From the time she was old enough to
declare a preference for clothing, Anabel-
la made her voice heard. As a petite pre-
teen, she wasn’t content with what was
on offer for tweens in the mass market:
no sparkles, spangles and neon colors
would do. She began cultivating her de-
sign aesthetic with a more mature feel but
in smaller sizes that help bridge the gap
from preteen to teen, especially for girls
like her that were trapped in child sizes
even though they were in Middle School
and beyond.
In 2016, at the age of 12, Anabella Cecil-
ia was the youngest designer to show a
collection at the Model 4 Miracles chari-
ty fashion show benefiting the Children's
Miracle Network Hospitals. Her first col-
lection of summer casual wear was well
received by models as well as those in the
audience. In a twist of fate, her first show
debuted the same day as the Pulse shoot-
ing, so she was determined to make a dif-
ference in the lives of others through her
design work. This inspired her "49 Win-
dows" piece which has been displayed at
numerous events. Made of wool, silk and
reclaimed leather, the skirt is embellished
with the Orlando skyline in leather with
49 individual windows cut out and lined
in pink dupioni silk. Later that year, she
was featured in the "Runway for Orlando"
show at the Preteen Earth United States/
Miss United Continents pageant. The
proceeds of the show benefitted the vic-
tims and families of the Pulse massacre in
Orlando, Florida.
designs are no exception. Featuring re-
claimed leather and upcycled textiles in
addition to new textiles from natural fi-
bers, the 2016 fall/winter collection of A.
Cecilia Designs was not only eco-friend-
ly, it brings fashion to the tween demo-
graphic. After crowning her eco-succes-
sor, Anabella has continued to hone her
design skills by focusing on sketching real
body size designs. She continues design-
ing in collaboration with The Regal Nee-
dle to create samples for fashion shows
and to build a portfolio to assist her with
attending fashion design school once she
graduates high school. The Holiday 2017
collection “Holidays Take Flight” features
reversible fabrics in a fuschia, purple and
black color story. This collection makes
its debut at the Magnifique fashion show
December 16th, 2017 near New Orleans,
As the first ever Preteen Earth United LA. This collection marks the first time
States, Anabella Cecilia is a spokesper- Anabella Cecilia has used conventional
son for the environment and her clothing textiles in a collection.
Child Photo Magazine | 17