Wake County high school girls, all with dreams of careers in fashion, gathered in a classroom at Cary High School Friday for the first session of “Austin Jade Fashion Rocks,” North Carolina’s first fashion camp for teens.

The program was created by Austin Jade Murray, a 19-year-old North Carolinian who has become well established in the fashion industry. The 25 girls, who were selected to attend the free after-school program because of their applications and essays, will learn the ins and outs of fashion from Murray, who has experienced the fashion industry first hand.

Afaf Seyam, a senior at Apex High School who has been accepted into the N.C. State College of Textiles, said she came to the fashion camp “to hear from someone who’s already in the industry and get some knowledge.”

Shortly after, Murray, who had spent her morning in Manhattan, came bursting into the classroom having just gotten off a plane.

During the program’s six sessions over a six-week period, the participants will draw on Murray’s experience and obtain a variety of fashion knowledge ranging from fashion trend predictions and sewing techniques to product development and merchandising.

“I really want to prepare the students for any type of career in fashion,” said Murray, who spent some time at the Savannah College of Art and Design before heading to New York City, where she found internships with labels such as Nautica. Eventually, she was able to successfully launch her signature Austin Jade Collection.

Murray told the class about the importance of internships and recalled her time as an intern, making a reference to the movie “The Devil Wears Prada,” which shows life at the bottom rung of the fashion industry ladder. “That was my life before this,” Murray said.

Along with Murray’s lessons, the class can also expect to gain fashion knowledge from design teachers and make other connections in the fashion industry through guest speakers.

For two and a half hours a week, the students will have a direct connection to the industry in which they are seeking to build a career.

The program aims to help these students better plan for their future in fashion education and their careers in the industry. One of the participants, Beth Harvey, said she is attending the program because, “I want to figure out what I want to do in the industry.”

Murray told the class that when it comes to fashion schools, students from the south are less successful in being accepted than students from private schools or the north. “It’s my goal to get more people to apply to these schools,” she said, “If we want to start getting in, we have to be more outstanding.”

Paula Heidrick, a family and consumer science teacher from Holly Springs High School who was in attendance at the first session, said the program “sparks interest.” She said she thinks the program is beneficial because it will “promote the family and consumer science program.”

During a class intermission, Sarah Cannon, a junior at Broughton High School said, “I’m learning a lot about fashion and I’m excited to be learning more about the industry.”