MAY 6, 2014 MAY Tribune Business IS PORTLAND THE NEXT FASHION INSIDE NEWSBEAT SOCIAL STATE OF OREGON’S HEALTHCARE MECCA? HILLSBORO COMPANY TAPS WORLD MARKETS BY PAMELA ELLGEN HAWAIIAN AIR IN A BOTTLE 2 BUSINESS TRIBUNE THINGS ARE TAKING OFF AT PDX Business ■ that’s closer to home. Whether in the offi ce or at home, 150,000 you now haveweekly another readersway to reach the ■ metro 60,000 area’s businesscopies leaders. Business news APRILAAPR 1, 2014 TribuneT IL 1, 2014 ribune MARCH 25, 2014 To advertise call your Pamplin advertising representative or call 503-684-0360 INSIDE SHWOOD’S ERIC SINGER UNITED GRAIN LOCKOUT THE RETURN OF SMELT Business INSIDEINSI COAL PROJECT NEEDS LAND Tribune TIGARD TEEN HAS APP-TITUDE DRIVE-THROUGH DE MEAT MARMARKET ALTERNATIVE WHY FLEETS ARE TURNING TO KET BY JOHN M. VINCENT FUELS BusinessMARCH 18, 2014 Tribune T ribune ON PORTLAND’S BURGEONING BURGEONING PORTLAND’S ON ECONOMICS ECONOMICS THE THE ■ 7 local newspapers DOWN AND DIRTY AND DOWN FILM BUSINESS FILM Tuesday, May 6, 2014 OF FILM OF BY BY KENDRA HOUGE THE THE 480722.040814BT Tuesday, May 6, 2014 BUSINESS TRIBUNE 3 IS PORTLAND THE NEXT FASHION MECCA? BY PAMELA ELLGEN he lights of Portland Fashion Week have faded. Pop-up shops folded their wares into trunks. After parties died Tdown. Models went home to eat a sandwich. And designers put away their 2014 collections. Now what? Is Portland on the fast track to becoming the next fashion mecca behind Los Angeles and New York? Some think so. The city boasts more Project Runway winners than either of those cities, four as of the 2013 season. Beyond the realm of reality television, the city incu- bates dozens more fashion designers who go on to earn national and international acclaim and, more importantly, support themselves doing what they’re really good at. However, the city often loses its design tal- ent to bigger markets. Some stay, of course. Seth Aaron and Michelle Lesniak, both Project Runway winners, remain fi rmly planted. Stephanie D. Couture has been successfully designing vintage-inspired bridal gowns and other ready-to-wear pieces in Portland since 2008. Adam Arnold set up shop in 2002 in Southeast and has been designing and produc- ing his own clothing since then. And family- owned Pendleton Woolen Mills continues to age “like a fi ne wine,” says Refi nery29, the largest independent fashion and style website in the US. However, Pendleton is one of the only fash- ion houses in the city offering living wage jobs. And that’s what it all comes down to, says Tito Chowdhury, original owner of Port- land Fashion Week, now FashioNXT. At left, a model “There are so many designers who are do- wearing a wedding ing good fashion and then have to work three suit by Sunjin Lee or four other jobs,” he says. “You cannot have walks the runway an industry when you don’t have living wage.” at Portland Fashion The Art Institute of Portland, a presenting Week. At right, a sponsor at the new Portland Fashion Week model showcases a and the source of all designers for the fi nal dress by Lizz evening of runway shows, keeps employment Basinger. statistics on its graduates. In 2011, the most RICH ELLGEN/ELLGEN CONTINUED / Page 4 PHOTOGRAPHY 4 BUSINESS TRIBUNE Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Adam Arnold has been designing and constructing clothing for a loyal clientele since 2002. Ready-to-wear garments hang on a rack at Adam Arnold’s studio. ■ just selling in Portland or around the north- From page 3 west,” he says. “There are so many design- ers here. If you sell to one shop, the other recent year it reported, graduates with a shops don’t want you because they want you Bachelor’s degree in apparel design were to be exclusive.” earning only $24K a year. He has considered relocating to a bigger Designer Bryce Black graduated from the market, but even that can be cost prohibi- school, went on to become a contestant on tive. Project Runway and was recently named “There’s only so much you can grow in Best Emerging Menswear Designer at the Portland,” he says. “People want to keep us 2013 Portland Fashion and Style Awards. De- here, but they need to invest in us.” spite his apparent success, fashion design A large part of the problem, according to doesn’t pay the bills. The same is true for Chowdhury, is that fashion is not recognized PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICH ELLGEN/ELLGEN PHOTOGRAPHY most designers in Portland, Black says. A vest under construction by iClothing designer Adam Arnold in his Southeast Portland studio. “You can’t really sustain your business CONTINUED / Page 5 PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT CIRCULATION REPORTER PHOTOGRAPHERS J. Mark Garber Brian Monihan MANAGER Joseph Gallivan Jonathan House, Jaime Valdez PortlandTribune