MY STORY:
My career as a fashion and textile designer started in the early 90s, with Murphy Artisan ties. I had just graduated from college, and was working with my father, developing hand painted textile products. Our art caught the eye of a vice president of a large menswear company, based in Seattle, and he asked us to develop a collection of hand painted silk neckties for their private label division. We did so, and started a successful relationship with them, selling neckties nationwide to department stores and menswear shops.
We started bringing our annual collection to The American Craft Council Show, The Rosen Buyers Market, and he Chicago One of a Kind Show. By the year 2000, we had over 250 wholesale accounts nationwide, a base of loyal clients and collectors, with design studios in New York city and eastern Washington state.
In 2004 I opened Barbarianheart in Brooklyn, NY. Using the processes and skills I had developed in the necktie industry, I began designing and producing my own line of hand crafted silk clothing and accessories. I was also taking classes in industrial patternmaking at The Fashion Institude of Technology in NY, learning to draft patterns for commercial production.
In 2008, I relocated to Baltimore, MD. I continued my education with courses in European Tailoring and Patternmaking and Advanced Couture Techniques, under the direction of Ella Pritsker, at The Maryland Center of Fashion Design. I began to show my new work in fashion events throughout the city, with Ella, and the other founding members of the Baltimore Fashion Alliance.
A few years later, I opened a small shop in Hanover, PA where I enjoyed several years of stability and creative growth as I continued to develop my sewing and design skills. I was offered an opportunity to work as a freelance prop stylist in Los Angeles which precipitated my move to the west coast. My studio is now located in Wenatchee, WA where I continue to create custom clothing and accessories for my private clients, and teaching silk painting classes.