The Style Battle Championships Tour 2009

After a runaway first US campaign, a 5-continent World Tour, with support from Banksy, Bravo, and Ashton Kutcher, the original style battle competition returns.

“Buzzing with excitement – an awesome night out!” – INSTYLE

“A guerilla Project Runway…raising fashion’s already quick pulse to New York-minute speeds” – The Los Angeles Times

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS STYLE WARS?

The 2009 Style Battle Championship Tour hits America’s most stylish cities this fall to find the best undiscovered design talent in the country. You saw it on Make Me A Supermodel, or perhaps in Johannesburg, London, Hong Kong or Buenos Aires. Now come witness the fitness live!

Fusing the street-bred spontaneity of a rap battle with the glamour of fashion, House of Diehl’s STYLE BATTLING™ is the fresh phenomenon born in the basements of New York that is blowing up!

Have the guts, want the glory? Designers can apply to battle at www.houseofdiehl.com. Of those hopefuls, 8 designers/teams per city will face off in knock-out rounds of rapid design, LIVE on stage.

Competitors innovate to dominate this runway, making bold new fashions from recycled clothing and household objects in just 5 minutes! It’s DESIGN OR DIE as the crowd and a celebrity panel of style VIPs choose which battler stays in the game or bites the dust.

Created by House of Diehl as an opportunity for fresh young designers to prove their chops, Style Battling™ is a new approach to fashion, championing the possibilities of recycled/eco-friendly design. Style Wars offers emerging designers and the audience the experience of high fashion without the costs – to wallet or world. Moreover, with concept-to-creation in just minutes, the incredible designs offer an inside vision of future style.

Participants will be judged by an incredible panel of celebrity style makers.

Past judges have included musicians like Princess Superstar and Casey Spooner (FischerSpooner), legendary photographer Mick Rock, Whitney Museum of Art curator Shamim Momin and Style Network’s Jess Zaino.

Don’t miss Style Wars live on tour this Fall.

November 2009

(Dates and information subject to change.)

November 4 LIV @ Fontainbleu – Miami
November 7 Don Hill’s – New York
November 13 Opera – Atlanta
November 18 Cinespace – Los Angeles
November 21 Mezzanine – San Francisco

New Yorkers are also invited to check out THE GLAMBULANCE with The House of Diehl at 92YTribeca on Thursday, 9/24/09.

Learn DIY techniques to transform cast-offs into on-trend couture from the ‘Instant couture’ masters. House of Diehl’s MJ Diehl and Roman Milisic highlight trends from New York Fashion Week and offer fantastic, inventive ways to create your own signature look for pennies – using quick and easy transformations of thrift-store cast-offs.

—–

House of Diehl is the creative partnership of MJ Diehl and Roman Milisic.

Producing “statement-making” fashion design and multimedia experiences, their “revolutionary work” (ABC Eyewitness News) transcends the boundaries between fashion, art, music, and performance.

House of Diehl has exhibited and performed in a range of international arenas: with Sonic Youth and Rem Koolhaas at the Greenspace festival in Spain; for David LaChapelle and Gwen Stefani’s Rich Girl music video; alongside Elton John, Liza Minelli and Versace for the Life Ball at Vienna’s Rathaus; and in exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art, MA. House of Diehl also designs critically-acclaimed fashion collections. They’ve been nominated for the numerous awards, winning the Triumph International Fashion Award, 2004-5.

For videos and more information, go to:

House of Diehl Official Website

Premieres in L.A. September 24-27

John Varvatos headlines The Warehouse Sale’s Inaugural West Coast Affair

From its conception, designer John Varvatos’ seamlessly melded synergy of Rock ‘n Roll and classic structure has been a composite for a much-needed, fresh, new genre.

On September 24, 2009, John Varvatos will hold premiere designer honors as the nation’s largest and most coveted fashion sale, The Warehouse Sale, makes its first Los Angeles appearance.

John Varvatos’ inspirations come to life and have, and will continue to be, embraced as the quintessential Los Angeles style. His design creations, revered the world over, will find life most harmoniously in the vast fashion cultures of the City of Angels.

The four-day fashion event will take place at The Los Angeles Convention Center and its September presence in the Southland will mark the first time L.A. clients will be privy to this level of highly discounted offerings on the designs of John Varvatos.

