Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Fashion forum nutures local designers

Photos and story by James Hill

by Susan HerefordPortland fashion designers have been dwelling underground too long. It took the entrepreneurial vision of Stella Farina to bring their work up and into the light. The energetic 34-year old is putting Portland on the map, fashion-wise.In September of 2002 she incorporated PDX Fashion Incubator, a forum where local designers and related artisans come together to increase business and technical savvy, share resources and raise awareness of Portland’s fashion scene. Her first runway show last fall sold out?1,200 people packed the multi-media event at the Portland Art Musuem to see models swish and sway local creations. Farina has also staged a volley of fundraisers at local restaurants, teaming fashion with jazz. Her next big production, Portland’s first-ever Fashion Week, is set for Sept. 15-19 at Pioneer Square with Fashion Finale capping the week of activities at the Portland Art Museum on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. Part of Farina’s vision involves a partnership with Portland Community College. Small Business Development Center (SBDC) instructor Jackie Babicky regularly teaches a business planning series for PDX Fashion Incubator members at its downtown Portland location, 408 S.W. Second Avenue. Plus, several of the members have taken SBDC courses at the college’s Lloyd Center location.Babicky said, "This partnership has tremendous potential. The series is going well, plus, the work with Stella has brought members into our Lloyd Center classes. There is a synergy that we have been able to develop."One fashion incubator member, 32-year-old Amy Bauman, eagerly agrees. Bauman, through PCC and the incubator, is learning how to take her fledgling start-up, Louise Jeans, to the next level. "The PCC class is a great connection for people who want to start their own business and the challenges you face. No matter what industry you’re in, you’re up against great challenges,"she said. "In the three-night course, I learned how to analyze a business before you even begin."Success comes from recognizing a demand not yet met and supplying it. Farina is capturing the potential. Several years ago, she moved to Portland and discovered there was an indie, underground fashion movement in Portland. "But as small as this town was, there wasn’t a connection between anyone,"she said. "There was no focus, no community to develop and cultivate the talent of these businesses. The Fashion Incubator has brought local fashion designers out of their basement studios and is giving them the confidence to show off their work without hesitation."(The membership also includes storeowners, as well as models, photographers and hair stylists.)Farina’s own self-confidence, creative energy and ability to enlist volunteers have helped define the burgeoning organization, cultivate media attention and bring in sponsors for events. She’s received buckets of local press and incubator members are breaking into national media markets, including New York-based Lucky magazine. Her background, however, seems like the most unlikely match. Farina actually earned her degree in neuroscience from San Francisco State University and upon moving to Portland in 2000 discovered there were no jobs in her field, or pay commensurate to her education and experience. She fell back on her first love, fashion design and photography. "Neuroscience is very analytical, which I loved, but it wasn’t creative enough for me,"she said. Growing up outside of San Francisco, Farina’s grandmother taught her to sew and she made her first prom dress, deconstructing thrift store clothes and then putting them back together with an edgy twist. "The big driving force was we were poor,"she said. "Now, it’s chic, but it wasn’t so cool back then."In addition to promoting members like Bauman and bringing Fashion Week to Portland, she is busy writing grants – the incubator is a non-profit – to keep the organization moving ahead. And she will continue the partnership with PCC. "I put people in touch with Jackie. They love Jackie,"Farina said.