Tori Nichel is one of 13 successful designers on NBC's reality competition series "Fashion Star."

Tori Nichel, originally from Michigan, is a New York-based women's wear fashion designer deemed "a designer to watch" by Forbes Online. Tori Nichel has had a dream of being in fashion since she was a little girl. At 16 years old, she began taking classes with her fashion icon, Christiane McCormick, former Dior model, FIT graduate and designer/professor at The Art Institute of Chicago. She taught Tori Nichel the art of patternmaking, draping and tailoring. McCormick also stressed the commitment and perseverance it would take for Tori Nichel's fashion dreams to become a reality.

Tori Nichel got her start at Dana Buchman after graduating from FIT in 1997 and Michigan State University in 1998. From there, she went on to join the team at Kenneth Cole New York and helped them launch their first line of women's sportswear. After four successful years at Kenneth Cole, Tori Nichel moved to the colorful and quirky, contemporary brand Tibi. At Tibi, she led the company to an unprecedented two appearances at Seventh on Sixth Fashion Week. After years of crafting a business plan, for which she won awards, Tori Nichel was finally ready to launch her self-titled collection, Tori Nichel, which can be purchased on eBay at stores.ebay.com/Tori-Nichel. Tori Nichel is designed for the chic and sophisticated woman - a lifestyle that can be taken from day to night. Tori Nichel recently left her beloved job as design director of the contemporary women's brands at Kmart to prepare for the re-launch of her self-titled collection, Tori Nichel. 

When Tori Nichel is not hard at work on her designs, she enjoys giving back and mentoring the next generation of fashion designers. She speaks to students at her alma mater, FIT, hoping to aid them in their future fashion careers. Upbeat Tori Nichel also enjoys writing and creating storyboards for her very own cartoon.