Menlo alum Danika Biscevic 21’ used to travel to art galleries and museums, listening to her dad tell imaginary stories about the subjects of different pieces of art. Now, her love for storytelling guides her passion for a designing career in fashion. “I think [those childhood experiences] really drove my love for storytelling through art, and I ended up finding fashion as a medium for that,” Biscevic said. She infuses storytelling into every aspect of her career, especially when it comes to designing pieces. “Clothes can be such a powerful method of storytelling,” Biscevic said. She believes that fashion can tell both deeply personal stories and ones that comment on greater societal phenomena like escapism, which she chose to highlight in her most recent collection.
Biscevic was always certain about her desire to lead a career in the fashion industry, even at the age of 12. After learning how to sew at the age of six and setting her sights on Parsons School of Design in middle school, Biscevic furthered her aspirations at Menlo. “[Menlo’s] administration always just pushed me to follow my dreams and not just that, but also [taught me] how to execute them,” Biscevic said. Biscevic strategically took classes that aligned with her interests or gave her the opportunity to expand them. In her IP Capstone class during her senior year, she designed a fashion show, which was held on the quad, featuring a capsule collection with volunteer models. “I don’t know if I even would have gotten into Parsons if it weren’t for the classes that I took,” Biscevic said.
Beyond fashion, Biscevic credits Menlo with instilling in her a strong work ethic and a desire to challenge herself, both inside and outside the classroom.
Biscevic fully embraced Parsons’ flexible core curriculum, balancing classes that supported her career aspirations, like courses in Photoshop and illustration, with classes she chose primarily out of curiosity. “I took a political economy class because I wanted to, not because I had to,” Biscevic said.
Like most Menlo alums, Biscevic didn’t stop learning when she graduated from college. According to Bisveic, her post-graduation experiences, especially her most recent position as an assistant designer on the tailoring team at Veronica Beard, have taught her a great deal about various aspects of the fashion industry — everything from tariffs to factory launches. “I didn’t think it was possible to learn as much as I have in the past three months,” Biscevik said. “I’m lucky to be at a company that’s willing to teach me every single aspect [of the process].”
As she moves forward in her career, Biscevik appreciates what she has learned from fashion about both herself and the world around her. “It’s really interesting to see how clothes can both reflect a society’s values and beliefs at a time, as well as oppose them,” she said.
Biscevik emphasized one piece of advice she hopes Menlo students internalize: “Say yes to everything.” Whether that means saying yes to spending time with new people or trying as many new experiences as possible, Biscevik believes opening yourself up to novelty sparks self-discovery and everyday enrichment.
