A native Chicagoan her whole life and graduate of Art Institute of Chicago's fashion department, her artistry forged by the city she embraces, Melissa is inspired by the beauty that blesses Chicagoans locally and artists internationally. Its magnificent local architecture as well as the inherent distinctions of the city such as quality and craftsmanship are emblematic within each piece.
These influences have further been augmented and affirmed by Melissa's studying abroad in Italy and her personal travels there as well to further define and refine these inherent and elementary parts of her vision.
Every piece of her line is draped by the designer personally to perfect proportions, while using luxurious fabrics to create the integrity and honesty of a exquisite, yet elegantly finished and highly crafted item.
INSPIRATIONS: georgia o'keefe, antoni gaudi, coco chanel, gloria steinem, margaret sanger, toni morrison, rachel carson, eleanor roosevelt, sandra day o'connor, rosa parks, johann gutenberg
INDULGENCES: divine shoes, flirty dresses, good beer, great gadgets, fresh flowers, vanilla bean cheesecake
READS: the onion, ny times, fashion mags
From the time she could dress herself, Brooke had her own style…her mom can tell you about the unique outfit and accessory combinations that she’d creatively put together and proudly wear.
It was just two years ago however, when Brooke stopped into a Milwaukee storefront to take a peek at some colorful strands of beads she was drawn to while walking by. Within days, she was wearing the earrings that she created before and after her agency job on the streets of Chicago, receiving lots of “where did you get those? I want a pair!” compliments from friends and complete strangers alike!
That is when earcandy began! Intrigued and inspired by the people and places Brooke continues to encounter, she finds herself drawn to lots of color and texture. Her jewelry includes various materials and designs that reflect just that…sassy, but classy, each earcandy piece is distinctive and eclectic, which makes it lots of fun to wear!
Designing and handcrafting jewelry is Brooke’s passion. Most rewarding for her though, is listening to customers tell her how great they feel when they’re stopped on the street by a stranger to receive compliments on their earcandy…
A graduate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, designer Lara Miller began her career in fashion while still in school. After interning with the local designers Laurenceleste and Cynthia Ashby, Lara began showcasing her garments at Wicker Park’s clothing boutique, p.45.
Lara Miller’s quest is to keep fashion fun by creating sophisticated clothing that allows women to feel comfortable at work or at play. Lara designed the trademark FLIP® Line that allows you to enjoy wearing a garment in a variety of ways and project your own style to the world. You may “flip” a breezy halter dress into a stylish skirt or wrapped knits into fluent body accessories.
Shop Lara Miller
Los Angeles native Orlando Espinoza, has redefined a modern, sleek look of distinction for women - day and evening looks are highlighted by subtle details and fluid, luxury fabrics. Exceptional fit combined with contouring shapes and clean sinuous lines emphasize and accentuate a woman's body, eluding a sense of sophistication and demure sensuality.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Orlando Espinoza studied and graduated from the renowned Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising located in the heart of Los Angeles. His first job in 1986 as an assistant designer for contemporary designer Sue Wong, provided him with the creative foundation he needed. After years of valuable experience as a pre-production manager in the design departments for several major influential manufacturers in the late eighties and early nineties, his passion for design led to the emergence of the Orlando Espinoza label in the late nineties. Since then, creative energy and dedication has enabled him to produce the most refined product, which has gained recognition by the press in the last few seasons.
The Orlando Espinoza collection continues to position itself as an established, quality brand, producing silk and rayon matte jersey dresses and separates for a new generation of women that have become very receptive to innovation, ingenuity, and individuality. The collection is available at fine stores.
German-born Katrin Schnabl aunched her signature collection in 2002.
She has been presenting original collections under the label
Miche.Kimsa since the late 1990s, following a career as a
professional modern dancer. It was her natural next step of designing
dancers' performance garments that led her into the world of
fashion.
She graduated summa cum laude from the Fashion Institute of
Technology in New York and worked in the ateliers of several noted
fashion designers before branching out on her own. Her work has been
featured in WWD, Wired, GapD, the Village Voice, The New York Times,
Chicago Magazine, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, and
has sold in boutiques across the U.S., in Canada and in Japan.
She
came to Chicago in 2004 at the invitation of the School of the Art
Institute's Fashion Department, where she currently teaches
beginning and advanced studio courses. Previously, she taught at
Parsons School of Design in New York.
Sophia Reyes, a Parsons School of Design and Loyola University Chicago alumni, launched her name-sake contemporary women’s line for Spring/Summer 2008. Her modus operandi to dress the ‘chic rebel’ is realized by her distinctive contemporary art-inspired edge on classic lines. The desirable versatility of her styles has quickly won industry accolades and a loyal following.
Sophia Reyes came to appreciate fashion design when she traded in her Legos and Matchbox cars (she was the not the Barbie type) for an abandoned sewing machine in her parents’ attic. While growing up in Chicago, Sophia was surrounded by a family of creative and successful entrepreneurs. Her family bestowed in her a discerning eye for quality, innovative design, and comfort- which is the basis for her collections.
While at Parsons, she contributed to the design teams at Kenneth Cole, Cynthia Rowley, Twinkle by Wenlan, and the marketing team at Adidas. Upon graduation, Sophia took a position with designer Mimi Turner and later freelanced for Laundry by Design and Liz Claiborne’s men’s division.
Kissing corporate America goodbye to chase a dream, Julie Schwanbeck launched jules in 2007. The eponymous jewelry line immediately caught the eye of high-end boutiques, department stores and was featured at Chicago Fashion Week. jules has been featured in Women’s Wear Daily, People Magazine, OK Magazine, Chicago Social and Every Day with Rachael Ray.
A native Chicagoan, jules discovered her love of baubles and jewels from her maternal grandmother, Eleanor. As a young girl, jules relentlessly raided grandma’s magical jewelry boxes and overflowing closet, draping herself in the beautiful gems, pearls, chains, heels and handbags from her world travels.
With a unique and personal approach to design, jules is celebrated for her distinctive fabrication and metalsmithing techniques, ensuring no two pieces are alike. jules is inspired by organic imperfections in nature and her chosen media; from deep color variations of gemstones to rich textures of raw minerals to the blemishes on hand-hammered metals.
From her studio in Wicker Park, jules designs and creates every piece of jewelry lovingly, by hand. jules wraps, weaves, solders and hammers precious metals, gemstones and minerals. She hand selects all stones such as black diamonds, sapphires, amethyst, rubies, kyanite, tourmaline and druzies to create unique artisan jewelry.
jules prides herself on a design aesthetic with multiple personalities. “Some days we live in color, others in black and white. Whether I wish to express myself or create a vibe, my jewelry is incredibly diverse and serves the many moods of women.” jules mindfully designs jewelry that may be paired with comfy sweats, jeans and a tee, a business suit or that perfect little black dress. As a result, jules designs are timeless and meant to be worn anytime, everywhere.
