Google searches turn dreamers into designers

Lights, cameras and rows of fashion-hungry Portlanders packed into White Horse Studios Saturday night for the Fashion Forward show, Portland Sewing’s year-end celebration.

Rows of white chairs were filled and overflowing onlookers peered over a second-story balcony to catch a glimpse of the fall 2013 looks that strutted, turned and posed for crouching photographers.

Portland Sewing, a sewing and apparel design studio that’s operated out of Northeast Portland the past 11 years, hosted the annual event and was responsible for the skills and talent behind the designs.

Rewind 10 months to August of last year, when a handful of hopefuls were hand selected for this very Fashion Forward program.

The opportunity afforded the chosen few aspiring designers months of intense hours of instruction from industry professionals and a chance to showcase a collection of their own designs for friends, family, the public and even local buyers in May.

Each designer was unique in his or her approach to creating a fall 2013 ready-to-wear line, and each collection boasted around five or six different looks. A noticeable amount of knits, polyester, hoods and relaxed structures embodied the true Portland spirit as the models “worked it” down the aisles of watching eyes.

Men and women both got their time in the spotlight, and at the end of each of the eight collections the designers emerged beaming from behind the curtain.

The minutes-long showcase of months-long labor is an apt encapsulation of the grueling design process.

Joshua Buck, a 31- (or, in his charming words, “30-wonderful,”) year-old Portlander with a splash of turquoise hair, was the brains behind his menswear collection, “Chicago Harper.”

“The part I struggle with the most is mixing creativity and commerce—creating something that feels nice and fresh and is also something people want to buy,” Buck said. “The most fun part is after the final fitting, cutting the final fabric and seeing it come to life.”

Buck’s designs can be found at Radish Underground—and he’s not the only designer with a presence around town.

Lisa Silveira has shown her collection, “Wandering Muse,” around town for the last year. She was part of last year’s Fashion Forward show, the Pink Carpet Project Fashion Show and, most recently, the Fade to Light event.

As her models were busy showing off her hard work, Silveira emerged from behind the curtain to help a couple of models remove their outerwear and then assisted them as they flipped and turned their garments into newly fashioned looks made of the same item of clothing.

One example is a dress that was unzipped in the back, turned around and donned as a mid-thigh-length jacket. No indecency for audience members, of course, as the cool-weather-ready look was complete with leggings and a tank underneath.

Silveira’s look caters well to the on-the-go Portlander and was clearly inspired by knitwear and an emphasis on versatility.

Inspiration is different for every designer, and for some it is very personal. Designer Lisha Xie was born in China and chose to honor that in her clothing.

“I was born in Mongolia, and this is a Mongolian inspiration,” Xie said.

When asked how she discovered Portland Sewing, she simply said online. She wasn’t the only designer who credited the Internet with helping her find the design school.

Gupse Spasaro, a 26-year-old resident of the Pearl District, had always admired her mom’s and grandma’s sewing growing up, so she googled “sewing, Portland” and found herself at the Portland Sewing website.

Now she’s a full-fledged designer, with a line of dresses called “Undeniable” aimed at 20-to-30-year-old women. Spasaro described the line as “comfortable and sexy with simple pieces.”

Portland is rising on the fashion scene: The iconic hit TV show Portlandia put idiosyncratic Portland style on the mainstream map, and already the Rose City has boasted several success stories on the Bravo design series Project Runway.

It is the mission of Portland Sewing founder Sharon Blair to foster Portland’s growth as a fashion-forward city.

“We will make Portland a center for the fashion industry—one designer at a time!” Blair said emphatically from the stage—a declaration that was met with applause at the close of the well-received show.

If the fashion curious keep Googling sewing resources in Portland, then Blair may very well continue to see the benefits of her efforts.

Applications for the 2013–14 Portland Sewing Fashion Forward Program are available to anyone with a passion for fashion and will be accepted this summer.

Portland Sewing is predominantly a sewing studio with classes open to any and all who wish to learn more about sewing and design.

More information can be found at portlandsewing.com.