'Clothes Reflect People As A Whole’ An Inside Look At A Minneapolis Designer

    The trendy uptown bar was buzzing as Leslie and I sat down for our interview. Picture one of those really sophisticated people, who presence makes you want to be more like them, this is what Leslie broadcasts to the world with her sense of fashion. A recent graduate from the University of Minnesota’s  College of Design, Leslie has been obsessing about fashion since she was a little girl. Her first recollection of fashion came when her grandmother would let Leslie create and sew outfits for her doll collection.
    Now that she is a graduate, Leslie wants to take her talents to the stage, as in theatrical costume design, in the movies, or simply styling for a television show. Her fever for the theatre comes from her love of history. Picasso is her most inspirational person from the past. He is not only famous for his paintings but he designed sets and costumes for the theatre. With her head and heart in right place, Leslie feels that she needs to move to New York or California if she wants to make a name for herself. While she admits that there are possibilities here, but that they aren’t for her. Her aspirations are to make it big and be in the midst of the chaos that is New York
    As we continued talking I thought it would be interesting to be  in the mind of a designer while she is working on a collection. Leslie told me her experience with her final project. The designer starts with an idea. It may not be the best, but research and imagination go into this step and make the idea come alive. For this particular project each designer was asked to do something with two ideas that were opposite from each other.  Leslie chose comedy and tragedy and began  drawing inspiration from Romeo and Juliet. Research on the movies, the play, the author, and then the fabrics and styles of the time period. When the research process if done the fun begins. Leslie starts by sketching her ideas, and begins pattern making. Then the fabrics and trims are chosen. Then the pieces are cut out and sewn, fitted, usually, to Leslie from her bust form which is her exact measurements. This process seems short, but the whole project took her from January to May.

    As I stated earlier, Leslie has impeccable style. She’s the type of girl who seems effortless, so I wanted a little inside dish on how she achieves her look. Leslie says that ‘clothes reflect people as a whole’. Which to her means that we are all connected by fashion whether or not we are in the business. Leslie stays true to herself by purchasing clothes from stores she could see her designs fitting in. Vintage and local designer shops are her fav, but she doesn’t discriminate against Target and the big names like Urban Outfitters. She says that you should watch trends and interpret them in your own unique way. ‘If you feel like throwing pearls on with an army coat, then do it!’ This is how she stays true to herself.
    Like any good conversation, ours had to come to an end. Reflecting back the most significant thing that Leslie left me with was to her ‘clothes reflect people as a whole’. That no matter what we are all connected by a little thing called fashion.

Maritza Ramirez: The Spanglish Designer

In my search for a local fashion designer to interview, I came across the name Maritza Ramirez. I looked at her clothing sold in Cliché in uptown and immediately fell in love with her style and knew I had to meet with her, even better was that Maritza was eager to meet me with me to tell me all about herself.

                Maritza calls herself “a little Spanglish fashion designer”.  She grew up just north of the Twin Cities in Forest Lake, after meeting with her I found we actually went to the same high school! Maritza’s passion for fashion started in high school when she began taking some sewing classes. After graduation she went to further her education at St. Catherine’s University where she majored in clothing design and minored in art history. When Maritza started college she really wasn’t sure what she could do with this love of fashion that she had but she thanks the support of her family and friends who pushed her to go for her dreams of becoming a designer.

                Maritza’s first break into the fashion world was when she designed clothing for a band in the Voltage fashion show in 2009. Cliché boutique quickly took notice of Maritza’s whimsical and feminine designs and offered her the opportunity to sell her designs in the store. Much of Maritza’s designs are inspired by architecture, traveling and the local Minneapolis scene. When designing her garments Maritza says “its all about balance”.  She uses a muted color palette with lots attention to detail. Her look is very structured and tailored with feminine pleats and gathers.

