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Young Fashion Designer Moves On
By Patti Pfeiffer
Visiting with 13-year-old Grant Mower of Flower Mound is like talking to an adult living in a kid's body. He's that mature. And that experienced with life's successes and hardships.
Almost overnight Grant went from being bullied to being a celebrity.
Winning a Dallas fashion design contest two years ago shot Grant into stardom. There were national television appearances, news broadcasts in several states, newspaper stories, magazines too. Lucrative offers from huge fashion designers.
"Not long after the inauguration I saw an orchid and the beauty of it brought to mind my dream client, Michele Obama," says Grant. "I designed a dress for her and began working with some awesome designers. I came very close to having her wear it."
The prodigy sketched the First Lady's evening gown design at the ripe ole age of 9.
Grant was not a normal child. Oh sure he watched television. Yet, it was not cartoons, Sesame Street or other typical shows. It was fashion and design programs that captured this kid's attention.
"Grant grew up liking to design things for women. He was eight when he realized he could be a guy and have a career designing women's fashion," shares Moanna Mower, Grant's mom.
That revelation and his passion for fashion came with a price. Unaware it might invite trouble, Grant went to school proudly proclaiming his career path.
"When he announced to his third-grade peers that he wanted to grow up to be, not a firefighter or vet, but fashion designer, well it wasn't well received," said Mrs. Mower.
Teasing and bullying followed, making life so miserable for the youngster that his parents pulled him from public school and began home schooling their son -- but not for long.
"I didn't want to live in fear so I went back to school after six weeks. Of course there were new bullies but also new friends. I tried to make the best of it," says Grant.
He plowed through and moved onto middle school where he encountered a different class of bullies.
Eventually Grant built a friendship fortress around him and school became less tumultuous. Things settled down and he settled in.
"I was so insecure in elementary school. In middle school I was more myself, and more comfortable with being myself and made friends more easily. Kids don't really have much of a personality or know who they are in elementary school like they do when they get older. So it got easier."
At least on the personal side. Professionally, the pressure had just begun. At one point there was talk of his own reality television show. There were several huge offers from New York companies and his own label. But Grant didn't like the direction things were going.
"I didn't want fashion not to be fun and enjoyable and it was becoming too much of a business. The fashion world started to run me so I decided to back away and change directions," he said. "Fashion will always be a part of my life and I don't see it ever being completely off my radar."
For now, designing has been pushed aside as the teenager takes on new challenges. Grant is into making music, singing and song writing.
"He's very creative, talented, driven and he has serious potential," said Grant's music instructor Myles Oelkers.
There's another challenge facing Grant and his family. Due to a job transfer they are relocating to Colorado.
"Moving will really be hard as I am leaving behind my fashion world friends but there is a manifesto of moving that will be nice and that is making new friends," the teen says.
It's not music, fashion or having his own label that Grant really aspires to when he grows up. It's something more substantial, more mature, more noble.
"I really want to be someone people and kids look up to, a role model for kids my age, not just in music and fashion but in my story."
If the past is any indicator, he will succeed.
Patti Pfeiffer is a Star Local News columnist, freelance writer and author. She may be contacted at pattip913@msn.com
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