Member Spotlight – Milwaukee Fashion Initiative

DESEDA

In late 2018, leveraging her experience from working with startups, Sarah Somers launched DESEDA, a line of luxe silk scarves. Each hand-finished square is printed in Italy and designed in collaboration with artists from around the world. “I love the idea of being able to come up with a timeless piece that I can bring directly to the consumer,” says Sarah, whose love for scarves began when it was one of the only ways she could make a fashion statement when her former work life on NYC’s Wall Street required a more conservative look. She started DESEDA to help others feel just as polished with a special go-to accessory that’s effortlessly chic and radiates self-expression. Sarah creates her line of limited-edition scarves in different sizes and aesthetics to accommodate different personal styles. “I also really like working with artists from all over the globe to tell beautiful stories.” According to Sarah, scarves can be fashionably worn by any one, of any age, and of any size. Sarah’s “Scarfie of the Day” stories on Instagram provide a daily dash of inspiration for how to make wearing a scarf fresh, modern, and easy.

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Lupita

Lupita Murillo is a local designer who is inspired by the beauty of women. LM by Lupita is a clothing line dedicated to empowering strong-minded women by helping them embrace their femininity and build confidence in their creation process. “Having my own clothing line has given me a voice, allowing me to use it through fashion. I’d like to be a part of your journey in creating the woman you truly want to be.”

“I believe that when a woman learns how to balance it all out, whether it’s home, work, career, children, fitness, relationships. She’ll make time to do what she loves while looking great doing it. She can accomplish anything and empower others.”

-Lupita

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Paula Hare

Gearhead is designed and founded by artist, creative director, New Yorker wannabe, concertgoer and troublemaker: Paula Hare.

Before launching Gearhead, Paula Hare spent several years developing and promoting Sargento Foods, Whitsons Culinary Group, Palermos Pizza, and other brands. This experience expanded her knowledge of marketing, branding, package design, digital design and communications, photography and public relations. With these developed skills and her expertise in painting and fashion design, she shifted her focus to building her own brand, Gearhead. Hare now alters and reinvents clothing, handbags, jewelry, shoes and more with custom lettering, embroidering, sequins, patches and more to make each design creative and unique.

Hare’s hand-painted fashion line includes items made of distressed denim and worn leather or camouflage jackets. The label’s trend-driven collections are inspired by rock and roll and urban street fashions found at stand out boutiques in San Francisco and New York City. Each artist-signed, limited-edition, or one-of-a-kind statement piece is designed, painted, repurposed or constructed using quality fabrics, genuine fur, leather, camo, and denim.

Hare’s fashion line is sold in several stores throughout Wisconsin, one store in Illinois (Chicago), Michigan, and South Dakota (Sturgis/Deadwood). She is also working on a collaboration with Finn & Lucca, a retailer in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, to develop “edgy nautical” limited edition and one-of-a-kind apparel.

Gearhead
Email: [email protected]
Address: 172 North Broadway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Phone: 414.588.9601
Website: www.gearheadfashion.com

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Madalyn Joy

Madalyn Joy Manzeck graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Dean’s High Honors in May 2016. She received a Bachelor of Science in Textile and Apparel Design. She was the President of her major’s student organization, Apparel and Textile Association (ATA), and was a recipient of the prestigious YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund’s scholarship. She has interned with Paul Andrew and Donna Karan at New York Fashion Week and spent the summer of 2015 as the Fabric Research and Development intern at Global Brands Group located in the Empire State Building in New York City. Upon graduation Madalyn decided to pursue her own designs and works as a fashion designer creating bespoke items for her own brand, Madalyn Joy Designs. Madalyn debuted the “Flora and Fauna” collection in September at Milwaukee Fashion Week and had the distinct honor of winning the Fashion Designer of the Year 2017 Award.

Madalyn Joy Designs is an award winning bespoke lingerie company that embraces and celebrates contemporary femininity, body positivity, and female empowerment. The modern woman who wears Madalyn Joy lingerie feels beautiful and confident while rocking classic silhouettes with delicate lacy details and modern bold lines. Today’s modern woman is complex and multi-faceted and Madalyn Joy lingerie has been developed with that lifestyle in mind. Madalyn Joy Designs empowers women by offering an exclusive bespoke lingerie service that allows the client to customize her product from fit to style.

