 The
’80s are a big inspiration for Kristy Schomburg, who designs under
the BILL label. Back then, she was a girl in total awe of her two
teenage sisters.
"I couldn’t wait for their hand-me-downs — hot pink
skirts, fishnets and tube tops; even checkerboard eye shadow."
Her BILL clothes are wearable designs with details that are a homage
to the Rubik’s Cubes and Cabbage Patch Kids era — eye-popping
color, geometry and prints. "It’s not for those interested in
blending into the crowd," she laughs.
Her other inspirations are varied, from fabric she finds to the
cooling vents on a pricey sports car. For the RunUp show, she’ll
integrate her style with clothes that can be worn to work in an
office.
Until her late teens, she was clueless as to how clothes were
produced, recalling when she and a friend laid down on material and
cut around it, in hopes of creating something. Working with
store-bought patterns was nearly as unsuccessful. Then she took some
classes at Fashion Ninja, a Bay View boutique run by local designer
Areka Ikeler.
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Kristy
Schomburg
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Because her creations are all handmade, most are one-of-a-kind and
only available online at www.fashionflat.com, a Web site she designed
and that includes work by a handful of local designers. Her goal is to
eventually have some pieces mass produced and sold in specialty shops
and boutiques. Her dream? To someday live "up north" in a
little cabin spending all day working on her designs.
Erica Fox’s work is flowing and feminine, but a far cry from
Laura Ashley. The young designer loves dresses but usually wears them
over jeans and boots. The unstructured, hand-painted silk and satin
pieces she’ll show at the RunUp event were inspired by nature and
meant to make us yearn for far-away, warm spring afternoons.
"All of a sudden it will hit me — I’ll love a shape or a
silhouette," says Fox of her inspirations that have ranged from
French lace (thanks to a month of studies in Paris) to fruits and
veggies.
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Erica Fox
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Stuck in traffic one day, she spotted a woman motorcyclist:
"She was hard, but she had this great bag; soft and feminine with
embroidery and fringe." Fox was inspired to create a coat,
working in leather for the first time.
Growing up in Wauwatosa with an art teacher mom and a dad in the
printing business, she developed an early passion for art, always
getting paint on her school uniform. Her grade school art teacher
encouraged her and still shows up at all her events. Her professors at
Mount Mary College embraced her individuality, even when she didn’t
always follow the assignments. "I’ve been fortunate to have a
lot of support — especially my mom," says Fox. Her mother has
made dozens of fabric runs to Vogue in Evanston, Ill., for her
daughter’s art.
Newly degreed, Fox is torn between making a go of it in the
hometown she loves or heading to New York for more opportunities.
"Here, it’s hard to find a job in a creative area of fashion,
as opposed to technical design," she says.
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Heather
Hambrecht
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To budding "Project Runway" candidates who are dreaming
of becoming a designer, Fox says: "Sketch, draw and learn to sew.
And try not to be influenced by clothes you already see — be
unique."
"I think life is my main inspiration, especially when I’m
traveling and experiencing different things," explains Heather
Hambrecht, taking a break on her mobile phone as she scours Chicago
fabric stores on a hot summer day. A former opera company wig and
makeup artist, she now has devoted herself completely to design and
has more time to travel from her Bay View home and studio to her
favorite fabric haunts in San Francisco, New York and Toronto.
Her mother taught her to sew at an early age, after she wanted to
make a dress for herself. She’s had no formal design training and
began by making her own clothes. People would ask her to make them
clothes and it snowballed from there. Now her clothing can be
purchased at Lela and Chicago’s City Soles-Niche, and her handbags
and belts at shoo. Prices range from $150-$1,200, and bags run from
$80 to less than $500.
She often feels as though she’s designing for herself and wears
everything she makes, testing her designs’ comfort.
"They’re free-form and made for comfort," says
Hambrecht. Her pieces for the RunUp to the Runway show will include
men’s and women’s clothes and leather garments that can integrate
into fall and winter. Her clothes move easily between seasons because
of their multifunctional nature — many with removable sleeves, for
example.
| Local couture
To see all three designers‚
wearable art in action, and creations by up-and-coming talent
from Mount Mary College, head to the RunUp to the Runway fashion
show at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The RunUp event, now in its third
year, is a precursor to the long-running Symphony Style fashion
show. Both shows benefit the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The
RunUp event was created by Symphony League volunteers to appeal
to a more diverse and often younger audience who is looking for
fun fashion, but not necessarily pricey couture.
In its inaugural year, the show
was hosted at Sauce restaurant in the Third Ward and then moved
to the museum’s Quadracci Pavilion. According to committee
co-chairperson Judi Rath, the combination of inspiring art and
architecture along with fashion and, of course, the music, is
"a blend that is inspiring."
Last year, more than 500 people
attended RunUp. The goal is to raise money for and awareness of
the MSO, the museum and the burgeoning fashion scene in
Milwaukee. Tickets cost $30 at the door, or contact Lynn Miller
at (414) 226-7852 or msoleague@mso.org for a reservation. In
addition to the clothing by the local designers, fashions from
four of the city’s hottest boutiques will be showcased: Aala
Reed, J. Bird, Molloy’s and shoo. Hair and makeup will be
created by Beauty. The Mt. Mary student designs, sponsored by
Lake Hill House, will be displayed, and attendees will vote on
their favorites. |
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