 "Photo: Craig Bland")
 "Photo: Craig Bland")
About 1,200 people filled downtown club Emo's on Sunday for the Stitch celebration, which honors independent design, artistry and creativity on a local level.
The same designers who ran the table brought their Tokyo Valentine line of girly party dresses to the runway show. Each of the models wore a similar dress and carried black balloons for embellishment. Tokyo Valentine's creators are fashion merchandising students at the University, and were the youngest designers invited to display their work at the third annual Stitch event.
Ashley Ayers and Laurel St. Romain just started their fashion endeavor.
In preparation for their first big event, Ayers and St. Romain spent hours designing and organizing their line. They studied for their accounting test while sewing purple lacy sleeves on a party dress. St. Romain spent two days with her favorite pom-pom-detailed dress, frustrated over its original look.
The girls beamed as they explained the inspiration they felt after Sunday's show. New to the Stitch event, Ayers and St. Romain were proud their name made it to a vendor booth and the runway as they watched and listened to the crowd's reaction.
As Tokyo Valentine models lined up after strolling the catwalk, Ayers and St. Romain were introduced to the crowd. They shied away from the stage after being announced.
For them, seeing their months of work walk down the runway was more important than standing in the spotlight.
"This is so perfect," Ayers said to herself as the two stepped up to the stage.
St. Romain, who was a "nervous wreck," was proud to see the sea of people crammed together near Emo's outdoor stage, cheering for their line.
"I've never been so excited," St. Romain said.
Created by three Austin designers, the Stitch runway show and craft fair prides itself as a "handmade revolution," said one of the show's new producers, Jennifer Perkins. Every piece of fabric that each of the runway models wore was strictly stiched, painted, sewn or constructed by hand.
"We tried to keep the vibe as hardcore handmade as possible," Perkins said.
Perkins, who has her own line of handmade jewelry called the Naughty Secretary Club, said she heard people "buzzing" about the event prior to the show, while it was on and afterward.
Though Austin designers have to go through an application process, Perkins said it is worth it because the exposure each designer gets from the show reassures them that people support their handmade artistry.
"It's a huge pat on the back," Perkins said.
Local handbag designer Anne Marie Beard, who has had a vending booth at each of the Stitch shows, said she felt "proud and humbled" after the event. Beard graduated from UT with a degree in costume design and has been sewing for 20 years.
Doubling the sales of her 4-year-old line of AnneMarie handmade purses, Beard said she had "geek-out moments" of excitement as people approached her booth and recognized her work.
"I like to get to meet lots of people," she said. "It puts a face with the purse."
Austinite Christy Braselton melted over an $80 pea-green dress on one of the vendor racks but decided not to buy it. Braselton, a first time Stitch attendee, was overwhelmed as her eyes bounced from one table to the next.
They left Stitch with "a million ideas," Ayers said, and she stressed how fun the event was for them as newcomers, especially because of its emphasis on local handmade work.
"It helps everyone," St. Romain said.
Ayers and St. Romain will take their Tokyo Valentine work to New York City next July to further pursue their careers in fashion.
Be the first to comment on this article!