Versatility proved to trump Thursday night, where local designer Carole McClellan was selected as the winner of the Fashion Funds prize at the first Independent Designer Runway Show, which took place Thursday night, as part of the Bellevue Collection’s Fashion Week.
“I’ve always worked in fur and leather with recycled and repurposed pieces that I completely take apart and put back together,” said McClellan when presenting her work to panelists in June.
The collection featured in Thursday’s show expanded on this experience, adding denim and other fabrics to create a more comprehensive collection for both men and women.
“[McClellan] designed some amazing fabrics that were outside of her comfort zone and exclusive to the Carole McClellan line,” said Laura Cassidy, panelist, mentor and style editor at Seattle magazine. “If Seattle gets tagged with something, it’s practical. If we could change that, it’s practical and stylish, and I think that is something that made Carole the clear choice.”
The first fashion event of this year’s weeklong Fashion Week at The Bellevue Collection, the Independent Designer Show showcased designs by eight local designers in a special runway event.
The show, brought to fruition by the Bellevue Collection’s partnership with Fashion Group International (FGI) and Femfessionals in Seattle, was a culmination of months of work by the designers, organizers and a judging panel. McClellan’s prize package includes $5,000 in Fashion Funds to help build her business.
“Fashion is our largest category of retail at the Bellevue Collection,” states Jennifer Leavitt, VP of Marketing for The Bellevue Collection.
The Independent Designer Runway Show was created to support the local designer industry and foster relationships for future growth. Other designers and collections featured as part of the show were Lizzie Parker; Ampersand As Apostrophe by Jessica Park; Built For Man by Francisco Hernandez; Masha Osoianu Design by Masha Osoianu; KateS Mensah by Kathy Sabin-Mensah; Anne Sylvain by Patricia Raskin; Bd Homme by Banchong Douangphrachanh; Olga Szwed by Olga Szwed; and Lisa Vian Hunter.
