Vault Spotlight: Ava Beydoun and Tilly Abramson

Written by Molly Bloomfield

On Dec. 7th, UW-Madison’s finest creatives came together for the Vault’s Definitive Fashion Show. Behind the show, two designers come to the forefront of the creative process, Ava Beydoun and Tilly Abramson. Both seniors studying textile and fashion design are the masterminds behind the garments of Definitive. 

Beydoun was the lead designer, and Abramson was the head seamstress, yet they often worked in tandem. Their processes complement each other perfectly. Beydoun considers herself “the concept person” while Abramson “enjoys the technical aspect” of design, and although the two designers start their pieces in different ways, the end result is always innovative and deliberate.

For Definitive, the designers worked with a larger team, a “cool little community of people who like design and sewing,” said Abramson. Beydoun and Abramson both worked to lead and support the other designers, even if they had less experience. Together, they’ve created a community around Definitive, where they find they “get even stronger ideas [by relying] on others,” said Abramson.

Beydoun and Abramson were both drawn to the Vault through social media and their peers, and as Beydoun puts it, they “jumped right in.” However, this Fall/Winter show felt different than any other Vault show they’ve worked on before. This year, UW-Madison has been named as a Youth Impact Partner by the Virgil Abloh Foundation (VAF) for the 2025–2026 academic year. Definite was inspired by our beloved alumnus Virgil Abloh—a visionary who redefined the spaces between fashion, art and culture.

Definitive “had a reputation to live up to, we wanted to just make sure there was a process that was structured,” said Beydoun. Part of this, for the design team, meant focusing more on concept, creating a fabric guide and ensuring that all the individual pieces fit seamlessly into the overall theme of Definitive.

For her personal designs, Beydoun draws her inspiration from Vivenne Westwood and “the unconventional nature that [Westwood] created in the punk scene.” Beydoun admires how Westwood creates beautiful pieces with a grunge aspect. “I like adding that grunge aspect into my work,” Beydoun said.

For Abramson, her inspiration comes from André Courrèges. Abramson loves “the 60s and the retro-futurism space age.” Both Beydoun and Abramson have taken their personal inspiration and incorporated them into their pieces for Definitive, such as Beydoun’s creative garments with a taste of grunginess, or Abramson’s 60s-inspired babydoll dress. 

What does it mean for Definitive's lead designer and seamstress to be Definitive? That’s something they have given a lot of thought to.

In Beydoun’s opinion, “Definitive is all about being confident in who you are” and “flipping the outside out, what's on the inside instead of what everyone else sees.” She has incorporated this concept by creating pieces that are unexpected, such as a dress that is short in the back instead of the typical shorter front and longer back. Beydoun is interested in breaking down expectations and creating confident, unique pieces.

Abramson views being Definitive as “putting your best self out there,” as well as “incorporating unconventional materials” to push boundaries. In her work, Abramson has used unconventional materials, such as for a fish purse she designed. For this purse, Abramson used an actual fish hook, bending the rules of fashion through her creative choices. These creative choices “continue the conversation,” said Abramson.

The Definitive fashion show was in good hands with lead designer Beydoun and lead seamstress Abramson. Their work was truly instrumental to the show, and together, they pioneered the concept of Definitive.