Earlier this week I attended the Fashionably Connected networking event for Austin fashion designers and industry professionals. It was held at the boutique Aloft hotel in The Domain.
The event was hosted by Cheryl Bemis and Melissa Shea, the co-founders of Fashionably Connected. Fashionably Austin is part of the Fashionably Connected network, and it focuses on bringing exposure to local fashion businesses; it spotlights fashion communities all across the US. I meet Cheryl Bemis at the Bravo TV casting call for The Fashion Show at the Art Institute of Austin on May 8th where she told me about Fashionably Austin and this event.
Melissa and Cheryl took the stage to introduce their interns, and this shot includes two of their photographers Ashley Andreano and Rita Quinn, and one of their reporters.
While Melissa and Cheryl were speaking, Melissa’s granddaughter walked up on stage and faced the audience ready for questions about the fashion industry :)
Rick Hogan talked about Netspray—the technology provider behind the spotlight portfolios delivered by the Fashionably Connected network.
Michael Torres, founder & chief executive officer of Worldwide Maniac, was there to announce the launch of Worldwide Maniac (on June 19th).
Also on stage was Kristin Chin with the Wyatt Group – the PR firm for Austin Fashion Week to talk about their upcoming week of festivities.
Attendees were delighted to see Louise Black, (@louiseblack), the creative genius who appeared on Project Runway, Season 6.
Ty Rarick is VP of Product Development at NUO, which is a leader in industry design & manufacturing of cases for mobile technology.
Cathy Benavidas (@slavetofashion) is an Austin fashion blogger. She is slated to interview me in the coming weeks for her weekly segment, “Manly Man Monday”.
Paridhi Badjatiya (@paridhibadjatya) has just announced the launch of her high fashion line. Paridhi is originally from Indore, India, and now lives in Austin, Texas.
Sadly, I have no photographs to go with last group of people I spoke with.
Megan Summerville (@sewsister) is the bubbly personality behind sewsister.com. Established in 2006, Sewsister launched as a lingerie company with the tagline “Bras for everybody”. Megan won Texas Next Top Designer in 2009. Megan gets my vote for the coolest business card of the night. :)
Mauren Toribio (@inglenookdecor) is self described as the “Inglenook Decor’s queen bee.” inglenookdecor.com is a shopping destination for “exciting decor for your urban cottage.”
Anthony Dominguez is the president and CEO of dominicanton.com, an Austin-based model agency.
I spoke with the elegant Aisha Gunnell, who blogs with Janelle Baughn at morethanlaundry.com . Their blog is mostly centered on Austin street style, local boutiques, and fashion shows; and it features photo shoots they do around town. Their goal is to inspire those who are interested in photography and fashion.
The charming Diya Liu (@diyaliu) is the blogger behind diyainherstilettos.blogspot.com. She is a 3rd-year student doing a double major in engineering and biochemistry at UT. A self-professed geek, she claims to carry a TI-89 calculator in her purse. :) I asked her about the unusual combination of a love for fashion, her studies, and her future career goals; and she explained it was a perfect mix. Her blog has been featured in Glamour, Teen Vogue, MSN, NBC New York, News 8 Austin, Modcloth, Weardrobe, Polyvore, Market Publique, Fabsugar and Blogivation.
I also got some very valuable advice on diet and exercise from Melissa’s daughter Robin Wright. Robin is a personal trainer at 24 hour fitness in Round Rock, and the took time to give me some pointers regarding my current fitness regime.
Lastly, but by no means least, Cheryl’s mum was there. Apparently she brought some home-made cookies to the event, and they were quite delicious. Sadly, my diet prevents me from being able to offer a personal opinion on them, but I have no reason to doubt the opinions and facial expressions of the attendees who did. :)
All in all it was a brilliant evening, and I am looking forward to the next one.
