Natasha Sample

Natasha Sample is an up-and-coming fashion designer to be featured on May 13, SFW’s Emerging and Independent Designer night. Natasha designs evening wear. This season, her inspiration came from the peacock. “The whole line is basically incorporating the colors of the feathers along with the glamour and elegance of the bird,” she said.

Her design style expresses her girly side. Her personal style is a little more mixed. “I’m one of those people whose style is definitely determined by my mood,” Natasha shared. “If I’m feeling tomboy-ish, I’ll rock a sweater and jeans. If I want to do something dressier, I’ll dress it up.”

Natasha emphasizes the importance of staying true to your vision when designing and not to worry about whether or not everyone is going to love or hate what you produce. “At the end of the day, you have to be happy with what you’re creating,” she said. After SFW, Natasha hopes to be on TV. She’s attending auditions for “The Fashion Show” and “Project Runway.” Good luck, Natasha!

Fun Facts about Natasha:

• She’s originally from Anchorage, Alaska. She moved to Seattle to attend the Art Institute, where she graduated in June 2009 with a BFA in Fashion Design.
• Her favorite designers are Vera Wang, Christian Dior, Versace and Oscar de la Renta.
• Her designs were featured in an Art Institute ad that ran in Seventeen and CosmoGirl magazines.
• She loves horror films.


-Article by Shauna Nuckles - shauna.nuckles@gmail.com

Events Annoucement

April 19th 2010 — The countdown has begun. We’re less than a month way from Seattle Fashion Week 2010 and we are excited to announce our lineup of electrifying events. Tickets for the general public are on sale now at Seattle Fashion Week.

May 7th 2010, 7pm, Hard Rock Cafe Kickoff Party
This intimate party will start the Seattle Fashion Week 2010 (R)evolution festivities. Media and Press members are invited to join the designers, models and the Fashion Week team to enjoy drinks and food. Kick back and relax at Seattle’s new Hard Rock Cafe before the big week begins.

May 8-9th 2010, Fashion Walk
Introducing a new and fun way to take your mom shopping on Mother’s Day weekend! The Fashion Walk allows SFW ticketholders to get discounts and fun goodies at their favorite stores in downtown Seattle. Retail partners such as Bebe, United Colors of Benetton, Gene Juarez Salon and Spa, Solstice Sunglass Boutique and Hard Rock Cafe will provide discounts on merchandise to anyone holding a ticket.

May 12th 2010, 7-9pm, Susan G Komen Fundraising Gala, Twist Lounge
Seattle Fashion Week is proud to work with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We will be auctioning items at their elegant Fundraising For The Cure Gala. Tickets will be sold at the door.

May 13th 2010, 8pm, Emerging & Independent Designers Runway Show
This is the first of our runway shows in the WaMu Theater at Qwest Field. The winner of the Comcast design competition Isaiah Whitmore will be showing his collection, along with other local and upcoming designers such as Nomadic Wear, VossRock, Anar Couture, NorJack, NES Fashions, Cocoa Couture and last but not least Banchong Douangphrachanh, whose innovative work was recently purchased by Lady Gaga.

May 14 -15th 2010, 1-7pm, Beauty & Lifestyle Fashion Expo
The Expo is a new event created for Seattle Fashion Week patrons, set in a glamorous surrounding created by IDCW. Through the designer’s alley Expo attendees can not only get up close to the South American and Indian Designers’ outfits but also buy selected pieces from the collections. Many vendors from around Seattle such as Cheeky bum soap and Glassy Baby will be selling pieces. Caroline's desserts and gourmet coffee houses will be on standby to provide a sugar boost when needed. Portions of the ticket sales from this event will benefit the Seattle Brain Cancer Walk.
May 14th 2010, 8pm, Urban Fashion Runway Show
Retailers such as Bebe, 7 for All Mankind, United Colors of Benetton, Strut Boutique and Ducati will parade the season’s hottest clothing on the runway. This funky, high-energy show, accompanied by banging beats, is a popular favorite.

