I have had the distinct pleasure of working with this Power punched duo, Seattle-based designers Liise Wyatt  and Karly Orr . If you have yet to discover them you’re in for a treat as they are guaranteed to blow you away.

Wyatt Orr inspires quiet confidence in those who appreciate innovative and flawlessly detailed garments. Seattle-based designers Liise Wyatt and Karly Orr balance timeless sophistication and urban style to cultivate distinctive designs for women and men.

Here is a sneak Peek at their Spring/Summer 2012 line.

Who inspires them

Highly creative, humble people… and our Labrador retrievers, Filson and Odeing . They remind us not to take things too seriously and that life can be as simple as reaching ultimate bliss by just chewing on a stick.

What Liise& Karly do

Wyatt Orr is a two-woman show. We are responsible for every aspect of the business… We design, draw, drape, draft, sew, cut and sew some more… we market, produce, art direct and style all our photo shoots, promote and ultimately sell our collection… Then we do it all over again the next season!

What Liise & Karly do best

We take a long time to make decisions…..we do that really well!

We also collaborate well… We are fortunate to be able to keep true to our individual aesthetics while successfully blending our designs to make a cohesive collection – and getting along in the process!

What other profession Liise & Karly would like to attempt

We briefly contemplated being Flight Attendants for Virgin America.

What turns them on creatively, spiritually or emotionally

Fabric itself; the way garments move with the body… color and contrasting textures; the contrast of city and nature.

Where to find Liise & Karly

The goods can be currently found at wyattorr.com, David Lawrence in Bellevue and The Finerie in downtown Seattle.

Where Liise & Karly got their talent/Education

Liise received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and then went on to study Fashion Design and Construction at the New York Fashion Academy in Seattle…

Karly received her BA at Washington State University and then went on to study Fashion Design and Construction at the New Work of Fashion Academy…

NYFA’s director, Terry Horlamus and a handful of other instructors taught Liise and Karly the technical skills necessary to execute their designs.

The two quickly discovered they worked well together and supported each other’s ideas during school assignments and projects. They joined creative forces and Wyatt Orr’s vision came to fruition a few years later.

Finally borrowing from Bernard Pivot- If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Red or white?

Malia Peoples wearing Lady Konnyaku

Lady Konnyaku Clothing features original Japanese-street fashion and vintage-inspired clothing for cute ladies. All designs are made using a mix of colorfully paired new and vintage fabrics. Handmade from start to finish by Seattle fashion designer Malia Peoples. Get yours!

Who inspires Malia

Eri Utsugi, designer for Japanese label Mercibeaucoup. I have been following her since I began fashion school. Her designs are “out there” and she blends colors, patterns, and textures in a way that I find quite pleasing.

What Malia does

I am the one-woman does all behind Lady Konnyaku. Anyone in the fashion business knows that this is much more complicated than it sounds. It’s a full-time job-worth of fabric selecting, pattern making, pattern grading, sewing, and finishing. In addition, I have created, updated, and maintained my own website, taken and edited pictures, and have done all the graphic design work for my company. I started this company from scratch, without any funding or help… starting off small and truly independent is something I take great pride in.

What Malia Does best

I’m the best at putting together weird fabrics, colors, textures and findings. Without fabric, you can’t have clothing, and I get most of my inspiration from fabrics.

What other profession Malia would like to attempt

I’d like to be a high-level sales executive in the Tampon industry inChina. No joke, it is an untapped market with huge investment potential.

What turns Malia on creatively, spiritually or emotionally

Other creative people. Weird people. Makers of things. Passionate people. My colleagues in the fashion industry who have retained their humor, humility, and humanity- the ones who have not gotten swept away by the “fakeness” of it all by staring down their nose at people and acting catty.

Where to find Malia

Ready-to-wear Lady Konnyaku clothing and custom clothing requests can be fulfilled at www.ladykonnyaku.com!