                Maritza keeps her life busy, busy, busy.  She is a one woman show and does everything from the designing to the production of her lines. Maritza jokes that she does actually have an assistant, Pinny, which is actually not much of an assistant but rather her dress form that she spends many hours with. Along with designing for fashion shows throughout the Twin Cities, she has even developed her own fashion show called SCENEaSOTA.  This November will mark her third year running SCENEaSOTA. It began as a very amateur fashion show while she was still in college featuring local designers.  This year it has grown and will feature pieces from fresh designers and more experienced designers along with some new accessory designers.  This past spring Maritza also mentored students in the Apparel Design program from St. Catherine’s in designing their end of the year fashion show. And if all that isn’t enough on her plate she also works at Macy’s in the cosmetics department while she is getting her designs out and known in Minneapolis.

                With Maritza’s amazing passion and drive for success you would think it would be only natural that she would seek to be in New York or L.A. but like many local designers, she believes that there is great fashion scene in Minneapolis and wants to help it grow.

Miss Pamela

Aspiring Designer.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with aspiring, local designer, Pamela Krempely, who will be a senior at the U of MN this fall. She started college at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana as an apparel design student, but soon transferred in order to be in a more metropolitan area. As a child, Pamela recalls wanting to be an artist. Her first memories, involving fashion, consist of playing dress up with her sister and older cousin. That, she explained, was when she first learned how to accessorize.

Pamela wasn’t always so sure that design was the direction she wanted to take in life,   “I’ve always known I wanted to create something; I just never fathomed the depth of it until I learned what I was capable of,” she shared. But what, exactly, is it about fashion design that personally intrigues Pamela? She explained that the different ways in which people can see fit on a body and create something so aesthetically appealing and shocking has always interested her. “I’m always curious to see how that person sees,” she revealed.

Pamela admitted that dresses were her favorite garments to design, as well as abstract, impractical designs meant to be wearable art. When it comes to Pamela’s personal style and fashion choices, she is influenced, mostly, by color and fit. Saying, “I’m discerning about the newest trends, selecting only what I think accents my shape. Most of the time I just wear what fits my mood at that particular time.”

Pamela’s hobbies include drawing, writing, and sketching/sewing designs.  She is a people watcher, collects fashion magazines and enjoys gathering new inspirations. She considers Alexander McQueen to be her all-time favorite designer, as she gushes, saying, “His work is pure genius to me because no matter how weird he gets, he still has exquisite lines and stays true to the female form.  His use of the feminine shape is always breathtaking to me.” She also shares that McQueen’s attitude about the fashion world and love for abstract Haute Couture is something she can really identify with.

She confesses that her favorite place to shop is Ragstock in Uptown, Minneapolis. She claims that she likes to buy cheap clothing and Ragstock always carries eccentric pieces, which allow her to be creative and put together her own fashions.  Other personal favorites include The Buckle, H&M, Express and Urban Outfitters.

Pamela works part-time at a high end retail store, Republic of Couture, where she is hoping to gain as much experience for her future endeavor, which would be starting her very own boutique. She is definitely aware of the hardships that aspiring designers, like her, will have to experience before making her dreams a reality.

Pamela stated that the hardest thing is having money to pay for upfront costs, like materials. She also mentioned that networking and finding an ‘in’ with the local fashion scene can be difficult. Lacking credentials to back up her skills and talents can sometimes stand in Pamela’s way of establishing her clientele. “It’s frustrating, but I don’t let it stop me from trying.  Eventually someone gives you a chance to do something, even if it’s small; everyone starts somewhere,” Pamela shared.

As for the future, she is extremely hopeful. Pamela mentioned that her dream job would be to own and operate her own boutique, selling her designs and doing custom designs for clients for events (weddings, proms, galas, etc.).  She claimed that she would also like to start a local fashion magazine, which emphasizes local designers, musicians, artists and trends. “I guess my dream job would be to have a lot of little projects that blossom into something surrounding my passion for art,” she added.

Pamela lives by the quote, “Whatever happens, happens.” She has an uncanny sense of personal confidence and knows that personal attributes like her uncanny attention to detail, excellent communication skills and humor will help Pamela get to where she knows that she needs to be.Pamela plans to graduate in the summer or fall of 2011 and has already started to plan her first fashion show, which will act as her senior project. She gives this advice to other aspiring designers, “Don’t give up, always keep an eye out for opportunities and never shy away from a challenge.Posted by: Kelsey Durken