be hard because it’s always changing.

7. You are a major sponsor and fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. Tell us about your events and what you hope to achieve?

I have my Big CF Fundraiser once a year at the end of the summer. It’s usually at a really fun venue like the Houdini Estate or CBS Studios. We work on it for almost a year because we have to get a venue a theme, sponsors, vendors and auction items. We also have to cast & produce a fashion show! I love coming up with a theme and figuring out everything from the invite design to hair and makeup ideas. It’s a creative outlet that can help distract me from actually having CF and help at the same time. I also have smaller events throughout the year. I speak, sing and host the live auction part of the largest CF fundraiser in California. It’s called Winemasters, it’s adults only but they raise over a million dollars for CF in one night. That inspires me to do the same! I am also a spokesperson and Ambassador for Children’s Hospital LA (where I’m a patient). I’m actually the only patient AND corporate sponsor. I participate in their big Make March Matter campaign and use Rosie G (my clothing line) to help raise money for the hospital. Stay tuned for that event coming soon…

8. Theater is your other love, what are you currently working on and what is your ultimate dream?

In Theater I’m currently working on the show A Chorus Line and I play Judy Turner. I love the character so much. She cracks me up and it’s hard to play her without laughing at myself. Broadway is my ultimate dream!

9. Name a song that best describes you.

A song that best describes me would be ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ because when I’m set on something I work hard on it and I will not let anyone mess it up for me – especially something I’m passionate about.

10. Where do you see GR in five years?

In five years I hope to see myself at Yale in the Performing Arts Program and taking Business classes. I really want to live in New York City and hopefully have a showroom and my adult, kids, accessories, and beauty lines. Maybe even retail locations! And of course, I would love to have a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

Models: Grace Rose, Grace Wethor, Jillian Shea Spaeder and Hannah McCloud