Seattle's Hottest New Designers Showoff

During our first annual Seamless in Seattle contest, we combed the city for the best up-and-coming fashion designers hungry to change the face of local fashion, and offered up big prizes to the winners, such as the chance to launch their clothing lines at this year’s Fashion First. Here's a peek at the city's best up-and-coming designers and their work.


BEST COLLECTION
Karly Orr, 27 (New York Fashion Academy)

The Look: Orr’s love affair with draping and silk jersey translates to versatile shift dresses and skirts in her line for stylish, youthful women who love to mix and match.
The Creative Spark: Orr gets inspiration from architectural magazines and vintage thrift stores, but thrives working hands-on with fabrics in contrasting colors and textures, sculpting them into spur-of-the-moment designs.
The Unique Factor: Orr mostly uses silk jersey that “can look almost liquid, which I love.”
Most Embarassing Fashion Moment: “In grade school, my friends and I would call each other to plan matching outfits. It was usually stretch pants, a bright oversized top and matching socks, with our stretch pants tucked in…lovely!”
Where to find it: Promesse (Kirkland, 128 Central Way; 425.828.4259)


MOST CREATIVE
Yilin Lee, 29 (New York Fashion Academy)

The Look: The Look: Lee’s Nouvelle women’s wear label partners sexiness with sophistication, contemporary designs and playful Asian elements.
The Creative Spark: The bold colors of her Chinese heritage and the influence of her mother, who taught Lee to take pride in her appearance for every occasion, offer up inspiration for her sleek designs.
The Unique Factor: Decorative origami detailing and imported Asian dupioni silk adorn many of Lee’s creations.
Most Embarassing Fashion Moment: “While [attending classes] at the UW, if it was cold out, I would wear a wig to class to stay warm. Later, I found out people called me ‘the wig girl.’”
Where to find it: The Finerie (Downtown, 1215 First Ave.; 206.652.4664)


BEST EVENING / COCKTAIL
Liise Wyatt, 27 (New York Fashion Academy)

The Look: Wyatt’s evening line transcends the “little black dress” by blending and layering elegant earth tones with each silk garment.
The Creative Spark: In addition to her dance and visual arts background, Wyatt’s wedding dress, which she designed three years ago, was a catalyst for inspiration. “It made sense to create something beautiful that only truly functions when it is moving on (and with) a body.”
The Unique Factor: Wyatt hems each piece with horse-hair-like polyester braid to give it an unusual rippling-wave effect.
Most Embarassing Fashion Moment: “Wearing a super-short, skin-tight black dress with a big red star on the butt to prom. Terrible!”
Where to find it: La Ree (Bellevue, 11 103rd Ave. NE; 425.453.7868)


MOST SOCIALLY AWARE
JME, 31 (New York Fashion Academy and Seattle Central Community College)

The Look: The slogan for JME’s (pronounced Jamie) Salvationware line, “Changing the world one thread at a time,” is a pledge that each garment is made ethically from start to finish. To avoid supporting Third World sweatshops, JME refuses to buy fabric she doesn’t know the origin of. The military-chic line for women features convertible camo jackets and distressed army pants.
The Creative Spark: JME draws inspiration from uniforms—from marching band to police—for their ornate detailing and functionality. “I like things that aren’t too girly, and the tougher they are, the better.”
The Unique Factor: On any given day, you might spot JME in the SoDo district shopping for spare motorcycle and boat parts that she welds and casts into her pieces, such as the recycled bronze breastplate in the dress shown.
Most Embarassing Fashion Moment: “My sixth-grade teacher put me in charge of costumes for a play I was in. It was for a punk band and they were giant mesh football jerseys with denim skirts, and when I wore it to school, the entire cafeteria laughed at me.”
Where to find it: Nuvo Moda (Downtown, 1307 First Ave.; 206.684.6886) 


BEST VISION
Christopher Parr, 27 (New York Fashion Academy)

The Look: Parr’s Attitude for the Masses label for men and women imparts roaring vintage looks from mod to English punk.
The Creative Spark: With a background in art restoration and design from The British Academy and Florence University in Italy, Parr has always been an innovator, but he finds his biggest inspiration is from photos of his family when they first immigrated to America from Torino, Italy, in the 1800s.
The Unique Factor: Every piece is named after a family member, featuring one-of-a-kind details such as vintage linings, buttons and silk.
Most Embarassing Fashion Moment: “During the early ’90s, while going to school in London at [age] 14, I did the club English look: glow-in-the-dark shirts, platforms and platinum blond hair. I stood out like a sore thumb.”
Where to find it: By apppointment: blokeinc.com and blokeinc@yahoo.com