What a day. I’ve been up and eating amazing food since 8 am. FEAST Portland is an amazing celebration of the Oregon bounty and culinary talents.
There is of course a lot more than just Oregon represented… But, lots of local goodies as well. I can’t wait to write more about the experience. But, for now, here are a few snapshots of my crazy (and awesome) day!
The photos are from my iPhone. Better images will come with the better stories. If you want to see more fun from FEAST check out the hashtag #feastpdx on social media.
Disclaimer: I was given a blogger pass to portions of the FEAST festivities. All opinions are my own.
It is true what they say… having a child changes your life. Just ask Erin Keys, the designer and owner of Sister Fresh.
Today I am beyond excited to bring you a behind the scenes look and story of the adorable girl’s clothing line. I met Erin while at a Portland Fashion Week meet and greet. She was with her gorgeous daughter who was walking amongst all the models and designers in a beautiful leopard print dress. The pair were so sweet and easy to talk to that I just had to ask to interview her for the blog. She was gracious enough to ask me into her home and give me a tour of her home studio.
How Sister Fresh Began
The beautiful young lady, that I met at the meet and greet, was the reason the whole venture began. After the birth of her daughter Erin decided to not go back to work as a buyer for a successful department store. After making her daughter clothes, things developed and she began designing and making little girl clothing to sell at home parties. Her home parties were successful and eventually, local boutiques were requesting her items. Currently Erin sells Sister Fresh at local boutiques and through her online shop.
The Studio
Erin graciously let me tour her home studio space, giving me a glimpse at how a clothing designer works. Walking into her gorgeous home you could immediately see that the busy season and Portland Fashion Week was causing her to expand outside of her studio. She had a make shift desk with her laptop, phone, camera, and paperwork on her kitchen island. A rack of pretty dresses stood in front of a huge window and her mannequin was showing off a yellow pom dress.
Upstairs a small room was neatly organized to fit an entire sewing business! The room could only fit a desk, small ironing board, a washer and dryer. A serger and sewing machine were housed on the desk. Small bows littered the desk, ready to accent dresses.
Tiny dresses were hanging on all surfaces of the room–filling it with bright colors. Several bolts of the colorful fabric used to make the dresses were neatly stacked beneath a small counter. A framed sign with the Sister Fresh logo decorated the wall. On another wall hung two cross stitched works.
“My grandma made these,” Erin explained. “She is the one who taught me to sew.”
I’m touched by this. My grandmother also taught me to sew.
I’m amazed at the small space. Not only does Erin manage to fit an entire (successful) design business in the home studio, but she has also managed to make it a delightful and inspiring office space. It makes me think differently of my sewing space at home and certainly inspires me to do more with the areas I have.
Can a designer of this adorable girl’s clothing line really have started out just like me? Seems sort of unreal and full of possibility. I hope that if someone out there is thinking of becoming a clothing designer, and sees this post, they can be inspired by this awesome lady. She learned to sew from her grandmother, had a career in a whole different field, did not go to school for this trade, and is now doing something she completely loves in the space she has available. (Though, I do encourage schooling very highly!)
More about Sister Fresh
The Sister Fresh clothing line is a line of clothes for girls to be girls. It isn’t about dressing little girls up to be women, but rather a clothing line that celebrates the age of girl for as long as possible.
If you’d like to keep updated with the goings on at Sister Fresh then following along with Erin on her social media accounts. She JUST got Instagram and Twitter so those would be great for you to connect with her as she learns the ropes and shares lots of good photos and tweets!
A BIG thank you to Erin Keys for letting me peek into your beautiful home and studio space. Good luck on the runway today!
Disclaimer: I was not paid for this interview and studio tour. I am a part of the Portland Fashion Week’s Style Collective and will be receiving free VIP tickets to visit the shows. However, no post requirements were asked of us and this post was all my own idea and Erin’s awesome story. All opinions are my own. Tickets to Portland Fashion Week are still available! Purchase tickets now to get in for just $20 or pay $30 at the door. There are 6 shows in total, 35 pop-up boutique shops, and 3 after parties. I hope to see you there!
