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The Interview
Styleforfree: How
did you break into the fashion business?
Eden: I
grew up in a family of seamstresses and crafter's
so fashion is something that’s always surrounded
me. Once I hit high school I defined myself by having
a different style then everyone else so it was progressive
movement that culminated into Eden
Dawn Apparel!
Styleforfree: What
inspired you to use classy vintage illustrations
on your clothing?
Eden: I
am such a fan of couture history. It makes me a little
sad to think we’ll never dress as 1920’s
flappers or in 1950’s cocktail dresses again.
This was my way of bringing in my love of past fashion
with modern times and comfort.
SFF: Which
fashion magazines are your favorite and why?
Eden: Oh
that’s a hard one! I think obviously there
are the pillars like Vogue and In
Style. I also secretly
love reading US
Weekly because it’s fun to
see what people are wearing when they go out and
aren’t always dressed by their stylist.
SFF: Are
their any fashion icons, past and present, that you
look to when designing clothes for Eden Dawn?
Eden: One
of the basic principles of Eden Dawn Apparel is to
pay homage to the greatest couture designers in the
world: Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga, YSL….If you
study fashion history you’ll see how much it
really impacted women’s lives. The raising
of a hemline, eliminating the everyday corset, introducing
ready to wear pants… All these things had
an influence on society and women’s ever-changing
roles in it.
SFF: We love
how Eden Dawn's clothes are fashionable but still
comfortable, what are the most important things to
keep in mind when designing clothes?
Eden: I
think that really depends on what your design principles
and aesthetics are. For me, I always want to focus
on how I can make the most comfortable, every day,
wardrobe staples both look good and convey a sense
of character. Anyone can wear a pink tee, but not
everyone can pull off a pink jersey-knit fitted tee
with a print of a gorgeous 1950 Dior cocktail dress!
SFF: What
can we expect in upcoming lines?
Eden: There
is so much new happening that we are thrilled about.
For one. we’ve switched entirely to screen
print which is fabulous news for our customers because
the durability is longer then the heat transfer and
it’s easier to care for. You can throw all
of our items right into the washing machine and dryer,
no problems. And we’re expanding beyond our
couture designer illustrations. This line will be
the first to feature our 1920’s French cartoons.
These are wonderful vintage images that have the
same look and feel as other Eden Dawn images and
are paired with sassy French inscription like “Jeune
Amour” (young love) and “Mystérieux” (mysterious).
We just did a big fashion show at the Portland Art
Museum with 30 other designers and we received amazing
responses to the entire new line.
SFF: How
would you describe the ideal
Eden Dawn customer?
Eden: Really
just women who love fashion and fashion history.
We were featured in Elle
Girl this year and had customers
as young as 15 contacting us saying how much they
loved Christian Dior and my mother who is in her
fabulous 50’s sports my tees often. That’s
what’s so fun about casual apparel. It’s
really more about attitude then age or body. So if
you love fashion and are looking to be comfortable
also, chances are you will finding something in the
Eden Dawn line that suits your style.
SFF: We
noticed that Eden Dawn is available offline in a
few boutiques in Oregon. Are there any plans to expand
your offline clothing sales to other states??
Eden: Always
plans for expansion and world domination J We’re
currently talking with a few stores and looking to
expand in the boutique market. We hope to have some
east coast stores by the end of the year.
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