Meet the Collaborators

Yeah! The new team has finally formed! As usual, I am blown away by the enthusiasm and excitement by the new ladies who are going to make the Kara Maria Collection a blazing success.

In no particular order....

Milan joins us all the way from University of Cincinnati to do a full-time internship. Lucky for her and us, she is here to spend all of her time dedicated to the development of the collection. Milan has a wild sense of creativity that is playful and mystical. In a Milan-centric world we would all be fantastical creatures fully bedecked and bedazzled. To the right is one of her sketches inspired by the fairy tales from the Czech Republic.

Alix has a BFA from the Academy of Art Alix which means that she has the skills and talent to pull off Vagadu's most wild designs. Born to paint, Alix is a an artist turned designer. Her style brings us classic shapes and lines, eclectic sensibility with a gypsy twist. She is a perfect match for Vagadu because her own designs are already very conceptual. The picture above is part of a collection she created inspired by "Tokyo Rose". Tokyo Rose was imprisoned for 10 years in Japan for treason being a translator at an American radio station in Tokyo during WWII.

Sherry brings a contemporary element to the team. Her sense of taking popular culture and transforming it into very current with-a-twist clothing is remarkable. I also knew we would get a long right away when she confessed her love of vests. It can be an obsession for some (like me). To the right she shows off her passion for nail art, which again is a contemporary form of self expression that continues to evolve. Maybe our dancers need to have original Kara Maria inspired acrylic nails! Hmmmm.....


Megan is a sewer with a passion. She has taken the Fashion Degree at SF State and has squeezed it for as much as she can. From a program that is more focused on merchandising, Megan has taken the opportunity to create and excel as a designer with innovative and creative ideas without strong support from the institute. When she came to the interview she brought a dress made out of deflated street-bike tires. It was totally crazy and brilliant. After seeing that I knew that no request I could possibly make would make her flinch. The photo to the right is one of my favorite of the designs she showed me. It is a dress where she cut the flowers out of the fabric and made the blouse portion from a strategic applique process. Just lovely!

Angela is as bright as the colors she chooses to work with. Her designs are exuberant, retro, flamboyant and decadent and at times almost like Versace on steroids. Not only did I know she would be fit because of her wild flare, but also her knowledge and passion for dying and manipulating fabric. She knows all the different techniques for changing color and texture of the cloth. Since the Kara Maria line will be very textile design heavy Angela offers us the skills we need to create what we desire. The bright colored photo to the right is one of her hand dyed batik prints.

Reemah is a woman who will try anything. She is the first person to bring in undergarments as a portfolio example. She has been studying how to make lingerie and nightwear. Since Kara Maria has a heavy pornography element, it is possible that we would make some creative slips and boxers. With Reemah's ability and experience in this realm I feel comfortable proceeding in areas never explored yet with Vagadu. To the right is a picture of some of Reemah's other creations besides sleepwear.

What a team! Thanks to the talent and inexhaustible creativity, this next Vagadu line is going to knock people's socks off... be prepared!