Fashion-savvy teens from all over the Eastside and Seattle made their way to downtown Bellevue this week as part of the second annual Fashion Camp by Rosaline Hampton.
Organized by the world-renowned stylist and salon owner, the week-long camp, included beauty, fashion and style workshops led by style mentors and Eastside fashion professionals.
“The focus of this camp is to not just teach these girls how to follow trends, but to embrace their personal style and be trendsetters,” Hampton said.Created by Hampton in 2010, the nonprofit fashion camp aims to give girls 14 to 18 hands-on fashion experience while providing an environment that encourages self-confidence and individuality.
Each day campers are connected with a number of professionals within the fashion and beauty industry.
On Monday, Brittany Belur from the Nordstrom Visual Team led a workshop about sustainability in accessorizing. Belur, who also sells handmade turban-style headbands under the brand STUD (Sustainable Textiles and Unique Design), taught the campers how to make a variety of fashion-forward accessories using recycled clothing.
“I can’t afford stuff off the runway, but I like to make things that look like I can,” Belur said.
The accessory workshop focused on giving campers the tools to create “trendy” pieces without breaking the bank. Keeping with this theme, campers used scraps of cotton shirts, leather pants and fabric Belur found at Goodwill to create an assortment of braided headbands, scarves and leather bow ties.
Additional workshops included lessons on at-home nail care and hygiene, hair, make-up and styling – as well as talks by guest speakers Yuliya Suleymanova, fashion director for Madina Vadache; Eugenia Weston, founder of Senna Cosmetics; and professional photographer Meg Stacker.
New to this year’s camp were daily nutrition and wellness lessons, which had participants learning about the importance of eating right and exercising. Guests for this portion of the program included personal trainer and nutrition coach Katie Wygant; Seattle Seahawks Sea Gal Cassie Sells; and professional fitness athlete Tanji Johnson.
This year also introduces a new fashion challenge: on Thursday afternoon each participant was given $20 to spend, and 20 minutes to shop at Forever 21, with the goal to find something to wear with their Fashion Camp T-shirt. The outfit will be showcased, along with their accessories from earlier in the week, at the camp’s graduation and runway show, taking place Friday at 7 p.m.
Hampton worked with the Dana Johnston Foundation at Rainier Beach High School and the Rise and Shine Coalition to recruit interested campers. With help from sponsors including Rock Star Jewelry, Luna Bar and Queen Anne Dispatch, as well as Rosalie Hampton Salon Inc., participants attended the camp free of charge.
The runway show kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10, at the Rosaline Hampton Salon, 188 106th Ave. Northeast #400, Bellevue. The free event will feature music by DJ Radiyo and catering by Lisa Dupar & Co. For more information, go to www.rhfashioncamp.com.
