“Since my category isn’t as mainstream as traditional art, I was both relieved and expectant to win again this year,” Zheng said. “I guess my vision worked out well.”
Zheng had been taking art classes under Zu since the seventh grade, originally studying traditional drawing and painting. When she later expressed interest in fashion design, Zu went with it and advised her throughout the process of Zheng’s first Scholastic fashion piece — a paper sheet music dress.
“Avery is very creative, and she is also very handy,” Zu said. “When she had the idea to use old music sheets to make a dress, I thought that was very clever. The way she folded the paper into patterns gave the dress a really interesting texture.”
Having won gold for two consecutive years, 2026 marks Zheng’s third year receiving the Gold Key distinction.
This year, Zheng chose a coral reef-inspired dress made from trash found around her house.
“I wanted to show how all the trash in the ocean is affecting coral reefs and environmental life,” Zheng said. “Since the actual reefs are dying, I replaced them with trash.”
“Avery has gotten much more confident working on fashion design than when she initially started,” Zu said. “She probably didn’t realize it at the time, but when I look back, I can really see how comfortable she is now with all sorts of mediums.”
Beginning with paper, then cloth, and next expanding to all kinds of fabrics and recycled materials, Zheng’s range of creativity has grown “exponentially.”
“I found things I could use all over the studio,” Zheng said. “On my piece this year, I took the wrappers from a box of traditional butter cookies and folded them as decoration all over the front.”
Zheng’s end goal is to be able to advance past regionals and place in the national-level Scholastic competition, and each new piece puts her one step closer.
