Fashion Week at The Bellevue Collection Independent Designer Runway Show 2017
The Independent Designer Runway Show has kicked off Fashion Week at The Bellevue Collection for the past six years. The show is focused on developing local fashion talent from student designers to more established creatives. From April to September each year, a selected group of designers are tasked with developing a new runway collection with the guidance of mentors, including FGI Seattle's Regional Director, Marj Turner; designer and stylist, Lisa Vian Hunter; image consultant, Bruce Pflaumer and GRAY Magazine Editor, Jennifer McCullum.
This year's collections included Jersey Virago by Meagan Kruz, Poppyseed by Rebekah Adams, Stone Crow Designs by Jennifer Charkow, LOURDES é EVA by Nora Suárez, Paloma Hurtado by Paloma Hurtado, Gustavo Apiti Couture by Gustave Apiti and Chany Venturini by Maria Venturini. 2016 IDRS Winner, Devonation by Devon Yan, even made a return to the runway to close out the show. If you follow any of these designers on social media, you've seen the amount of work that was put into each collection and it was so amazing to see them finally come to life with the help of show producer Terri Morgan and the models from TCM Models & Talent.
In addition to seeing some fabulous runway looks, the packed crowd also had the chance to vote for the Fan Favorite, Chany Venturini by Maria Venturini (recent graduate of The Art Institute of Seattle), who took home $1,000. When it came time to announce the 2017 IDRS winner, everyone was on the edge of their seats as the award went to Poppyseed by Rebekah Adams, who won a $5,000 cash prize and a featured segment on Seattle Refined. The remaining designers didn't go home empty-handed though. Each designer was awarded a free year of FGI membership by The Bellevue Collection and The Kemper Freeman Family.
The Bellevue Collection
Located in the heart of Bellevue, Washington, The Bellevue Collection, owned by Kemper Development Company and its Affiliates, includes Bellevue Square, a super-regional upscale shopping center, Bellevue Place, a mixed-use property featuring the Hyatt Regency Bellevue and small boutiques and Lincoln Square anchored by the Lincoln Square Cinemas, restaurants, home furnishings and The Westin Bellevue hotel. With a distinctive collection of 250 of the finest shops, 30 destination restaurants, a 16-screen premier cinema, 1,100 luxury hotel rooms and 10,000 free retail parking spaces, all in one location. The Bellevue Collection is a shopping, dining and nightlife and entertainment experience unlike any other in the region. It is located on Bellevue Way between NE 4th and NE 10th Streets in downtown Bellevue, just across Lake Washington from Seattle. Visit bellevuecollection.com for more info.