Angeleno male attendees of the event will be able to purchase Varvatos dress wear, outerwear, leather jackets, jeans, shorts, sweaters, shoes, accessories and much more at below wholesale prices.

An invite-only, “first peek” day will launch the sale on Thursday, September 24. Then on the following day, September 25th, The Warehouse Sale will open its doors to the masses.

With price points reaching up to 90 percent off (the lowest prices they have ever offer ed!), The Warehouse Sale premieres in L.A. at the right time and with a boom. Full size runs will be available at commencement and choices will be numerous, with more than 15,000 dream-worthy items to ponder over.

Admittance will be by RSVP only and will be required for each day of attendance. The sale will breathe sprightly each day from 10AM to 8PM PT and will run through Sunday, September 27, 2009. To RSVP for The Warehouse Sale’s Los Angeles events, please visit, www.johnvarvatos.thewarehousesale.com.

Location:
The Los Angeles Convention Center
West Hall
1201 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

About The Warehouse Sale:

The Warehouse Sale is an exclusive, invite and RSVP sample sale that offers the newest and hottest styles of the season in your favorite brands for both men and women.

Get ahead of the trends and be the first to rock up-and-coming labels.

With everything priced below wholesale, The Warehouse Sale makes it easy for you to try new styles or brands without guilt.

For more information, visit:

The Warehouse Sale Official Website

The perfect stocking filler for Christmas!

Cheryl Cole

Katy Perry

Lauren Conrad

Punky Allsorts was created in January 2008 by musician Alayna Salter to meet the demand that was ignited by her music fans after she wore her stylish designs on stage at her gigs.

Alayna believes that every girl should have the opportunity to own something that is personally designed, individually handcrafted and that captivates their own imagination and personality.

Since the launch of Punky Allsorts, the range has attracted a celebrity following including chart topping singer Katy Perry, the Hilton sisters, Lady GaGa and Katy Perry to name a few! LA fashion store Kitson has also snapped up the quirky designs to stock in its uber trendy Robertson Boulevard boutique which has ensured the attention of the jewellery’s status as a must have among the Hollywood set.

Alayna’s unique jewellery has been hand-selected and made with precious materials with care and attention to detail to ensure that you will love them as much as she does!

Alayna’s story

Alayna’s first love is her music, and she’s already attracted a string of collaborations from the teams behind Disney’s High School Musical, Victoria Beckham and the Backstreet Boys. Alayna’s attitude comes candy coated and her music has been descibed as quirky rock with a feisty flavour.

Amazingly, Punky Allsorts was created after fans at her gigs asked Alayna where she got her great designs from. Realising the great potential the jewellery had, Alayna set about building on her designs and launched the brand in January.

She says “If you’re brave and have a great idea, use your initiative and just go for it. I wanted to create a young, fun brand that didn’t follow the rules of the more formal traditional trends and now the success of the jewellery is providing me with great opportunities to further my music career!”

Punky Allsorts on amazon.com

Alayna Salter MySpace
Alayna Salter Official Website

Punky Allsorts Official Website

Arizona’s leading fashion event, Phoenix Fashion Week, selects CASHAK.TV to
provide video coverage of their shows.

CASHAK.TV will broadcast interviews, runway footage and a documentary about Phoenix Fashion Week through its website.

For a third year, CASHAK.TV is named the “Official Video Partner” of Phoenix Fashion Week.

CASHAK.TV is responsible for broadcasting Phoenix Fashion Week to the world. The program will use the unique capabilities of video to report on the sights, motion and sounds of the event. Traditional print and web media are unable to convey all these dimensions to their audience.

CASHAK.TV will film all of the runway shows, in addition to the action backstage. An episodic series focusing on the work of Phoenix Fashion Week staff and designers from the beginning of this year to now will also be shown.

The series and show footage will air on CASHAK.TV’s website.

Christopher Cashak, the shows executive producer said: “This year we are covering every aspect of Phoenix Fashion Week. Other fashion weeks will look at what we are doing with envy.”

In 2005, CASHAK Magazine covered the second Phoenix Fashion Week with photographs and text articles. The editorial reviews continued into 2007 when CASHAK Magazine changed its name to CASHAK.TV. That year the show began its current video format. As the official video partner, CASHAK.TV brought the first fashion week endorsed video coverage to the shows. For 2008, the show added a live correspondent on the runway to report the the fashion stories.

