New Decade, New Style
12/01/10 13:36 Filed in: Fashion | Life of a Rock Star
New Decade, New Style
By Nicole Hanratty
Ring in 2010 with these hot new “Skarlettes” (reversible capes with a scarf attached) from Zuriz Dezinz. Handmade and in many cases, one-of-a-kind originals, these gorgeous wraps will warm you or your daughter in style this chilly January winter. You’ll have to drive into the suburbs (or call and beg a store to ship one off to you) to get your hands on one of these gorgeous capes, but it will be well worth your efforts. As one storeowner put it, “The only other place you will find these, is in Italy.”
Hipster Kid
2903 Agoura Road
Westlake Village, Ca
(805) 494-0900
http://www.shophipsterkid.com
Glen Kids
2944 Beverly Glen Circle
Los Angeles, Ca
(310) 474-9966
Pas de Deux
5853 Kanan Road Agoura Hills, CA
(818) 707-1425
Ballet Arts
31308 Via Colinas Suite 101
Westlake Village, Ca
(805) 495-7940
Price Range: $65.00 to $200.00 (Depending on size and style)
Children and adult sizes are available.
For more information email: zurizdezinz@aol.com
Meet The Designer
Living through hard times and wearing clothes donated to charities left on the front door step of her home, Shawna rifled through the bags for things that would fit her and pulled out a dress that she slipped into for church one Sunday morning. While at church, a girl recognized the dress Shawna was wearing as one that she had donated to the “needy.” The girl—too young herself to realize that Shawna’s family was in that category--called Shawna out on it and embarrassed her. Shawna vowed never to let that happen again. She taught herself to sew and began altering the donated clothing in her closet to such an extent that no one would ever recognize what she wore again.
Her skills and creativity developed throughout high school and she was accepted with her portfolio to FIDM Fashion Institute in Los Angeles. She turned this opportunity down to pursue a degree at BYU where she took a few classes in clothing and marketing but left fashion behind to go on her mission in Guatemala.
Shawna spent a few years working as a Spanish interpreter for a doctor before marrying husband Tony, who works in the movie industry. Frustrated by the difficulty in finding the perfect dress to attend red carpet events with her husband, such as the Grammy’s, Shawna found the need to design and sew her own gowns. Although she no longer needed to sew clothing out of financial necessity, her love of fashion continued to grow and she found pleasure designing and constructing original garments for herself and her family.
Shawna and her husband have had six children since they married, who have all benefited from their mother’s talents over the years. She has not only sewn up elaborate Halloween costumes, she has also been the “go to” mom teachers called in for help with refurbishing school costumes for plays.
Moving into designing fashion as a business has been a natural transition for Shawna. Her children’s friends as well as her own were her first clients. They would see something she or her children were wearing and place their orders.
Shawna demands her styles be functional and comfortable above all else. She states, “[With] everything I make it’s important to me that it’s washable because first of all, I’m a mother. So it has to be wearable, washable and functional. Everything I make I wear or my children wear before I will sell it. …I want to see how it wears and I want to see the fit. Usually I wait and see [if I] get a lot of compliments and then I’ll market it. But that’s what’s been amazing about it. When I walk into places, people will buy things that I’m wearing. …What I love is that stores are selling out. I run out of fabric. It’s been great for me!”
The first high-end boutique Shawna approached with Zuriz Dezinz—Hipster Kid—bought her line of Skarlettes on the spot, proving these high fashion capes are for more than just the dancers. Since then, three more Los Angeles stores have ordered her clothing--propelling her forward into the world of fashion faster than she can cut and sew.
Of her designs Shawna says, “They are all unique and right now they are all one of a kind because I hand cut them. I cut the flowers. I choose the color coordination. Even moving on, if I hired someone I would still be involved in the cutting. I am very particular.” This makes each of her garments unique and rare.
The Skarlettes are selling out in the boutiques carrying them as soon as they hit the shelves. Keeping them in stock is appearing to be the biggest challenge for this creative designer.
She buys her fabric in downtown LA or in local stores, keeping the clothing line a community business.
Zuriz Dezinz has a new line of vests hitting stores soon.
Interview and photos by Nicole Hanratty
*Photographs taken at Hipster Kid, where hip kids shop.
