Portland's very own Sonia Kasparian appears on the upcoming season of Project Runway, and we’re hosting watch parties in the Back Stage Bar, with Sonia herself in attendance! With $250,000 at stake, 16 designers compete to win episode challenges and beat other talented designers on their way to the top spot. Watch with us as we cheer on Sonia and her ethereal designs.

I have been an apparel designer professionally since graduating from Parson's (Otis/Parson's Los Angeles) in 1985, where I graduated designer of the year. I worked for many many years in the apparel business designing for very large companies, and building their brands, while doing and showing/selling  my own fine artwork on the side. In approximately 2009 I began designing one of a kind garments and accessories and placing them in small local retail stores in my home town of Portland Oregon, and was approached by a client to do a bridal commission for her. It went well, and we were both very happy with the collaboration. So I put my toe in the water, and began merging my artwork with my background in fashion, and Urchin bespoke was born.

URCHIN: My brand is true hand draped and fitted bespoke couture. It is unusual in that nothing is reproduced. The process is incredibly organic. Each and every piece is one of a kind, and specific to my particular client.. Urchin’s aesthetic is sculptural and textural, with a heavy emphasis on fit, function, and wearability, while focusing on beautiful detail. The pieces range form more modern and sculptural, to more romantic and textural, as in my bridal pieces.

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