The 2017 Independent Designer Runway Show once again showcased the creativity of eight of the area’s most talent local designers in a stellar show that kicked off Fashion Week at The Bellevue Collection.
Poppyseed Wins The Grand Prize
Local independent designer Rebekah Adams of Poppyseed was chosen as the Grand Prize winner. Adams received a prize package including $5000 for her line, furnished by The Bellevue Collection and the Kemper Freeman family. In addition, her collection will be featured in eight free-standing Fashion Frames located throughout Bellevue Square through the end of October.
Poppyseed’s innovative designs and modern aesthetic make her pieces both wearable and completely original in their approach to dressing. While the brand is geared towards modern maternity wear, the designs has a wider focus that has created bold pieces that are can be worn by women in any stage of life. The “Zipper Dress” was her first foray into this versatile dressing and kicked off the creativity of Poppyseed that won the show this fall.
The Fan Favorite: Chany Venturini
The sold-out audience also voted for their Fan Favorite using instant voting selecting Chany Venturini by Maria Venturini. Venturini won $1,000 for her glamorous collection of beautiful gowns made with silk, velvet, lace and organza. According to Venturini, “Fashion is not only what you wear but how you wear it.”
The two winners were two of the seven local designers chosen to compete in a six-month long mentorship program and runway show, coached along the way by a panel of local fashion leaders who offered their guidance and insight at several check-in points along the way. In addition to the competing designers for 2017, Devon Yan, last year’s IDRS grand prize winner, joined the runway featuring his men’s and women’s collections under his brand DEVONATION.
The additional fashion designers and their labels are:
- Gustave Apiti at Gustavo Apiti Couture
- Jennifer Charkow at Stone Crow Designs
- Paloma Hurtado at Norte
- Meagan Kruz at Jersey Virago
- Nora Suarez at LOURDES é EVA
Panel members judged the designers on their creativity and originality, workmanship, business model and presentation. The panel included Marj Turner, of Seattle Fashion Group International, Bruce Pflaumer of Michael Bruce Image Consulting, Designer and Consultant Lisa Vian Hunter and GRAY magazine Editor Jennifer McCullum. In announcing the selection, Pflaumer said, “This event is the exclamation point to six months of hard work by these designers.” The designers met with the judging panel and mentors every five weeks to gain specific advice and direction of the original designs they presented at last night’s runway show.
Below are a dozen images from the night to give you an idea of the diverse designs on display at IDRS 2017.
Photography by Jed Samiento
