Forty Under 40: Amber Savage

Amber Savage made her first dress at age 6 and earned a commission as a professional artist before leaving Rogers High School in 1998.

Following graduation, she pursued a career in fashion and enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. As a student, Savage worked in the press department for designer Helmut Lang. She graduated from F.I.T. with an associates degree in 2000. For the next two years, she helped make $10,000 dresses and $100,000 wardrobes as an assistant to couture designer Randi Rahm.

Savage returned to Northwest Arkansas in 2002 to obtain a general business degree from John Brown University in Siloam Springs. She began working at New Creature that same year as a project manager. In 2003, she helped create the companys promotional department. By 2005, Savage had grown the department to more than $1 million in sales.

Savage oversees the New Creature scholarship program for Bentonville and Rogers high schools. In her position as brand manager, she oversees the design and creation of new products for sale in retail outlets but stays close to her fashion roots by styling a handful of fashion shows for Wal-Mart media days and analyst meetings throughout the year.