From Sketch to Runway: Malibu girls discover their creative side

By Barbara Burke · Mon Aug 17 2026

Five-year-old best friends turn their ideas into fashion while building confidence, creativity and new skills at summer design camp

Malibu’s kids enjoyed their long summer by participating in a variety of camp experiences. Two five-year-old Malibu girls who have been best friends since they started attending the Malibu Chabad’s Gan Malibu Infant and Early Childhood centers since they were two years old widened their horizons by enjoying learning at The Unincorporated Life’s Flagship Design Camp that has been shaping young creatives for 13 years.  

The immersive camp experience takes participants from sketch to runway through a hands-on design, branding, garment construction, and runway experience. 

First, the little campers made a vision board, sketching out the concepts for their fashion brands. Next, they decided what to name their brands and created logos.  Then, they drew their designs, selected fabrics, and sewed their own garments.  Then, they provided presentations, informing an audience of adults and co-campers about all the details regarding their designs and brands. Finally, for the pièce de rèsistance, the girls modeled their designs on a runway.  

“I learned that hard things aren’t scary.” Anaya Capri Sicard declared! “The most challenging part of the week was making the dress, and my favorite part of the week was practicing for the runway.” Anaya named her brand “Lovely,” and her fashion line was designed for Spring 2027, while Jordan Johnson named her brand, “Sweets,” and she aimed to haveher fashion focus on Summer 2027.

Anaya’s proud parents, Kshamica and Al Sicard, reflected on their daughter’s experience at the camp, jointly stating, “As parents, we don’t believe in rescuing our five-year-old from every challenge.  We want her to learn, make mistakes anddiscover she can do hard things. What better experience than this!”

Elaborating, Kshamica commented, “I am beaming from this experience — the fact that Anaya did this camp and accomplished this is imbued in her. I loved that Anaya interacted with the audience while modeling on the runway — she smiled and waved at her grandmother in the audience, instead of being so shy. She was present and not nervous.”

For her part, little Jordan Johnson, who joined Anaya at the camp, noted, “I had a lot of fun sewing my dress and walking the fashion show!” Jordan’s parents, Sarah and Joel Johnson, stated, “The camp was such an enriching experience for Jordan, and it pushed her outside her comfort zone while providing fun in a creative and supporting environment. She came away with increased confidence, business savvy, and public speaking skills.”   

During her runway walk, Jordan gave the audience insight into her new fashion line.

“Hi, my name is Jordan, and my brand is ‘Sweets.’ My logo is candy, and the season I’m designing for is Summer 2027. My inspiration is pretty in pink. My customer would wear my garment to Toy Crazy in Malibu. Thank you for listening. And remember, with Sweets, we always feel sweet.”

For Anaya and Jordan, the week was about much more than designing dresses and walking a runway. It was an opportunity to discover new talents, build confidence and learn that even difficult challenges can be rewarding. Their experience was just one example of how Malibu’s children spent their long summer exploring new interests, making memories and growing along the way — proving that some of the best lessons of summer happen far beyond the classroom.