May 15th 2010, 8pm, Established and International Designers Runway Show
International designers are Seattle Fashion Week’s newest additions. This dynamic show is the culmination of our series of events. Designers such as IDCW Product Runway, B’ZMA, Eva Chen, House of Versatile Styles, Blayne Walsh, Teresa Valencia, Monapali and Catalin Botezatu will be presenting their collections.

Comcast Student Fashion Design Competition

April 12th 2010 — Seattle Fashion Week is excited to announce the student finalists competing at the Comcast Student Fashion Design Competition on April 15th 2010 at Ibiza, Seattle WA, at 8pm. These students will be competing for a chance to show at Seattle Fashion Week on May 13th 2010, at Qwest Field.

“Student Finalists Spotlight”

Justin Bartle, Art Institute of Seattle
Justin was raised in the hills of beautiful Washington and from an early age he was interested in the exquisiteness of art and surrounding nature. Justin designs clothes that can be worn through the decades, with paramount focus on craftsmanship. That’s why every garment is made by hand.
• His “La Vie en Rose” is a collection of red carpet attire for men and women.
• Collection showcases old Hollywood glamour from the 40s and early 50s with crystals and beaded lace, chiffons, silks and satins.

Jongeun Kim, Seattle Pacific University
Originally from South Korea, young Ms. Kim studied fine art and was deeply moved by Monet’s colors in French impressionist paintings. She’s inspired to create fairy tales, and her art and painting skills make her different from others in the competition.
• Her “Forever Flower Fairy” collection represents Elegance, Femininity and Romance and brings out a woman’s blossoming beauty. It can be worn at formal or social events.
• Collection is characterized by hand created flowers, pastel tone color, lace and silk.

Cameron Levin, New York Fashion Academy
Originally from Portland, Cameron decided to pursue her dream to design after working for non-profit organizations for a long time. Ms. Levin is inspired by the people who she works with, the life-saving brilliant philanthropists!
• Her "Jewels" collection expresses simple, pure yet profound humanistic qualities through couture evening wear.
• Collection is in gemstone colors, created from all natural fine fabrics (various silks) embellished with tulle and vintage silk netting from 1930, dyed feathers and Swarovski crystals.

Isaiah Whitmore, Art Institute of Seattle
Being a young African American boy it was hard for Isaiah to convince his coach that he didn’t want to play sports. Every day at football and baseball practice, Isaiah would dream of drawing. His drive for art eventually allowed him to break out and pursue fashion.
• The House of Isaac Andrew Collection is worn by women who like bold silhouettes and dark colors.
• Collection uses stretch poplin bottom weight, lace, tulle, wool twill and faux python leather.
Michelle Williams, Art Institute of Seattle
Coming from a small town in Oregon, Michelle has grown leaps and bounds. The rock of her life is her mom, who, while making all her clothes when she was a little girl, built her aesthetic sense. With her Haitian boyfriend, Michelle started a foundation for earthquake relief and wants to donate the 100% of her cash prize if she wins to Haiti Relief.
• Her Glitter! Glam! Pop! Collection is for city girls out on the town or clubbing, inspired after the late Michael Jackson. And Madonna—whom the handcrafted Boy Toy belt is dedicated to!
• Collection is made of satin, lace, silk, sequins, rhinestones, tulle, peacock and black feathers

“Judges for the competition”

Blayne Walsh renowned local designer, Project Runway contestant
Kim Lundin is the Artistic Director for Gene Juarez
Sarah Santos is representing our premiere sponsor Comcast
Tarina Stasi is a Senior Account Executive at a fashion and retail company

“Past Success Stories”

Becky Sullivan, the 2009 Comcast Student Fashion Design Competition winner, got a chance to debut her collection at 2009 Seattle Fashion Week. After the competition Becky got interview offers from magazines/blogs such as Seattle Sound. And her clothes were shown on KING 5 TV news. After graduating from Seattle Central Community College, she moved to NYC because she was offered a great job for a big designer label there.

Natasha Sample was one of the finalists in the 2009 Comcast Student Fashion Design Competition and this experience helped her career. She has been invited by Seattle Fashion Week to present in the 2010 runway show. Ms. Sample has also been recognized in the Seattle Times and Seattle PI newspapers.

