As digital technologies transform fashion education and practice, Virtual Fashion Avatars (VFAs) are emerging as a medium for identity exploration and creative authorship. Despite the growing presence of digital fashion, limited research addresses how students use avatars to project their fashionable selves. This study investigates how VFAs become expressive extensions of personal identity through the lens of plasticity, mimesis, and Designer DNA. Using a qualitative Research-through-Design (RtD) method, ten fashion design students created avatars via CAD software and participated in semi-structured interviews. The results reveal three key findings. First, VFAs enabled virtual embodiment, allowing students to translate their internal identities into symbolic digital forms. Second, the design process shifted from material constraints to metaphorical thinking, emphasizing concept over fabrication. Third, avatars acted as sites of identity projection, blending cultural references, emotional narratives, and personal style. This study concludes that VFAs function not only as design products but as reflective, narrative tools—allowing young designers to explore and articulate who they are through digital form. These insights contribute to emerging discourses on digital fashion, self-representation, and creative education in virtual environments.