1 / 2

Samantha Covey is pictured.

Courtesy Savannah College of Art and Design

2 / 2

A model shows off a dress designed by Savannah Covey at the SCAD 2026 fashion show.

Courtesy Savannah College of Art and Design

❮ ❯

Samantha Covey had always envisioned becoming a designer, but a plan never took shape until young adulthood when her newlywed husband bought her a Bernina sewing machine. 

Living in Pleasant Grove, she would go to her grandmother’s house for lessons, then enrolled in a fashion program at Salt Lake Community College in 2022. 

Fast-forward a few years, Covey is a new graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design and had one of her dresses featured in a May edition of Vogue Runway. 

“I always had the big dream of it when I was a little girl but lost it as I got older and felt I needed to do something ‘more practical,'” Covey said. “But I had a lot of support from my parents and my husband in encouraging me to make it work.” 

The Vogue appearance was a final resume-boosting accolade in what has been an “amazing” experience for the Texas and Philadelphia-raised designer who moved to Utah for college. 

After a year at SLCC, she said she and her Alpine-native husband felt prompted to continue her education journey, and in 2023, the couple packed up their U-Haul and moved to Georgia. 

The last three years, she improved her designing abilities, taught by high-level professors, all while settling into a new part of the country and having a baby. 

“We had a really great experience, not only in the university, but just in Savannah in general,” Covey said. “The people are so down to earth and kind. We started our family here and we really grew, not only in both of our careers but as a family and as people as well.”

Covey put her skills to the test in a senior competition, where she designed a dress in hopes of being chosen for a mentorship from Peter Copping, the artistic director at Lanvin, which is the oldest existing fashion house in Paris. Copping selected her yellow dress. 

“He was able to mentor me, (saying) ‘Let’s change this to make this better, maybe we can elevate this here.’ And so being able to work with someone in the top of the industry is such a blessing. Such an opportunity to do that is very rare,” Covey said. 

Covey described the premium silk dress itself as “architectural,” made with a silhouette structure and a “chandelier” of 35 handmade silk flowers hanging off the hip. It was presented at the SCAD Fashion 2026, then featured in Vogue Runway’s eveningwear section. 

“Not everyone gets into the fashion show, and I have so many friends that are so talented and that weren’t a part of it, and their work is just amazing and beautiful as well, but this particular piece was in this show,” she said. “And then because we were a part of SCAD, Vogue picked up our fashion show and put our pieces on their website.” 

The accomplishment gives Covey momentum as she and her husband move to Philadelphia, and she looks to start her own custom bridal company. 

“Being able to start out and put this on my resume, not only being in Vogue, but also my mentorship with Peter Coping, and being a part of this Lanvin contest, it really elevates your resume,” she said. “Anyone part of the industry can immediately be like, ‘Well, this is really different.’ This is pretty big. This is not like a run of the mill experience that every person can be a part of.” 

She’s also grateful for her friends and family who helped her along the way. 

“I am thankful for everyone who helped me get here,” she said. “It’s exciting and nerve-wracking to see the dream pay off, but I’m excited to keep making future plans, to further the dream and continue it, and hopefully to see it grow.”