International Designer Spotlight

Teresa Valencia, from Ecuador, South America, is the hottest designer to have shown at both Panama and Miami Fashion Weeks. Teresa has been creating elegant, comfortable, and contemporary articles of clothing for the past 8 years. A successful designer and exporter, Teresa has many clothing stores in Ecuador, Panama and North America. Teresa has been covered by press around the world, including Latin American Vogue, Fashion TV, E! Entertainment television, Lucire Magazine (N.Y.), SOHO magazine and Home Magazine.

Bisma Ahmed, from Dubai, UAE, has a multi-cultural background with a family business in fashion design. While girls played with dolls, Bisma played with laces, threads, ribbons, and beads, and her mother and aunts schooled her on the technical aspects of designing early on. Young Bisma was the winner of the Emerging Talent Competition, which won her a spot to show her collection at the prestigious Dubai Fashion Week. She has shown her collections at many events in Dubai, Harare and Islamabad. Later, Bisma went on to create a company called B’ZMA, a line for women which embodies youth, vibrancy, energy and women’s independence.

Eva Chen, from Richmond, Canada, will show the spring 2010 collection from her Juan Eva Couture line. Based in Canada, Eva’s artistic upbringing inspired her to become a fashion designer—at six years old she played the Erhu instrument, sang, danced and created drawings. Eva has presented her collections around the world, including in the United States, Canada, Singapore and China, and her clothes have been worn by famous TV personalities. She has just won a British Columbia Outstanding Woman of the Year Award.

MonaPali, from Delhi, India, is a team of two designers. They have shown their collections at Fashion Weeks all around the world, including US, London, Toronto, Dubai, Milan, Russia, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, and Bangkok. Their designs can be seen at India’s premiere events like Wills India Fashion Week and Lakmé Fashion Week, which is run by the same company (IMG World) as New York Fashion Week. At their latest Fashion Week, Bollywood heartthrobs Bipasha Basu and Minissha Lamba walked the ramp in Indian bridal ensembles. With nine commercially successful fashion labels under their belt, Monapali also designs for international brands like Maxmara. Their clientele includes the Governor General of Canada, Patrick Swayze, Aishwarya Rai and the world’s 4th richest man Ambani.

Catalin Botezatu, from Romania, is no stranger to New York, Las Vegas, Namibia, the Caribbean, Sun City, Iceland, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and every major European Fashion Week. Catalin attended the European Institute of Fashion in Milan, where he worked with the late Gianni Versace. A regular on Fashion TV in Paris and at the Cannes Film Festival, Catalin has been creating hit runway collections since 1996, dressing clients such as Vanessa Williams for Vogue.

Designer Announcement

Seattle Fashion Week Announces Featured Designers

April 5th 2010 — Seattle Fashion Week (SFW) is excited to announce the designers who are showing during Seattle Fashion Week 2010. This groundbreaking series of events is being held at Qwest Field from May 13-15th.

Emerging Designers event on Thursday May 13th 2010
A key goal for Seattle Fashion week is to highlight and promote local artists. Thursday’s event is dedicated to emerging talent in the Pacific Northwest. The designers are:
Comcast Student Designer Contest Winner (Competition is on April 15th)
Nomadic Wear from Seattle, WA
VossRock from Seattle, WA
Anar Couture from Seattle, WA
NorJack from Portland, OR
NES Fashions from Anchorage, AK
Cocoa Couture from Seattle, WA
Banchong Douangphrachanh from Seattle, WA

Urban Designers event on Friday May 14th 2010
This evening is filled with the latest chic and contemporary clothing from Ducati, Strut Boutique, Bebe, United Colors of Benetton, and 7 For All Mankind.

Established Designers event on Saturday May 15th 2010
This event is the pinnacle of Seattle Fashion Week and reflects this year’s celebration of global talent. Unique pieces from established American and international designers will be coming down the runway.
Featured designers:
Interior Design Coalition of Washington (IDCW) from Seattle, WA, USA
B’ZMA from Dubai, UAE
Eva Chen from Richmond, BC, Canada
House of Versatile Styles from Chicago, IL, USA
Blayne Walsh from Seattle, WA, USA
Teresa Valencia from Ecuador, South America
Monapali from Delhi, India
Catalin Botezatu from Romania