Comfort, Creativity, Community Ali (Salaverria) Mejia’90 follows her fashion dreams and scores with softness By Matt Margini Humanities Department Faculty Student fundraisers at Ransom Everglades tend to take a few recognizable forms. Bake sales. Concessions at games. Car washes. When she was senior class president, Ali (Salaverria) Mejia’90 organized something very different: a fashion show. Walking by the United Colors of Benetton store that was then in the Mayfair in the Grove building, she wondered how much money she could raise for charity if the items on offer were vibrant, chunky crewnecks and corduroys from a trendy brand instead of aluminum foil-wrapped brownies. A lot, as it turns out. The store provided clothes, RE students modeled them, and parents bought them. “It was a pivotal moment for me,” Mejia said. “The excitement it created, the money we raised, and the way it blended creativity and entrepreneurship all lit something in me.” In some ways, you couldn’t ask for clearer foreshadowing. Less than a decade later, Mejia would go on to co-found Eberjey, a sleepwear and lingerie brand that has become an international name – and for those who have worn Eberjey pajamas (including, full disclosure, yours truly), a synonym for a certain kind of irresistible softness. Since its founding in 1996, Eberjey has earned a host of recognitions, including brand of the year, designer of the year, best pajamas and among “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” But the RE fashion show wasn’t merely a preview of her future in the industry. It was one of the first times she chose to ignore the conventional path and listen to an intuition that told her to try something different. 6 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2025
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