{"id":355075,"date":"2026-09-23T22:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T22:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/355075\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T22:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T22:38:11","slug":"msu-access-senior-partners-with-local-boutique-nyc-based-clothing-line-for-limited-edition-hail-state-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/355075\/","title":{"rendered":"MSU ACCESS senior partners with local boutique, NYC-based clothing line for limited-edition Hail State design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contact: Mary Pollitz<\/a><\/p>\n

STARKVILLE, Miss.\u2014For Allie Simmons, Mississippi State felt like home the moment she stepped on campus. Now, the MSU ACCESS senior from Hoover, Alabama, is putting her personal design on gameday fashion. <\/p>\n

Simmons, a hospitality major with Down syndrome, partnered with New York City-based adaptive fashion label Alivia and downtown Starkville boutique L.A. Green to launch the \u201cHail State Bandana\u201d collection. The exclusive lineup, featuring two dresses, tops and a scarf, features Simmons\u2019 custom paintings. <\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Mississippi State ACCESS senior Allie Simmons, left, celebrates her custom fashion design for the Alivia collection at Starkville\u2019s L.A. Green boutique with her friend Marlie Jones. (Photo submitted)<\/p>\n

The Bulldog family is invited to celebrate the fashion release and meet Simmons in person during a public launch party from 3-5 p.m. Friday [Sept. 25], at L.A. Green in downtown Starkville. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just excited,\u201d she said. \u201cI cannot believe they chose me to design it. I am so honored.\u201d <\/p>\n

In honor of Simmons\u2019 and the brand\u2019s passion for service, 10% of proceeds from every purchase will benefit MSU\u2019s T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, where Simmons previously completed an internship as a teacher\u2019s assistant and front desk staffer. <\/p>\n

Simmons story with the \u201cHail State Bandana\u201d collection started more than two years ago, when her mother, Laura, started searching for the perfect white dress for her daughter to wear during the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority recruitment. That search led her to Alivia, a brand cofounded by Jovana Mullins that creates fashion built around prints of artists with disabilities. <\/p>\n

\"Allie<\/p>\n

Mississippi State ACCESS senior Allie Simmons, left, shows off her new apparel design alongside Zeta Tau Alpha sorority sister Kate Ballew. The exclusive collection launches Friday at L.A. Green in downtown Starkville. (Photo submitted)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat began with me trying to find the perfect white dress for Allie has grown into this incredible opportunity for her own artwork to become part of a dress,\u201d Laura said. \u201cSeeing Allie\u2019s artwork become an actual piece of fashion is almost surreal. I think every parent wants their child to have opportunities to be seen for who they are and for what they can contribute. For Allie, this is exactly that. <\/p>\n

\u201cI get to watch the world see a little bit of what I\u2019ve always seen in Allie,\u201d Laura added. \u00a0<\/p>\n

When Mullins started following Simmons\u2019 story and journey online, she felt an immediate connection. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the moment I started following Allie, I was drawn to her smile and joyful spirit,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen her mom told me how much Allie loved art, I knew immediately that I wanted to find a way to work together. <\/p>\n

Mullins started the collaboration with MSU alumna Lauren Ann Cooper, owner of L.A. Green and long-time volunteer with the T.K. Martin Center. <\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that Allie was an MSU ACCESS student and learning about Lauren Ann\u2019s passion and heart for people with disabilities, I knew God had bigger plans for Alivia\u2019s partnership with L.A. Green,\u201d Mullins said. \u201cIt was the perfect match and timing.\u201d <\/p>\n

As a member of ZTA sorority and a senior in the university\u2019s ACCESS program, MSU\u2019s comprehensive postsecondary program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Simmons continues to build toward her goal of living independently in Starkville and pursuing a career in hospitality. But for now, she\u2019s just excited about meeting those interested in her design and being a part of Mississippi State\u2019s story. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am super grateful they chose me, and I just I can\u2019t wait to show this wonderful design I made to others,\u201d Simmons said. <\/p>\n

Mississippi State University<\/a> is taking care of what matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Contact: Mary Pollitz STARKVILLE, Miss.\u2014For Allie Simmons, Mississippi State felt like home the moment she stepped on campus.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-355075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}