“Working with CASHAK.TV has been a true fashionable partnership from day one, Chris and his team believed in the vision of Phoenix Fashion Week and together we have built it into one of the best fashion events in the Southwest,” said Brian Hill, Executive Director of Phoenix Fashion Week.

CASHAK.TV will use its stature in the international fashion community to bring attention to Phoenix Fashion Week and its designers. The program has participated in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan and London Fashion Week for years.

Christopher Cashak has expressed interest in developing a high-end fashion community in Scottsdale and Arizona. He routinely assigns reporters to cover local fashion events and designers.

Phoenix Fashion Week will take place October 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2009.

The runway shows will be held at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale.

SUMMARY

Who: Phoenix Fashion Week and CASHAK.TV
What: Phoenix Fashion Week selects CASHAK.TV to provide video coverage of its
event.
When: October 1-3, 2009
Where: The Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona
Why: CASHAK.TV was chosen by Phoenix Fashion Week because of the outstanding
work the show produced during the last two years of the event.

ABOUT CASHAK.TV

CASHAK.TV (http://cashak.tv/) is an online, TV format program covering fashion for young, trend-setting women. The show features regional, national and international high-end designer fashion. Video segments on CASHAK.TV include fashion reports, fashion shows, street fashion, interviews and backstage looks. Unlike generic fashion publications which cover multi-generational trends, CASHAK.TV only focuses on the stylish designs and accessories that
appeal to younger, fashion-savvy women.

CASHAK.TV is based out of the emerging fashion market of Scottsdale, Arizona. The show brings a new perspective to the industry from outside the traditional fashion hubs of New York City, Paris and Milan.

The show boasts an impressive list of supporting designers and brands. CASHAK.TV has reported on collections by Christian Audigier, Ed Hardy, Bebe, Beach Bunny Swimwear, Cia Maritima, Roberto Cavalli, Miss Sixty, Balmain, Chanel, Dsquared, Max Azria, Elle Macpherson, Lauren Conrad, YMI, among many others.

ABOUT PHOENIX FASHION WEEK

Phoenix Fashion Week is the leading fashion industry event in Arizona. The organization’s mission is bridging national and international designers with premier retailers and prestige fashion media. Phoenix Fashion Week’s ultimate goal is to garner global exposure for Arizona’s fashion industry. Through educational fashion seminars, year-round fashion events and charitable partnerships, Phoenix Fashion Week is gaining rapid acclaim for its community service efforts and for infusing world-class innovation into the valley. For more information log onto www.phoenixfashionweek.com

ABOUT OMEGA SUNFIRE PUBLIC RELATIONS

Omega Sunfire PR is a Scottsdale, Arizona based firm. The company specializes in public relation duties for fashion, entertainment and media companies. Recently, the company expanded into representation for celebrities. Clients include CASHAK.TV, Christopher Cashak, Superstar Selector, Blackout Shakeout, Go Go Smash, MetroShots and more.

For the latest news and information, go to:

Phoenix Fashion Week Official Website

Cashak.tv Official Website

Not only did I receive the perfume, but also the white headphones w/ MP3 player that you can see in the Ma Dame Rose ‘N’ Roll video campaign.

Initially viewers had to guess who the mystery guest was in the video. It took me a couple tries, but of course now I know that it’s French Producer / DJ Martin Solveig.

The song included with the headphones is the trendy “Boys & Girls” by Martin Solveig, and also features Dragonette.

Watch “Boys & Girls” video:

The Ma Dame Rose ‘N’ Roll perfume is magnificent!

Such a gorgeous scent – as described:

“Fresh and fluffy, with a delicious and malicious score.
On the A-side: a zest of tangy oranges and velvety rose petals with a heart of grenadine sweetness.
On the B-side, tenderness: cottony white musk and the soft caress of warm cedar.”

Ma Dame 50ml Limited Edition in pouch £43.00
Exclusive to Debenhams from Mid-August 2009

Ma Dame 75ml Limited Edition £50.00
Available nationwide from the 1st September 2009

Buy perfume and more:

Jean Paul Gaultier on amazon.co.uk

Jean Paul Gaultier on amazon.com

Ma Dame Rose ‘N’ Roll Official Website

Jean Paul Gaultier

The highly anticipated release of the JIBRI Fall ‘09 collection is finally here. Designer, Jasmine Elder, will be debuting her Fall 09′ collection at The Art of Fashion event that will take place on August 1, 2009 at the Dumbo Lofts in Brooklyn, New York.