How do you go to sketching and dreaming about designing buildings in Korea to having your wedding dress designs strutting the catwalk in Portland, OR? Well, you fall in love.
At least, that is what Portland wedding dress designer Sunjin Lee did! She met her husband (who also acts as her business partner in many aspects) in Paris, fell in love, and ended up trying on tons of wedding dresses with unhappy results. Her decision to try her hand at making her own wedding dress is what brought her to today, just a few years later!
A Modern Love Story
Of course, that is boiling down a romantic, long-distance relationship down to the nitty gritty there. The couple stayed contacted for nearly two years after meeting in Paris, Sunjin in university in Korea while her husband was in the states. The whole thing was sort of a romance that you’d read in a modern storybook. Strong female lead from traditional background with no intention of getting married really meets dashing, talented, and smart young man in a town far from both their homes. They fall in love to be parted by schedules, plans, and obligations. The young couple work for years, traveling back and forth, keeping their spark alive until they are reunited again. I’d read that book.
When Architecture and Gown Design Collide
I had the amazing opportunity to visit Sunjin Lee’s studio in Portland, Oregon to see her work and her work space. I also got to talk with her for an hour about life, love, and her passions. Her studio walls give glimpses into her love of architecture, Paris, fashion, and wedding dresses. She has bookshelves packed to the rafters with wedding and Vogue magazines. Two full walls lined with tulle, silk, embroidered, and beaded dresses. A wall covered in gorgeous sketches of buildings. It is a sight to see.
Sunjin Lee pointed out the sketches to tell me a story about meeting her husband. She pointed out a sketch looking up at the Eiffel Tower. All of the sketches are gorgeous.
“Wait,” you drew these!?” I asked. Yep, she drew them.
She tells me about going to school and training for a career in architecture. You can see her love for great architecture in the dresses she designs. She uses strong lines in many of her bodices, she plays with the shape and structure of the dresses using fabric and structure. She tells me how she lets designs of the past inspire her work. She points out a gorgeous high-low wedding dress with 3/4 sleeves, “this shape was popular in the fifties.” It is neat to see her crafts playing together so nicely.
Where it All Began
Sunjin Lee tells me how she got started in wedding dress design only 3 years ago. After trying on several wedding dresses she didn’t find exactly what she wanted. She also found out that having someone make her a specialty dress would take much more time than she had. So, she thought about what she wanted and decided that she could do it herself. And, boy did she!
She actually wore three wedding dresses throughout her wedding day in Hawaii. One of the dresses was a Nicole Miller dress (actually, the same dress I wore on MY wedding day!) and the other two dresses were of her own creation. She shows me one of the dresses she wore that had a mermaid skirt and had been hand-beaded by her with thousands of sequins and beads. She showed me how the beading worked its way up the skirt so it shimmered like water on a mermaid’s tail. Perfect for a beach wedding.
I promise that I’m trying to convince her to publish the photos of her own wedding day so we can all see the dresses in action!
Where She Works
Sunjin Lee’s work space is a home-sewer’s dream. She has a huge table ready for cutting, bolts and bolts of fabric piled beneath it. Ribbons, beads, threads, and other sewing supplies are available everywhere you look in the room. She shows me one of the items she seems most proud of… a shadow box with a dress sketch and material swatches.
“I give one of these to each of my brides with swatches of the material used to make their dress and a sketch of the dress they are wearing,” she explained. It would be an absolutely treasured keepsake for any bride.
Photo from Sunjin Lee’s website of her 2014’s editorial gallery.
Update
SunJinLee is now Haven Brill. Check out Haven Brill for the beautiful designs that were started above!
Disclaimer: I was not paid for this interview and studio tour. I am a part of the Portland Fashion Week’s Style Collective and will be receiving free VIP tickets to visit the shows. However, no post requirements were asked of us and this post was all my own idea and Sunjin Lee’s awesome story. All opinions are my own. Tickets to Portland Fashion Week are still available! Purchase tickets now to get in for just $20 or pay $30 at the door. There are 6 shows in total, 35 pop-up boutique shops, and 3 after parties. I hope to see you there!
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