Stitch Factory Opens in Downtown Las Vegas

I love it when it’s in the cards for me to attend an event while on I happen to be on vacation. This was the case on my recent trip to Vegas last month (sorry for the delay guys…work got in the way). My friend from Vegas, a local designer with an amazing line that I’ve seen during LAFW- Ermelinda Manos– broadcasted that there was a major event happening during my stay in Vegas that she was participating in. It was a grand opening of a local hub where designers and other like-minded people could come together to work on their projects and so on. The space (also part of the Downtown Project) is called The Stitch Factory- located in the up-and-coming historical downtown section of Vegas. The Stitch Factory was created by Jennifer Taler and Meghan Boyd-Mossler on a basis that folks in the Las Vegas fashion industry can come together, be inspired by one another, work on projects, etc. It is a huge warehouse-type space with mannequins, working tables and industry sewing machines. They also offer services such as: product development, retail consulting, pattern making, sampling, events, and trend services. They have a wide variety of sewing classes and studios – at both the beginner level and more advanced classes geared toward designers. They will be launching a Stitch Factory Speaker Series in March as well. “Our dream is to help recruit new and retain local design talent and to see more Las Vegas designers in the national spotlight,” Meghan stated.

The Grand Opening event was themed 1940s and ‘Old Hollywood Glamour.’ Guests donned their vintage or whatever came close to 1940s day and evening wear. Lite bites were passed around and there was a cash bar. The fashion show was lovely and included models done up in 1940s pin-up inspired hair and make-up and featured looks from: Again Apparel, Flint and Tinder, Winnie Schao, Rachael Grande, Claudia Chavarria, Trishawna Alexander, Tainted Laundry, Polly Weinstein, Robyn Carter, and Nicole Daniels. I LOVED the vegan fur vest, neon separates, mint flowy skirt from Again Apparel. The students designs were fun, with some of my faves being: a light blue tank dress that was simple in front, but when the model turned around, I was blown away at the multi-colored knotting and menagerie in the back. I also loved the two evening gowns that sashayed down the runway with the fabric manipulated into loads of ruffles. After the show, Sabriel performed while guests listened, mingled and networked.

I’ll let Meghan summarize realize her dream when she first moved to Las Vegas: “I am originally from Georgia, but I relocated to Las Vegas from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. When I first arrived in Las Vegas, I stayed with a local news anchor who was a friend of a friend of a friend. One night, he announced on the news that I needed a job in fashion merchandising or design in order to be able to stay in Las Vegas, and an employee at Zappos emailed him the job openings. Zappos is an amazing company with an incredible culture, and I worked there for almost 6 years. It truly is a family. I feel incredibly lucky the winds blew me west, and I now call Las Vegas home. Las Vegas has always been a place where dreams come true, and I am no exception!”

Huge applause to Jennifer and Meghan, so glad to hear something like this has opening up in Vegas! (Now I have a place to hang and do work when I’m in town.) Check out stitchfactory.com for further deets. Great styling Ermelinda!