A 2025 Fashion Scholarship Fund Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholar, Sara Balanta is a Public Relations student at USC Annenberg, where she has shaped her college experience around storytelling, collaboration, and community. She currently works as a Global Digital Marketing Intern at Sony Pictures Entertainment, contributing to creative campaigns that reach audiences around the world.
Sara’s approach to fashion grows from a love of shared expression—the conversations that happen while getting ready with friends, the family rituals that form our earliest sense of style, the confidence that grows when fashion feels personal and lived-in. She believes deeply in making sustainability feel inviting and accessible, especially for young people discovering their own style. Below, she reflects on the influences that shaped her perspective, the mentors who have supported her growth, and the future she hopes to help build.
Fashion Scholarship Fund: What is your earliest memory of being inspired by fashion?
Sara Balanta: Growing up, my favorite part of watching The Nutcracker with my family was always the costumes. I loved seeing how designers used clothing to build entire worlds. I also look forward to the costume design category during the Oscars every year.
FSF: Who or what has influenced your fashion journey the most?
SB: During my junior year, I took a writing class on communication for sustainability. I researched fast fashion cycles and textile regeneration efforts, and I learned about community leaders in Ghana, Chile, and Pakistan who were upcycling discarded garment bundles. That research sparked my fascination with circular fashion.
FSF: If you could collaborate with any three designers or creative leaders, who would they be and why?
SB: Law Roach, Milena Canonero, and Zac Posen. They each have a strong connection to culture and storytelling, and their work has shaped visual language across film, media, and fashion.
NBA office visit at EMEA HQ in London, UK. Photo courtesy of Sara Balanta
FSF: How would you describe your personal style?
SB: Earth-tones, chunky Doc Martens, and mismatched socks.
FSF: What are three things you can’t live without?
SB: Modern Family watch parties with my family, dinners with friends, and books.
FSF: What is a quote or mantra that guides you?
SB: “The time will pass anyway.” It helps me stay motivated to learn, even when progress feels slow, because growth takes time.
FSF: What role has mentorship played in your journey?
SB: My FSF mentor, Hannah Harris, has opened doors for me across the cosmetics industry and connected me with professionals in several fields I want to explore. A former FSF Scholar herself, she went on to launch Brown Girl Hands, an inclusive content studio reshaping representation in beauty. She’s been recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, and her encouragement—especially her feedback on my own emerging projects—has given me the confidence to keep building toward the work I hope to launch in the future.
FSF: What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your fashion journey so far?
SB: The FSF experience in New York taught me how valuable connection is. I met Scholars and Alumni I still keep in touch with, and that network has become a meaningful source of support and inspiration.
FSF: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
SB: “Just start.” I used to spend too much time trying to perfect projects before sharing them. My mentor encouraged me to move forward and publish my first social post, and it taught me that progress happens through doing.
FSF: What do you want your impact on the fashion industry to be?
SB: I hope to make sustainable fashion more accessible and exciting. I want to help people feel confident in what they wear and make second-hand shopping a natural, welcomed choice.
FSF: What are the biggest issues you’d like the fashion industry to address?
SB: I’d like to see more partnerships between major retailers and second-hand platforms. Many shopping spaces still don’t offer circular fashion options.
FSF: What’s the most valuable skill the Fashion Scholarship Fund has taught you?
SB: FSF taught me to step outside my comfort zone and explore fields beyond what I originally thought was possible for me. It helped me see how many different roles exist in the fashion industry.
📲 Follow Sara’s journey: LinkedIn | @saraa.gbt
