PHILLY
EVENTS
Philadelphia magazine’s search for the next great fashion designer
For the first time ever, Philadelphia magazine is hosting a citywide fashion design contest. Our goal? To discover the next great Philadelphia fashion designer—and to celebrate the work of local emerging designers in our pages. Below, our eight finalists, each of whom are designing an exclusive piece to be revealed in our fall fashion feature. Find out more about the designers below, and get ready to vote for your favorite in September!
Meet the designers…
Terese Brown
A finalist for Project Runway seasons 10 and 11 and a semi-finalist for NBC’s Fashion Star season 2, Brown is a 2007 graduate of Lafayette College and received her associate’s degree in applied science from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2010. She launched her ready-to-wear line, Terese Sydonna, in 2010, and has since moved back to Philadelphia full-time. She looks to Cristóbal Balenciaga, Alber Elbaz and Issey Miyake for inspiration: “They redefined silhouettes and what is considered beautiful in fashion.”
See more of her work here.
Photo Credit: Nigel Alfred Photography
Elizabeth LaBrasca
Since graduating with a bachelor of science degree from Philadelphia University in 2011, LaBrasca has worked as a freelance fashion design assistant, and assisted women’s design teams at both J. Crew and Ann Taylor. She interned at Marchesa and Anthropologie, and looks to the work of Oscar de la Renta, Marchesa and Balmain: “I enjoy embellishments, intricate detailing, unique seaming, and frothy, full fabrics, all of which are reminiscent of these design houses.”
Moriamo Johnson and Latifat Obajinmi
Johnson and Obajinmi are the sisters behind the Philly-based clothing line Aso Damisi. After migrating from Nigeria, the two self-taught designers graduated from Rutgers University (Latifat in 2012; Moriamo in 2003—she also has a master’s in pharmaceutical chemistry) and were part of the inaugural class of the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy’s Center City. They develop and manufacture fabrics using African-inspired prints; the Aso Damisi line is currently sold in 10 retail stores.
See more of their work here.
Mariel Rojo
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Rojo studied at Philadelphia University and Moore College of Art & Design before earning her degree in fashion design, styling and fashion communication from Istituto Europeo di Design in Barcelona, Spain, in 2011. Her work has been featured in Vogue Mexico, and she won the RAW National and Philadelphia “designer of the year” awards in 2011. She is inspired by the work of Elsa Schiaparelli, Alexander McQueen and Viktor & Rolf.
See more of her work here.
Zoe Rosenberg
A resident of Berwyn, Rosenberg is studying at Parsons the New School, and graduates in 2014. She is currently an intern for Christian Dior Couture, and was an assistant designer to Imitation of Christ head designer Tara Subkoff, designing and creating several pieces for the spring 2012 and fall 2013 RTW collections. Rosenberg is inspired by the romance of Alexander McQueen, Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga and Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.
Megan Swansen
Swansen graduated with a BFA in fashion design from Moore College of Art & Design in 2008. After years of creating short runs of hand-crafted garments—and doing freelance work for Anthropologie, Hartstrings and Urban Outfitters—she started her eponymous line, Megan Swansen Philadelphia. She’s passionate about keeping her fashion business local, and finds her influences in designers like Alexander Wang and Rick Owens (“neutral palettes, balanced fabrics, and easy yet interesting silhouettes”).
See more of her work here.
Sara Teixeira
After earning a business degree from Temple University, Teixeira enrolled in Drexel’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design. She’ll graduate in June with a master’s in fashion design. Teixeira honed her skills at Hugo Boss, where she has worked as a tailor for six years, and through her handbag line, Sarita. She culls inspiration from abstract geometric work, which shows in her pattern-making, where simple shapes are broken down and transformed into garments.
Victoria Wright
Wright has held design internships at Walter, Rebecca Taylor and Urban Outfitters. She graduated from Moore College of Art & Design with a BFA in fashion design in 2012. She finds inspiration in vintage stores and old photographs, as well as classic style icons like Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot. Wright describes her aesthetic as “a mix between Marc Jacobs’s whimsy, Rebecca Taylor’s femininity and Oscar de la Renta’s sophistication.”
Photo Credit: Ross Ericsson
