Emelia Sunday: Designing Purpose, One Thread at a Time
July 2025
In a world increasingly defined by fast fashion and fleeting digital trends, Emelia Sunday stands out not only for her striking poise on stage but for her enduring purpose behind the seams.
At just 20, Emelia is already a seasoned pageant competitor and a force in the academic design world. Crowned 1st Runner-Up for Miss Utah Teen USA 2023, she has also represented her state internationally as Miss Utah International United Miss. Her beauty and grace, however, are only half the story.
A student at Brigham Young University, Emelia is the Associate Editor of the BYU Design Review, where she’s authored several published pieces that fuse engineering and design. Her passions stretch across disciplines, from sewing and garment construction to writing and innovation. “I love creating new things,” Emelia shares. “But my biggest desire in the fashion industry is to create clothing that can move with technology.”
This vision is more than conceptual... it's rooted in a deeper personal philosophy. For Emelia, “purpose” is not a destination, but a journey. After confiding in a professor about the emotional void she sometimes felt after achieving her goals, she was encouraged to search for something more lasting.
“That conversation changed me. It made me look at my goals as part of something bigger.... an overarching purpose,” she reflects. “Now, even small wins feel deeply fulfilling.”
That foundation of purpose is supported by a loving force in her life... her mother.
“She is my biggest supporter. She taught me how to sew, how to draft patterns, and how to embrace my creativity,” Emelia says. “She has always believed in me, and she shares the same love for fashion.”
But the journey hasn't been without its setbacks.
“If I could mention the amount of no’s I’ve gotten throughout pageantry, we’d be here for a hot minute,” she jokes. Still, those rejections have become fuel for growth. “Each no has made me better. It’s taught me to value my own self-worth and keep trying.”
Beyond the runway, Emelia is a powerful voice for change in the fashion industry. She’s a passionate advocate for sustainability, calling out the wastefulness of fast fashion and dreaming of a world where trends last longer, garments are made with intention, and designers embrace recycled materials.
“I want to see more effort put into clothing production,” she says. “I want clothes to matter again.”
Her social media is an extension of that mission not just a platform, but a purpose-driven community.
“I’ve been able to connect with so many like-minded, fashion-influenced women through social media,” she says. “It’s such a powerful space when used authentically.”
As for her ultimate dream?
“To design clothing for a runway,” she states with conviction. And with every stitch, every show, and every article she pens, Emelia is moving closer to that goal—one thread of purpose at a time.
From engineer to editor, pageant queen to fashion visionary, Emelia Sunday is not just following trends... she’s shaping the future of fashion.