Madalyn Joy Designs is currently competing for the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund Accelerator Grant and they recently presented their business pitch in front of fashion industry professionals from companies such as InStyle Magazine and Rent the Runway. The event was featured in WWD and the grant winner will be announced in June.

Madalyn Manzeck
Founder, Owner, & Creative Director of Madalyn Joy Designs
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @madalynjoydesigns
Facebook: Madalyn Joy Designs
Website: www.madalynjoydesigns.com

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CANELA-CANELA

Adorning women since 2013, CANELA-CANELA specializes in statement accessories that are one of a kind or limited edition pieces. Every collection is designed and assembled locally by Gabriela and Adriana in their Mequon studio. They are a team of Peruvian twins who collaborate on all of their designs. Gabriela and Adriana are passionate about what they do, and love sharing their pieces as a way to celebrate and empower femininity. Their collections have been sold in different places around the world. From Mexico City, the city that watched them grow, to Monterrey, Chicago, Colorado, and Wisconsin, their beloved home. All the support, faith, and enthusiasm from their friends, family, loving vendors, and stockists have been their fuel for their amazing five year journey.

This year they joined the Milwaukee Fashion Initiative as a chance to support a community that supports their local businesses. Gabriela and Adriana believe in the importance to empower women, and believe “La union es la fuerza,” union is strength. The sisters are grateful for their past, excited for the present, and hopeful for their future.

Gabriela Grbic & Adriana Mehta
The Canela Twins.
Visit WWW.SHOPCANELA.COM
facebook: canela-canela
Instagram: xoxocanela
Showroom by appointment only, 10412 N.Baehr rd, Mequon WI. 53092

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Wantable

Wantable is a young but mighty organization headquartered in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood with a fulfillment center by the MKE Airport. Wantable is a “try before you buy” clothing service that combines the art of styling with the power of data science to help customers curate their perfect wardrobe. Whether you’re seeking style advice or just trying to simplify your life, their talented team is here to help you discover amazing products and inspire you to live life more beautifully.

When Wantable started back in 2012, they had just 3 employees. Now, the Wantable family has grown to almost 200! From really talented stylists to super smart data scientists, the growing team works hard every day to send customers amazing products that they’ll love. Each individual is dedicated to creating a truly personalized retail experience by learning all about their customers one Edit at a time.

Through a brief Style or Fitness quiz and communication with your Stylist, each Edit is carefully curated and handpicked by a real person just for you and conveniently delivered straight to your door (it’s like a gift from the style gods). You can also browse the Stream–Wantable’s patent-pending feature that allows you to scroll through hundreds of featured items–to request or decline pieces for your next Edit. Your Stylist will prioritize your requests and never send anything you’ve declined, ensuring that your Edits get better every single time.

To get started, visit their website at www.wantable.com. Any questions? Reach out to [email protected] and one of their Customer Advocates would be happy to help.

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Elena Velez

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Elena is a recent graduate of Parsons School of Design with a dual focus on fashion design and creative entrepreneurship. Recently named by i-D magazine as one of “five under-the-radar designers to discover at NYFW,” her thesis collection was shown in September of 2018 at both New York Fashion Week, under the mentorship of VFiles, and London Fashion Week as a guest of the Swedish Fashion Council. Featured in Vogue, Business of Fashion, WWD, Vice Media, Paper Magazine, and Dazed, her work has taken her around the world from Paris to Sydney, and finally New York where she currently resides.

Elena approaches conceptual fashion design through a fine art lens, placing authenticity of process before aesthetic: reflection above result. As a creative problem solver, Elena recognizes her ability as a designer to serve as pioneer of positive change, aspiring to one day lead a sustainably conscious fashion label that rejects the current conventions of excess, fast fashion, and ecological disregard, while stressing quality of design, community empowerment, and compelling storytelling as ultimate remedy.