This event will be hosted by Li’stA, an enclave for the upwardly mobile and socially conscious; promoting change through artistic commonality. The JIBRI collection will be showcased along with two other up and coming designers and a portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to the High 5 Organization, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to making the arts affordable for teens

A native of Atlanta, Jasmine Elder started creating garments at a very young age. She has lived in both New York and London as a design student. She decided to start the JIBRI line in 2006 and has never looked back.

The JIBRI line is dedicated to creating garments for the fashion-conscious curvy woman and is inspired by vintage cinema, music, art, powerful female figures and underground culture. With a keen eye on construction and unique fabrics, Jasmine always thinks about the woman who will wear her garments first, then creates well structured pieces that will flatter that woman’s body and express her design inspiration. Rio of Li’stA says, “Jasmine Elder has her fingers on the pulse of style and is currently breathing new life into the art of fashion.”

The JIBRI Fall ‘09 collection will be a visual pleasure. Jasmine worked with diffused metallic colors along with graphic prints. The fabrics are functional, but luxurious and the silhouettes are sensuous, but structured. Think Grace Jones meets Grace Kelly. As always, the line will include updated closet staples and one of a kind pieces. “I anticipate this will be the best collection JIBRI has put out yet.”, says Chastity Garner of Garner Style.

The Art of Fashion is an evening event that will showcase up and coming fashion designers. It will include a pre-show cocktail reception, showings of three designer collections and an after party with the designers, models and a celebrity DJ. “The Li’stA spirit embodies a collaboration of artists with a variety of different perspectives. I really wanted to show how the art of high fashion plus size design would add to that diversity.” says Jasmine Elder on why she wanted to participate in this event.

The Art of Fashion tickets

For additional information on JIBRI:

JIBRI Official Website

Annual New Members reception held at Four Seasons Restaurant

On July 14, 2009, the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Board of Directors ratified the addition of 31 new designers to its membership.

The new members are:

Chris Benz, CHRIS BENZ
Kevin Carrigan, CK CALVIN KLEIN
Susie Cho, INHABIT
Lyn Devon, LYN DEVON
Erin Fetherston, ERIN FETHERSTON
Tim Hamilton, TIM HAMILTON
Christina and Swaim Hutson, HUTSON
Alejandro Ingelmo, ALEJANDRO INGELMO
Christopher and Nicholas Kunz, NICHOLAS K
Marcella and Johan Lindeberg, PARIS 68, J. LINDEBERG, WILLIAM RAST
Deborah Lloyd, KATE SPADE
Jenna Lyons, J.CREW
Deborah Marquit, DEBORAH MARQUIT
Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, ELIZABETH & JAMES, THE ROW
Stefan Miljanic, GILDED AGE
Irene Neuwirth, IRENE NEUWIRTH
John Patrick, ORGANIC
Maria Pinto, MARIA PINTO
Jill Platner, JILL PLATNER
Lorraine Schwartz, LORRAINE SCHWARTZ
Michael Smaldone, TALBOTS
Simon Spurr, SPURR
Koi Suwannagate, KOI SUWANNAGATE
Albertus Swanepoel, ALBERTUS SWANEPOEL
Daiki Suzuki, ENGIENEERED GARMENTS
Alexander Wang, ALEXANDER WANG
Jason Wu, JASON WU

Executive Director Steven Kolb said of this year’s new members, “We are proud to welcome these 31 new members into the CFDA family and we excited to add such a variety of creative talent to our ranks.”

In celebration of their 50th anniversary, Four Seasons restaurant will host an intimate group of CFDA members, retailers and editors at a reception to welcome the new inductees on October 21.

New Members:

Albertus Swanepoel, ALBERTUS SWANEPOEL Born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, Albertus Swanepoel moved to New York City after a seven-year career as a critically acclaimed fashion designer under his Quartus Manna label, and a 1987 Coty Award as top designer in South Africa. In New York, Albertus trained as a milliner under Balenciaga’s Janine Galimard and assisted well-known hat designer, Lola, and theatrical milliner, Lynne Machey for several years on a freelance basis. In 2004, Albertus began collaborating with several New York designers for their runway presentations and established his namesake label in 2006. After being selected as a runner up for the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund in 2008, Albertus was nominated for the 2009 Swarovski CFDA Award for Accessory Design.