Where Malia got her Talent/Education

I have really intelligent, supportive parents. They have always encouraged me to try new things, have confidence, and believe in myself. I was a pretty active kid, taking part in music, dance, art, sports. That set the stage. After I graduated from high school, I moved to China. Mind you, I was barely 18, I didn’t speak Mandarin, and it was my first time away from home. That sink-or-swim year of living gave me a new perspective on life and was empowering. After I graduated from the University of Washington, I embarked on another solo adventure to work in New York at a Chinese nonprofit. I eventually returned to Washington, where my work prospects were disappointing and I decided that I could learn a new skill. I needed something that would compliment my knowledge of Chinese: fashion design. I mean, where else in the world do they manufacture more clothing? With a fistful of cash and a giant wad of determination, I tried to woo local art schools and community colleges. Needless to say, they were not interested in teaching someone with a clean slate. See, I had absolutely no prior knowledge of sewing, pattern making, fashion design… I’d never even touched a sewing machine. I think this was fate, though, because I found my way to the New York Fashion Academy in Ballard. Terry Horlamus, the director of the school, accepted me as I was and taught me everything that I know. Within a few years, I had completed the program and slowly began Lady Konnyaku Clothing.

Finally borrowing from Bernard Pivot- If  Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Well, since God speaks all languages, I would expect Him to speak Chinese. He would say, “欢迎欢迎! 我们等着你. 请进来！” (“Welcome! We have been expecting you. Please come in!”)

Image: (1) Portrait by DCTdesigns (2) Others of Malia’s designs from her website

  ***I hope to make this a regular feature on my blog. Tuesday Talent Interviews are designed to introduce you to a myriad of incredible artisans. Enjoy!

Terrell Lozada and her husband Doug Piotter

In the Theatre world a triple threat is someone who can sing, dance and act. Well, in my opinion, Terrell is a triple threat in the art world. She can paint, sculpt and sew. One day she showed me a dress she had made; the entire garment was hand stitched. I nearly fell off my chair.

Terrell has been in business since 1995. She creates objects characterized by beauty, luxury and intelligence. She’s “on a mission to absolve painting and sculpture from the obsessive ‘don’t touch’ realm of the fine art world by creating work that is integrated into a more holistic sensory experience”. Hence her forays into majolica and painted fabrics. She can do it all, loves it all.  Her fine art and decorative home furnishings include: works on paper, oils on wood panels; bronze sculpture; murals, majolica dinnerware and tiles; water and oil gilding and hand-painted fabrics for interior design application.

She is the design half of a design/ build team with her husband Doug Piotter, a carpenter and general contractor. Together they have remodeled 3 houses. Terrell’s design elements add flourishes throughout; cabinetry designs, interior glazing, silk covered ceiling fans, painted headboards and of course custom wall colors.

Who inspires Terrell

Every day: Prem Rawat (Words of Peace Global- www.wopg.org).

The grand element of fantasy in the work of Xavier & Claude LaLanne, Nicky Haslam, Kelly Wearstler, Sandro Botticelli inspires me.

My husband inspirits me!

What Terrell does

I make stuff. And I’ll work with anything- even marshmallows if there are enough of them. I paint, sculpt, print, draw, design, sew, gold leaf and paint some more. I think a lot. And then I try to make what I’m thinking about. I do a lot of color and shape correcting- it’s exhausting and it’s a big part of my aesthetic skill set. I get snagged visually when a wall color (for example) is not sitting comfortably in the light of its room- it’s enough to drive me nuts. I color correct it in my mind every time I look at it. I painted our dining room 6 or 7 times before I got it right. (I recognize that’s not a great plug for my color consulting business, but some colors are tough to nail. And I have to say the current color is superb). Once the color or shape is comfortable to me it quiets down and I don’t see it any more. I move on to the next thing. 

What Terrell Does best

Laughter. After that, thoughtfulness- both in relation to my work and to people.  And I have to say I make an excellent roast chicken.

What other profession Terrell would like to attempt

Law. Actually, I don’t want to practice law, just study it. I enjoy how legally educated minds navigate thought.

What turns Terrell on creatively, spiritually or emotionally

Clarity. Beauty. Quiet. Joy. Beauty. Kindness. And then when I’m in the studio I listen to rap- the pace of it is consistent with my movements when I paint.

Where to find Terrell

http://www.terrelllozada.com/interior-haute-couture/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrelllozada/

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/terrell-lozada/7/399/99

Where Terrell got her Talent/Education

My mother and her mother were painters; my great grandmother was a poet. Artists are like 4 leaf clovers- there’s seldom only one in a clump.

As an artist I’m self-taught. I have a degree in French Literature which comes in handy with my passion for foreign interior design magazines.

Finally borrowing from Bernard Pivot- If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Good job! You learned all your lessons and you don’t have to go back.

Image: (1) Portrait by DCTdesigns (2) Others of Terrell’s work from her website

 ***I hope to make this a regular feature on my blog. Tuesday Talent Interviews are designed to introduce you to a myriad of incredible artisans. Enjoy!