Business Kim Stephens WEB SITE OFFICES Tribune EDITOR AND ADVERTISING DIRECTOR DESIGN ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER CREATIVE portlandtribune.com 6605 S.E. Lake Road Christine Moore Pete Vogel Portland, OR 97222 Vance W. Tong SERVICES MANAGER CONTACT 503-226-6397 (NEWS) Cheryl DuVal [email protected] Tuesday, May 6, 2014 BUSINESS TRIBUNE 5 “ You can’t really sustain your business j ust selling in Portland or around the northwest. There are so many designers here. If you sell to one shop , the other shop s don’t want you because they want you to be ex clusive.” — Bryce Black, designer ■ From page 4 idea and go on to successfully execute a product line year after year. by the city as one of its core sectors. Conse- Designer Adam Arnold maintains a simi- quently, big fashion houses are not attract- lar perspective. He owns and operates a full- ed to the city with tax breaks and other in- service studio out of Southeast Portland centives. If that were to occur, it would where he creates custom garments for a loy- have impact beyond the local fashion scene, al local clientele. Born and raised in Vancou- he says, with athletic wear companies such ver, he left the area to attend school in San as Nike and Adidas able to recruit local tal- Francisco and then settled in Seattle where ent instead of spending hundreds of thou- he worked for London Fog. sands recruiting designers from larger “I didn’t move here [initially] because I markets. didn’t think there was a market here,” he Another challenge for local designers is admits. But a lot had changed since he left having their garments manufactured. While and on a visit to his parents, the city capti- sending designs off to China is a solution for vated him. He set up shop in Southeast 2002 a few, unit minimums make it out of the and has thrived with strong client relation- question for many. ships and through word-of-mouth advertis- However, the Portland Garment Factory, ing since then. created in 2008 by Britt Howard, gives life to Like any business, he has faced challeng- the vision of many fl edgling designers and es but says, “It’s a creative industry; creativ- accommodates everything from individual ity is necessary when there are challenges prototypes to complete collections. Howard or problems. But I love what I do. I love my has a far more optimistic take on the fash- studio. I love my work. It gives me joy. It’s ion industry in Portland and has seen many hard work. Feeling like I’ve worked hard Marcus Harvey, founder of Creative 3 5, shared his vision for clothing design and manufacturing at individuals come in with just a sketch or an and smart on a project... that satisfi es me.” Portland Fashion Week Call today to schedule a complimentary lunch and tour! 1-800-968-8678 or 503-635-7381 VVILLAILLAIntroducing ESTATEESTATESS 2 and 3 bedroom homes designeddesigned forfor yyourour peace ofof mindmind.. RESERVING NOW! Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) 17400 Holy Names Drive Lake Oswego, Oregon 97034 457549.032714 PP 6 BUSINESS TRIBUNE Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Email your business briefs to: [email protected] YOURBUSINESS ness plan competition hosted by the it & Social Venture); $750 for 2nd School of Engineering, has been tal Law regulation University’s Franz Center for Lead- place (for-profi t) and $250 for 3rd named as a winner of the 2014 Ver- and permitting. ership, Entrepreneurship, and Inno- place (for-profi t). Sponsors include nier Software and Technology Engi- The Advisory vation. D&B, LivePlan, Lane Powell, Do- neering Contest. She joins co-win- Committee on Sus- The winning engineering group main.com, AARP, Portland Business ners Gary Garber of Boston Univer- tainability and Inno- Dynamic Assistive Technologies Journal, and the Oregon Entrepre- sity Academy and Julianne King of vation is a citizen consisted of Jordan Schiemer, Audre neurs Network (OEN). the Regina Caeli Academy in Spring, commission that pro- Ramey, Caroline Pisani, Ann Tru- In addition, fi nalists in the for- Texas, each of whom used Vernier vides advice and ad- ong, Mikah Bacon, and Matt Brown. profi t track will be eligible for an in- sensors to introduce engineering vocacy on sustain- Dynamic Assistive Technologies cre- vestment of up to $100,000 (half cash concepts or practices in the class- STAFFORD ability issues affect- ated an assistive drinking cup for and half support services). The win- room. ing the community, those who suffer from hand tremors. ner of the Social Venture track will Selected by a panel of Vernier edu- environment and economy. Among its Schiemer took a lead role in the be eligible for a $2,500 grant and cational experts, each winner re- activities, the committee evaluates group’s $100K Challenge project.