Alejandro Ingelmo, ALEJANDRO INGELMO
Alejandro Ingelmo is a fourth generation shoe designer whose great-grandfather, Calzados began as a cobbler in Salamanca, Spain and later established Ingelmo shoes. Born and raised in Miami, Alejandro moved to New York to study at Parsons School of Design to achieve his goal of developing and expanding his great grandfather’s business. In addition to his collection of women’s shoes that are feminine and erotic in look, men’s shoes and “sneakers,” Alejandro holds a consulting position with an internationally recognized accessories brand. Ingelmo was named a CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund finalist in 2009 and was nominated for the 2009 Swarovski CFDA Award for Accessory Design.

Alexander Wang, ALEXANDER WANG
A native San Franciscan of Chinese-American descent, Alexander Wang moved to New York at 18 to attend Parsons School of Design and to intern at various design companies. By his sophomore year (2005), Alexander was already designing the first collection of his eponymous label, after which he launched his full women’s collection in 2007. Selling internationally to over 200 boutiques and retail stores, Wang added a full accessories collection in 2008. Now at the age of 25, Alexander resides in New York City’s Lower East Side, where there is never a shortage of inspiration in music, life, reality and culture. In 2008, Alexander was selected as the winner of the prestigious CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund and in 2009, he was recognized by his peers with a second nomination for the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear Design, and was announced the winner on June 15th.

Kevin Carrigan, CK CALVIN KLEIN
Kevin Carrigan serves as the Creative Director of the ck CALVIN KLEIN and CALVIN KLEIN labels and is responsible for setting the direction of the global design aesthetic for their men’s and women’s sportswear businesses, as well as the licensed men’s and women’s wholesale and retail lines. Kevin also oversees the design direction of additional licensed product categories, including jeans, coats, dresses, socks and hosiery, handkerchiefs, ties, and umbrellas. He holds a degree from Ravenbourne College of Design and Communication, and a Masters of Art in Fashion Design from the Royal College of Art and Design in London. Kevin joined Calvin Klein in 1998 as a Design Director for ck Women’s and was promoted to Design Direction of ck Men’s and Women’s in 2002.

Chris Benz, CHRIS BENZ
Growing up in Seattle in the early 90’s, Chris Benz spent time in his grandmother’s attic carefully sorting through antique jewelry and fifties-era dolls. Chris arrived in New York City at the age of 17 to study at Parsons School of Design, where he interned with Marc Jacobs, won a CFDA Scholarship Award in 2003 and, after graduation, joined the design team in J.Crew’s Dresses and Special Occasion division. Benz has since built a solid reputation for himself as a designer who can take specific historical points of reference and make them thoroughly apropos for today’s girls-about-town with his slouchy but feminine look full of unexpected color and quirky details.

Deborah Marquit, DEBORAH MARQUIT
After graduating from Parson School of Design, Deborah spent seven as a staff fashion illustrator at WWD but eventually grew restless and changed careers. She wanted to use strong color and sharp shapes – and in 1984 she introduced her handmade, hand-dyed “fluorescent” lace bras. In 2005, she opened a studio on 15th street, which operates as a store, design studio, and manufacturing space.

Daiki Suzuki, ENGIENEERED GARMENTS
While growing up in Japan, Daiki Suzuki coveted American sportswear for its interesting blend of design innovation and the latest in industrial manufacturing which led him to fashion design at the Bantan Design Institute in Japan where he graduated in 1982. After working in the sales department of Japan’s Union Square Inc., he became the Head Buyer of North American Exports for Nepenthes, Co., Ltd. in 1988. In 1999, Daiki’s own collection, ENGIENEERED GARMENTS, which comes from the belief that clothes are not designed but engineered, debuted in 2004. In 2008, he was awarded the GQ/CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year.

Erin Fetherston, ERIN FETHERSTON
Erin Fetherston grew up in Piedmont, California and attended UC Berkeley. After graduating in 2002, she headed to France where she studied fashion and attended Parson’s School of Design in Paris. In January 2005, Erin debuted her eponymous collection during the Haute Couture shows in Paris after which she shifted her focus to ready-to-wear and moved to New York City. In 2007, Erin was selected to design a Go International line for Target and was a recipient of an Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award for emerging designers. That same year, Erin was also named a finalist for the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund.

