Friday, November 7, 2008

Fashion Meets Art With Rami Kashou


Fashion meets the Arts last night at the Phillips Collection, Rami Kashou Project Runway’s season 4 favorites was in town and gave a lecture on his life and how he made it to the popular fashion reality show. It was a very inspirational story of how his life shaped who he is a designer today. His warm story of how he kept designing clothes a secret to his family until his brother pulled the cover off his little secret and exposed him.

He decided to attend Brooks College in Long Beach California but dropped out shortly, deciding it was not for him. He made up in his mind that he needed to focus and so for 3 years he just sewed clothing, teaching himself by going to second hand vintage stores buying clothes, taking them apart making a pattern and putting them back together again. That is exactly how most of us self-taught designers learn how to sew.

Rami’s big break came when he met Jessica Alba, and started designing for this Hollywood celebrity. He designed red carpet gowns for Jessica that would get noticed and that is when the free publicity started rolling in. Rami realized that all the press he got for his designs on a celebrity did not translate into dollars that’s when he had to focus on the business of fashion. He entered the Gen Art fashion competition and showed his first collection at NY Fashion Week.

Just like every designer trying to make it, he started watching Project Runway and got hooked. Tim Gunn knew his work for Jessica Alba and called him on his cell phone to ask him to attend casting for the next season of the show. He accepted the offer and had a model come with him to the audition. This designer is well on his way in creating a successful fashion brand.