Designer: Kate Seavey

Site: StuffByKate.com

A Unique Twist on Outerwear

Stuff by Kate puts the fun back into fashion. The designer, Kate, has made warm clothing easy and comfortable with an eclectic edge. The collection is hand sewn by Kate herself. Her mission is to keep the individuality in her line without mass producing or replicating any of her designs. You can always be sure Stuff by Kate is truly one of a kind.

HELIUM MAGAZINE (HM): What does fashion mean to you?

KATE SEAVEY (KS): Basically, it’s an expression of my inner artist, an expression of myself. I like making clothes that are fun to wear and expressing my creativity into wearable art. I think its both kind of underrated and overrated at the same time. It’s a staple of everybody’s life; you can’t live without it. It’s important to everyone whether you realize it or not.

HM: How did Stuff by Kate get started? How long has Stuff by Kate been established?

KS: I’ve wanted to be a designer my whole life. I started sewing when I was eight. When I was in college I had a school project that I had to do. I sewed a purse for one of my design classes for a presentation. One of my sorority sisters wanted to buy it. She bought the purse then all of our friends started buying them so I sold about 50 purses by the end of the semester. Then I discovered that I could really do this full time. It was kind of started by accident.  I have officially been in business for five years now. But I have been sewing through college and my adolescence.

HM: Who do you imagine wearing Stuff by Kate?

KS: My target customer is any normal girl from the ages 15 to 30. My muse is California beach bum meets Bettsy Johnston inspired flower child. So its definitely a combination of a fun, artistic detail with a lot of color but yet the clothing is really easy and comfortable to wear.

HM: How does Stuff by Kate represent San Jose and the bay area?

KS: Most of my clientele started here. I moved to San Jose right after I graduated from college. My friends who lived in San Jose were my core audience who launched my clothing line. A lot of my first fashion shows took place right here in San Jose. I’ve had great support from the community. I’ve been here since the start so it’s really important to me to have the support from all those people.

HM: What was your inspiration for your clothing line?

KS: It’s a unique twist on fall outerwear. The collection shows that warm can be pretty too. I love being comfortable and I know that everybody loves getting dressed up but you can look cute and be warm, while not having to worry about accessorizing at the same time. That was the main inspiration for my line. There are a lot of classic pieces with a cheeky twist.

HM: Where can Stuff by Kate be purchased?

KS: My website is www.stuffbykate.com which will direct you to an online boutique on etsy.com. My pieces are also in the store Oak on Newbury Street in Boston, MA. I am also in a boutique in Modesto, CA. All of that information with further details is on my website.

HM: What is the ultimate goal for Stuff by Kate?

KS: My 3 to 5 year plan is to open my own boutique. I thought about going into production but I would like to keep my clothing line handmade. My ultimate goal is to have my own studio space where I can open a retail store and do all of my own sewing on site so I could have custom clients come in and design their dream wardrobe.

HM: What’s next for Stuff by Kate?

KS: I’m always working on new projects. I was featured in Helium’s Atomic Fashion Show and am looking forward to Elemental. I am also wrapping up my fall collection and from there I have more photo shoots lined up combined with a few more fall fashion shows. Portland fashion show is looking like something that will be in the near future for Stuff by Kate.

Interview by Angela Marino

Staff

Andrea Henneman – Photographer

Mattion Mountford – Manager

Jack Husting – Art director

Cherelle Cruz – Model
Josie Wilder – Model

Esther Au – Makeup & Hair

Jennifer Giles – Fashion Aide

Jennifer Elias – Fashion Aide

]]> http://sjhelium.com/2009/12/02/fashion-feature-stuff-by-kate/feed/ 7 http://sjhelium.com/2009/10/06/afsrecap/ http://sjhelium.com/2009/10/06/afsrecap/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:10:27 +0000 Helium Magazine http://sjhelium.com/?p=913 Big thanks to everyone who turned up for the Atomic Fashion Show! The event was a huge success. The VIP section sold out the day before the show and the event hit full capacity with nearly 150 people being turned away at the door. So much for being fashionably late!

The Helium Zine was also well received; featuring a page on every designer in the show and a Helium Original photograph.

Helium had a red carpet set up for the VIP entrance where fashion designers, press, and Silicon Valley fashion industry experts arrived.

The Charity Fashion Show crew from Stanford; Taylor Jackson (FCubed Fashion Blog Editor-in-Chief), Lee Axelrod, Megan Anctil, Thom Scher (Executive Director), and Stephanie Werner.

"Stuff by Kate" designer, Kate Seavey

"Never Gets Old" designer, Amy Romaine

Helium Magazine’s Fashion Broadcaster, Camielle Rose-Rivera, interviewed all of the designers on the red carpet. The videos will be uploaded shortly to sjHelium.com’s new Video Portal.

Opening Scene: Yuppie Joints

The show started with a an explosion and black out of the entire ballroom. Four-foot He2 logos descended from the rafters in the darkness until the music began and the stage flooded with blue lights. Then, out came Yuppie Joints for a killer dance performance!

SWATI Couture from Swati Kapoor, Milpitas

When Helium first saw SWATI’s Fire Dress, we new it was the perfect outfit to kick off the Atomic Fashion Show! Check out Helium Magazine Fashion Feature on SWATI from early September. Just two days after the show, Helium did another photo shoot with SWATI for a photo essay in Helium’s first full issue coming out in December at the Elemental Fashion Show.

Stuff by Kate from Kate Seavey, San Jose

When Helium first worked with Kate Seavey, we thought Stuff by Kate was all about her one of a kind hoodies-with-flair. Enter neon tights and high heals, and a whole new beast is born. Helium’s full Fashion Feature on Stuff by Kate will be posted later this month.

RECAP: PART 2