Stefan Miljanic, GILDED AGE
After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising from The American College in London, Stefan was the head designer for men’s outerwear at Starter Sportswear. After stints at Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Swiss Army, Banana Republic, and Abercrombie & Fitch, he established a high-end, casual luxury menswear brand – GILDED AGE – which derives inspiration from old New York. The brand utilizes organic materials, natural dyes and natural and artisanal fabrics reminiscent of an era that predates mass production.

Christina and Swaim Hutson, HUTSON
After several years working as a design assistant, and various production management positions, Swaim Hutson started OBEDIENT SONS in California in late 200. The label started out with a sportswear focus and quickly became popular within the Japanese market. By 2006 he had relocated to New York and secured an investor. This allowed Swaim and his wife Christina, who had over a decade of experience working conceptual direction and consultancy for brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret, to re-launch OBEDIENT SONS in 2007 with a more tailored platform. Building on the success of their menswear line, Swaim and Christina launched a women’s collection for Fall 2008, aptly named Daughters, and began showing both OBEDIENT SONS AND DAUGHTERS together during New York Fashion Week. Swaim and Christina Hutson have since launched their new brand, HUTSON, for Fall 2009, consisting of both men’s and women’s handmade tailored clothing, and thus far have gained strong reviews.

Susie Cho, INHABIT
Susie Cho graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1993 and then quickly went to work as an assistant designer at Armani Exchange. From 1997 to 1999, Cho worked as a consultant/freelancer for designers such as John Bartlett, Jussara Lee, Coleridge, Pamela Dennis, Philip, Pixie Yates, and DKNY. In 1999, Susie took over as the head sportswear designer of Susan Lazar. From 2002-2003, she served as head designer at TSESAY before becoming a knitwear consultant for DKNY Jeans and Michael Kors. In 2003, Susie founded and became the Creative Director of INHABIT, which now includes both men’s and womenswear and is noted for its superior materials and artisanal detail.

Irene Neuwirth, IRENE NEUWIRTH
Founded in 2000, Irene’s namesake company has emerged as a leading American jewelry brand, recognized by its uniquely modern and sophisticated designs. After being inundated with requests to purchase her one-of-a kind pieces, she showed a small collection to a buyer at Barneys New York (2002) who placed an order on the spot. After one year at Barneys, Irene ranked among the store’s top-selling jewelry lines, a position maintained to this day. Her creations have garnered the editorial attention of publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, Town & Country, W, and Elle. In June 2006, Irene was the recipient of the coveted Town & Country Couture Design Editors’ Choice Award at the Couture Jewelry Collection & Conference and in July of 2008 she was selected as a finalist for the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund.

Jenna Lyons, J.CREW
After graduating from Parsons in 1990, Jenna held a brief internship at Donna Karan before joining J.CREW as an assistant designer where she has remained for 15 years. Having held a variety of positions within the company, Jenna was promoted to SVP of Women’s Design in 2005, and has served as Creative Director of J.CREW since 2007. When Mickey Drexler became the CEO of J.CREW in 2002, he relied on Jenna to oversee the design makeover of the J.CREW brand.

Jason Wu, JASON WU
Sewing since the age of nine, 26 year old Jason Wu has already achieved much success as a designer. After studying sculpture in Tokyo, he spent his senior year of high school in Paris, decided to become a fashion designer, and enrolled at Parsons School of Design in New York. In February 2006, Jason debuted his collection, where he was instantly recognized as an emerging talent in American fashion design. He continues to receive accolades – including Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award for Women’s Ready-to-Wear in January 2008. He was also named one of the finalists in the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund in that same year. Jason’s business exploded overnight when First Lady Michelle Obama wore one of his original designs to the Inaugural Ball. Later this year, he was nominated for the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear.

Jill Platner, JILL PLATNER
Jill Platner was raised in rural Massachusetts and spent most of her formative years soaking up the wonders of nature, after which she came to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design, finding another source of inspiration in the urban chaos and the rich diversity of faces. She chanced upon her true calling when she took a metalworking class and can often be found in the downstairs workroom of her Crosby Street store, where she oversees a small hive of industry and creativity that represents the progress she has made since she sold her thesis collection to Barneys in 1992. What has not changed is the passion that informs every element, the joy of creation and the desire to continually evolve her body of work.

