Robert Noia

From the moment he began sketching gowns as a child, Robert Noia knew he was headed for a career in fashion design. What he didn’t know was just how winding—and rewarding—the journey would be: from Oakton to Columbia College Chicago to Central Saint Martins to his own design business and beyond.

Make a Plan, Make It Work

“When I first came to Oakton, I was all over the place,” Robert said. “But once I had a plan and figured out what I needed, it changed everything.” He carefully mapped out his coursework to make sure every credit would transfer to Columbia College Chicago, where he earned his BA in fashion design. “You’ve got to have a plan. Know your end goal. Communicate. Ask questions. Do your research. I would drive the advisors crazy double-checking everything—I didn’t want to take a class for nothing. But once I figured it out, it felt like a secret weapon.”

That clarity gave him the confidence to work full-time while taking classes, stacking his schedule around his job. “It taught me self-discipline. It taught me how to be my own advocate. Oakton was a safe place to learn those skills, and that made a big difference when I transferred.”

History, Fashion, and Finding Inspiration

To fulfill a general education requirement, Robert enrolled in a U.S. History course with Oakton Professor Wendy Adele-Marie—and ended up taking every course she offered. “You can tell when a professor is passionate about what they teach. Her classes were fascinating, and she was so supportive and helpful. We still keep in touch.”

One course in particular sparked an idea that would change the way Robert thought about fashion. “I wrote a research paper on the American heiresses who married into British aristocracy during the Gilded Age. They called them ‘dollar princesses’...because they brought their money and style to British society. It completely reshaped the fashion and culture of the time.”

He still remembers digging through Tribune archives to find source material. “I never thought a research paper would be fun, but that one was. It opened my eyes to how fashion intersects with history, power and identity.”

From Chicago to London

After graduating from Columbia, Robert earned a spot in a competitive summer program at Central Saint Martins in London—one of the top fashion schools in the world. “It was such an elite environment. I studied alongside people who are now designing in Paris, people who’ve been honored by the Princess of Wales. They deconstructed everything I thought I knew. That experience was the culmination of everything. And I was able to fund it because I saved so much money starting at Oakton.”

Say Yes to the Moment

After stints in LA assisting with celebrity stylists—including helping with looks for the Barbie movie red carpet—Robert returned to Chicago to launch his own design and bridal styling business. He also serves as a fine arts assistant at Niles West High School in the classroom where he learned to sew and bring his ideas to life.

“I’m mentoring students who are serious about design, helping them take their work to the next level. I’m learning with them, and helping them, while still pushing forward in my own career. It’s grounding. And they inspire me—they’re fearless. They remind me why I started.”

That fearlessness has come in handy. Recently, a friend asked him to design a skirt for the First Lady of Kentucky to wear to the infamous Derby…in under a week. “I did it in two days and shipped it to the governor’s mansion,” he said. “One of my students helped me cut the fabric. I told him, ‘You just made a skirt for a First Lady—who knows what the future holds.’”