"I think that is the best feeling, to know that there are so many things that could mess up with audio, video, whatever, but it wasn't wardrobe," Madison McBride says.

As wardrobe assistant at WinStar World Casino and a junior pursuing a bachelor's degree in fashion and apparel design through the newly named Michael W. Faircloth Fashion Design Program, McBride faces the pressure of getting performer's clothes ready for two to three shows per month.

At WinStar, McBride has worked with many artists, including Sarah Brightman and John Legend, cleaning, pressing and repairing their clothing. She hopes to use that experience to launch her own career in fashion design.

Caring for the Clothes

"They have a laundry list of things for us to do," she says.

The clothing items are often expensive and require specific care. Bleaching or pressing an article of clothing incorrectly could mean hundreds of dollars of damage, but McBride says she has never seen something ruined at WinStar.

Often she has to repair clothing damaged before arrival, fixing busted seams, broken zippers, missing buttons and more.

McBride, who didn't start sewing until 2021, says UNT has completely prepared her for the position.

"I feel like the University of North Texas has made me a database of resources that I don't even have to think about," she says.

Working with designer clothing – including pieces by Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent -- McBride has been able to see how the garments are sewn.

"I have photos and photos of how they made a back vent or how they decided to attach a sleeve," she says. "I think it benefits me just as much as my knowledge of UNT helps to benefit the job."

Switching to Fashion Design

Though McBride was interested in fashion as a child, she didn't realize there was a degree for it. She began her college career at Texas State University, pursuing a bachelor of business marketing in fashion merchandising.

Her shift to design came from working on a senior-level project. She says her group built a brand, designed clothes and took them to market. As no one else wanted the role, McBride chose to be the fashion designer.

"Seeing the challenge as an opportunity to learn something new, I decided to go for it," McBride says.

This experience led her to transfer to UNT, which she says is the number one school for fashion design in Texas. UNT's undergraduate fashion design program is among the top public schools in the U.S.

Starting at WinStar

McBride, who also works full time in video production at the Levitt Music Pavilion in Arlington, started working at WinStar when she found out through a colleague that stagehands were needed for an upcoming show. While in that role, someone overheard her discussing her major and offered her a position in wardrobe.

"I didn't plan to work at WinStar, and the stagehand job wasn't necessarily the best option," she says. "I was like, ‘Why not? I'll try it.' And then it became what I wanted."

McBride says her favorite show was her first, which was a holiday performance by singer and actress Sarah Brightman.

"She just had the most gorgeous sequined dresses," she says. "We got to do really fun things that a lot of the male artists just don't require sometimes. They don't have the sequins and the feathers and all of the little repairs that were needed."

While working on the show, McBride had the opportunity to help make a skirt for Brightman.

"I don't actually think that skirt got worn, but it was in their wardrobe for later," she says.

McBride enjoys working with musicians and seeing them as real people, even if it means caring for less-glamourous articles of clothing.

"Everyone wears underwear. It's a really weird thing to think about, laundering their stuff and them being a real person," she says.

Designing for productions

One of McBride's interest areas is sustainability in fashion design. Designing for productions complements this because she knows the artists are going to keep the article of clothing for many years.

She learned about the power designers have in the design process.

"I realized that if I wanted to create true changes to the industry through sustainable practices, it would need to come from the design stage," she says.

Looking ahead, McBride wants to continue in fashion design for musicians.

"I also think it'd be really amazing to have a connection with an artist and get to design pieces for them and then get to take care of my own pieces," she says. "I think that would be the ultimate dream."