Deborah Lloyd, KATE SPADE
A graduate of Ravensbourne College of Art and Design (1986) and a masters graduate of the Royal College of Art (1988), Deborah worked at a variety of design houses in Italy, Paris and London after finishing school. After a stint as Burberry London’s VP of Women’s Design, she left Burberry to become the SVP of Design and Product Development at Banana Republic in New York, where she was promoted to EVP in 2003. In late 2007, Deborah joined the Kate Spade team as the Co-President and Creative Director where she has designed and launched the Kate Spade New York Jewelry, RTW, and Legwear collections.

Koi Suwannagate, KOI SUWANNAGATE
Born in Bangkok and now living in Los Angeles, the artistically-inclined Koi Suwannagate captures nature’s fleeting beauty in her trademark and hand-sculpted creations of multilayered luxurious fabrics. KOI launched in 2001and made its New York Fashion Week debut in 2007, where Suwannagate received much praise from the fashion press and retailers and was selected as a finalist for the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund. Most recently, Women’s Wear Daily named the KOI SUWANNAGATE Spring/Summer 2009 collection as one of the Top Ten collections of the season.

Lorraine Schwartz, LORRAINE SCHWARTZ
As the granddaughter of one of the world’s leading diamond manufacturers, Lorraine Schwartz learned early on about the intricate aspects of gemstones and fine jewelry. Originally a diamond dealer, she quickly became known for her keen eye for quality and clarity and was approached by a client who had bought loose stones from her to create a one-of-a-kind piece – Lorraine Schwartz Jewelry was born. In addition to a full line of jewelry, she has had success with her signature “against evil eye diamond bracelets,” which have become hugely popular and are worn daily by many of her celebrity clients. In the spring of 2007, Lorraine launched her Monkey Collection, which consists of gold and diamond encrusted necklaces, bracelets, rings and cufflinks, based on the three monkeys representing Hear No Evil, See No Evil, and Speak No Evil.

Lyn Devon, LYN DEVON
Born and raised in Manhattan, Lyn Devon completed a course of study at Parsons School of Design after graduating from Brown University in 2002. After working as an intern for Zac Posen, she joined Ralph Lauren, where she designed women’s Ready-to-Wear and began designing and producing her own line of custom clothing out of her living room for a small, private clientele. Working one-one-one with clients enabled Devon to further cultivate her design philosophy and creative process. In 2005, Lyn launched her eponymous label and showed her first collection in New York that September. She has since been named a Fashion Group International “Rising Star” in Womenswear Design, one of Style.com’s “Season’s Most Promising Talents” and has been awarded the prestigious Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for Womenswear.

Maria Pinto, MARIA PINTO
An alumna of Chicago’s School of the Art Institute, Maria Pinto majored in fine art with a focus in fashion, and later attended both New York’s Parson’s School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. After finishing school, Maria worked for legendary designer Geoffrey Beene where she learned the importance of attention to detail, the techniques of draping, and the art of editing. Maria’s luxurious women’s accessories collection debuted at Bergdorf Goodman in 1991; it was this initial success that gave her the confidence to expand into eveningwear. In August 2008, Pinto opened the doors to her first boutique in Chicago’s West Loop where her collections are known for well-edited luxury and have drawn high profile clients like First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey as well as the opportunity to design seductive costumes for the Joffrey Ballet’s Recorde Per Due (2002) and Age of Innocence (2008).

Christopher and Nicholas Kunz, NICHOLAS K
After holding several positions in both the men’s and women’s departments of DKNY, Coach, John Varvatos, and Nautica, and consulting for Liz Claiborne, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein, Nicholas Kunz co-founded the Nicholas K line with her brother Christopher Kunz in 2003. The line features both men’s and women’s knitwear. Although he has had no formal training in fashion, Christopher focuses on the menswear line, even serving as muse and inspiration. Nicholas, on the other hand, studied at Fashion Institute of Technology before graduating from the Polimoda School of Design in Florence, Italy in 1995.

