Modified Style
If you happened to flip through our issue last month, no doubt you noticed our large spread on Portland Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer winner: Alicia Wood. Well, before Wood was confident enough to send her kimono creations down that PFW runway she beefed up her competition skills by entering (and winning) Modified Style.
Modified Style is in its third year of stimulating creativity and raising funds for non-profits like Sisters of the Road. Producers Andrea Fretwell, Janessa Philemon-Kerp and Laura Boley created the event to get the word out about local agencies that need love in a more fashionable way than your standard call for donations. The competition involves distributing fabric to participating designers and forcing them to work within those means. It’s sink or swim time then and thankfully most designers in town can do more than dogpaddle. The results then sashay down the runway in front of an audience and panel of judges that has previously included folks like designers Dawn Sharp and Janeane Marie.
The actual Modified Style won’t throw down until May 1st at Disjecta, but I’m putting it out there now because it’s not too late for you to join in the fun. This year they have divided the camp into Amateur and Professional categories, so newbies need not be afraid. If you love to sew, or just think you might like to sew it’s a fun chance to give it a go. If you have ever made it to the level of selling your goods in any capacity you need to join the professional category. To enter simply email the team [email protected] by February 15th. Who knows? Maybe next year you’ll be picked the Emerging Designer of Portland Fashion Week.
