What are your favorite materials to work with and why?
Good quality cotton sateen, hemp fabrics that are so soft and easy to work with, and I've recently fallen in love with this very nice, ridiculously stretchy nylon lycra after making my first swimsuit.

What do you do when you sit down to design something? What are your rituals?
I always have to listen to music. My processes vary. Sometimes, I'll start out by sketching. Other times, I'll just jump right into making a pattern or cutting right into the fabric and experimenting. I don't worry too much about making mistakes because everything can be fixed to work out, oftentimes better than originally planned.

COMPLETE THIS SENTENCE:
" The future of fashion is... MINE! No, it's definitely all about sustainability."

Name 3 heroes you have.
This is hard! I have to say from the world of fashion, Karl Lagerfeld. It's ridiculous how genius he is! My mom (not particularly in that order!). Then I guess I'd have to say I'm just very inspired by the many other fashion designers here in Portland that are able to really make it doing what they love.

For those who are thinking about a career in fashion, what are some tidbits of advice you'd give them?
Sew your hearts out! Really, get as much sewing experience possible and get very familiar with your machine. The ability to make patterns and understand how a garment comes together is truly invaluable, too. If not able to take a class, I'd suggest deconstructing old garments and lying out the pieces and then sewing them back together for great practice.

What really inspires you the most?
Just the thought of creating truly beautiful, unique pieces and being able to support myself doing so. I often find myself daydreaming about one day showing my collection at New York Fashion Week.

How has your work changed since you first started designing, and where would you like to see it go?
Greatly! After graduating from design school (FIDM), I dabbled here and there with making mostly just skirts that I would sell in SF on consignment for a few years, but it's really been in the last two years that I feel like I've come into my own as a designer.

What are some of your hobbies?
Right now, anything outdoors: swimming and riding my bike especially. Otherwise, I love taking pictures, reading magazines (I'm a bona-fide fashion magazine junkie!), and I don't know if it qualifies as a hobby, but I love Googling random things!