John Patrick, ORGANIC
ORGANIC, John Patrick’s ethically produced and sustainable line defies the “crunch conception” of how a “green” collection is expected to look. Based in Albany, New York, John Patrick launched ORGANIC in 2004, creating the supply chain that he required, essentially from scratch. He established organic fields in the jungles of Peru, and educated factories all over the world in the process required to mill the crop into fibers suitable for his city-sleek apparel. In the Fall/Winter 2008 collection, Patrick introduced embroidered coats and jackets made of organic Vermont wool, and was named a finalist for the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund.

Marcella and Johan Lindeberg, PARIS 68, J. LINDEBERG, WILLIAM RAST
Johan Lindeberg launched his brand J.LINDEBERG during the summer of 1996, in Stockholm and New York simultaneously with a “21st Century Lifestyle” design concept that reflected his interest in transforming elements from high fashion and “active” sports apparel into sportswear. In 2002 Johan and his wife Marcella, relocated to London and, under Marcella’s supervision, revealed the first women’s collection. J.Lindeberg also presented a full denim concept and has a new relationship with the brand William Rast; both Marcella and Johan will be designing for the label.

Simon Spurr, SPURR
Simon Spurr graduated with honors from Middlesex University in London in 1996 with a B.A. in Men’s fashion design. From 1998-2001, Simon trained under the watchful eye of Hedi Slimane while designing the diffusion line of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. In 2001 Simon was the Senior Designer of menswear at cK and from 2003 to 2006, he served as Men’s Design Director for Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Black Label. He has also consulted for several global brands, including Burberry Black (Japan) and ICB Menswear (Japan). In 2007, Simon received WWD-DNR Magazine’s “Editors Choice Award” for “Best New Label,” which was followed by a February 2008 award as one of the GQ/CFDA “Best New Menswear Designers in America.” The SPURR brand evokes a powerful association with style confidence, and luxury. The unique design aesthetic is reflected in each of its products, which are instantly recognizable for their detailed, clean, and modern look.

Michael Smaldone, TALBOTS
Michael Smaldone joined Talbots, Inc. as Chief Creative Officer for the brand in December 2007. In this newly created role, Michael is responsible for developing a cohesive look and design process for all concepts under the Talbots brand. Additionally, he ensures this look is consistently and seamlessly expressed in merchandise, displays, catalogs and other customer-facing collateral. Prior to joining the Talbots, Michael served as SVP of Design for Ann Taylor from September 2003 until December 2007. He also held senior leadership roles in design at Anne Klein and Elie Tahari.

Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, ELIZABETH & JAMES, THE ROW
Moving away from their careers as actresses, both Mary Kate and Ashley have recently moved forward in the fashion industry. As young girls, they had a clothing and beauty line in Wal-Mart stores across America for girls ages 4-14 and have since launched THE ROW, a high-end fashion line inspired by London’s Savile Row and a direct reflection of their personal style. Ashley and Mary-Kate continued their expansion in the fashion industry with the Fall 2007 launch of ELIZABETH & JAMES, their contemporary collection, which is inspired by many of their unique vintage finds and pieces in their personal wardrobes. They plan to expand both labels to include menswear by Fall 2009.

Tim Hamilton, TIM HAMILTON
Tim Hamilton founded his men’s label in 2007 and debuted a womenswear collection for Fall 2009 during Paris Fashion Week. He has risen to become a leading voice of American men’s wear new guard. Hamilton credits his unusual biography — he was born in Iowa to a Lebanese mother and an American-English father — and extensive design background with guiding his unique design philosophy. Hamilton is not only concerned about clothes, but the energy and convictions he wants them to relay. Based in New York, Tim sells to stores throughout the US, Europe and Asia and has been nominated three times (2007, 2008 and 2009) for the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Swarovski Award for Menswear. He took home the award in 2009.

Prospective CFDA members must contact the CFDA to request admissions materials. Eligible candidates may be American citizens designing in the United States or abroad or foreign nationals with businesses based in the United States. The application for membership includes a resume, a portfolio, and other materials that represent the candidate’s work to date, and two letters of recommendation from active CFDA members in the same area of design. The Admissions Committee who then recommends selected candidates for membership to the Board of Directors, which must ratify each candidate, reviews all submissions.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of more than 360 of American’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. The CFDA Foundation, Inc. is a separate, not-for-profit company organized to raise funds for charity and industry activities.

For more information, please visit:

CFDA Official Website