The651.com

Wood-Corset by Renalie Bailey

Every year, more and more talented fashion designers seem to be coming from the College of St. Catherine’s apparel design program. Last year’s annual senior line show debuted lines by Maritza Ramirez (whose current spring collection was a highlight of last month’s Voltage: Fashion Amplified), Renate Adjei and Jenny Carle – all of whom are now carried by taste-making boutique Cliché. In 2007, St. Kate’s introduced us to Emily Weich (another Voltage ’09 designer), and the year before Amanda Christine, who is arguably the most successful local designer to hit the scene in the past few years.

Ribbon Dress by Renalie Bailey

This Saturday at St. Kate’s annual senior fashion show Katwalk, we’ll be introduced to a few more up-and-comers, and based on past history, it’s probably not the last we’ll see of them. Seniors Renalie Bailey, Britta Feurerhelm, Ashley Busch and Amanda Chaffin and junior Emilee Kuznar are said to be the ones to watch, according to some of St. Kate’s alumni.

Of her collection, Ashley Busch says, “It was inspired by my mother’s first communion dress and vintage athletic couture.” Amanda Chaffin, who has interned with Amanda Christine, says her collection is “inspired by the Moab desert in Utah.”

If there’s senior to keep your eyes on, it’s artwear designer Renalie Bailey. She seems to have the most inspired perspective of the designers, working with unusual materials to create new silhouettes. For her senior collection, she worked with a wood-worker in California to create wooden corsets, which she’ll be showing with metal skirts. (She’ll also be showing some of her art-inspired work at next Friday’s GO LIVE III event at 526 Salon Spa Gallery in St. Paul. Stay tuned to this blog for more on it next week.)

Runway beats will be provided by DJ Real Talk Radio (aka Ken Hannigan of Minneapolis t-shirt design company Anthem Heart) with choreography by prolific event producer Richard Moody. (7:30 p.m. Sat. $5-8. Rauenhorst Hall at College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul. 651-690-6669. Click HERE for the Facebook invite.