NAZELY (NANCY) KALAYJIAN SCHOLARSHIP
Nazely “Nancy” Kalayjian of Belmont passed away peacefully on November 22, 2023. Nancy was born in Brockton, MA, on August 6, 1927 to the late John & Osanna (Shashdian) Kalayjian. She was the dear sister of the late Paul Kalayjian. Nancy is survived by her close friends, Shannon Smith-Brew and Sarah Waterbury. She spent many years in the New York fashion industry and won many awards for her work in fabrics.
MY PATH TO FASHION & TEXTILE DESIGN
BY NANCY KALAYJIAN:
At the age of six, I became fascinated with two ladies in my neighborhood who were making patchwork quilts with different fabrics. I was mesmerized with all the designs and colors and how they were put together.
Then came the period of paper dolls. The dolls came every week in the Sunday paper. I would cut them out and make clothes for them. I accumulated many dolls and would trace them onto heavy paper. They became my models, and I would spend hours dressing them.
In first grade, my classmate Marie would come in every day with a new pleated skirt and sweater to match. I would sit and study the colors for hours, admiring how the fabrics were matched and put together. Every day Marie had a new outfit her mother made. I went home and told my mother about it, and she said was: “Do you want to have clothes like Marie?” The answer was a big “YES!” She replied, “Well then, go learn, and you’ll have it too.”
I managed to find a sewing teacher and a picture of a dress I wanted to make. I bought the fabric and showed it to the teacher, only to have her say, “NO! It is too advanced.” But I held my ground and insisted that if she showed me how, I COULD DO IT!!
This became the beginning of my new career, and I was very successful at it. I loved every minute of my new interest. During summer vacations in Massachusetts, I took jobs that were in some way
connected to fashion, design, and clothing. I knew that whatever experience I could get was going to be very valuable.
One summer vacation, I was an operator in the sewing department making garments. I decided to call up the President of Healthtex to talk. He said, “I know who you are, and I know your work. And there is always room at the top.” Well, needless to say, I was inspired, and my self-confidence grew.
I began to meet people in the industry and make connections. A designer from New York came to where I was working. She said she just had to come and find out who was behind all these fresh, new ideas that nobody else had. She said I should get out of my ivory tower and come to New York. And so, I did!
I spent years designing fabrics and I was told my work was better than Missoni in Italy. Fabrics became a major part of my interest, and I won many awards. I won the award as the “One and Only in Fabrics USA,” which was put on display in the museum of modern art in New York.