Meet 13-Year-Old Fashion Designer Isabella Rose Taylor

Isabella Rose Taylor is a high school grad, college student and already an accomplished designer. Did we mention she's also only 13 years old? Seriously. The young fashionista, artist and entrepreneur has accomplished more than many design hopefuls twice her age. We chatted with Isabella about her road to success, designing clothes for other girls her own age and why she thinks it's important for girls to build and create things.
Isabella recently made her New York Fashion Week debut, and her designs are currently sold onNordstrom. The Texas native says she's always been creating art, but she became interested in sewing when she was 8 years old.
"I'd been painting for a while, but that was when I started sewing. So I went to sewing camp and just sort of fell in love with it, because it's like 3D art and it's really an art," said Isabella. "So that's sort of how I got into it and then over the years it slowly grew into a business."

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The coolest part about Isabella's designs are that they are made for teen girls by a teen girl! She creates pieces for girls her own age.
"I think one advantage I have designing for the junior demographic is that all the other designers are older designing for this age group," said Isabella. "So I sort of design for myself in a way and my peers."
However, being one of the youngest fashion designers at her level in the field does come with some challenges.
"There were definitely a lot of challenges. It was a lot of trial and error and learning from my mistakes, but the main problem I had was fabric sourcing, that was a huge one and still is kind of a problem for me now and that's actually why I started designing my own textiles, which was sort of a blessing in disguise, because that makes me unique from other designers. No one else will have the textiles, because they're something I created," said Isabella. "So it's just another way to incorporate my art, which is a nice thing to do."It's no surprise Isabella has already found so much success at a young age, because she is one smart cookie. She graduated high school at age 11 and is currently taking college classes.
"I'm in my second year of college right now. I've always been accelerated academically, so once I graduated high school, college was the next step for me."
Isabella is all about being creative, whether it's with fashion or art.
We had to ask: Why do you think it's important for girls to build and create things?
"I think it's important just because even if you aren't maybe a creative person [or] you aren't interested in the arts, [you can] find that mind-set for what you are interested in whether it's math or science. Just having that sort of [creative] mind-set is just really important," said Isabella. "Entrepreneurship is a great sort of equalizer for girls and you have to be creative to start your own business."
Isabella has already accomplished a lot, and she's only 13. She opened up about her future goals and ultimate dream in fashion.
"[My ultimate goal] for my brand is definitely to be a global brand and expand to accessories that can really complete my look, and also mentoring some girls," said Isabella. "I feel that it's so important to offer any advice I can to other people who are interested in the same industry I am and try to pay it forward, so they can have some of the same opportunities I did."
What advice does she have for other girls who have big dreams they want to accomplish?
"I would say, 'just do.' I know it's sort of a basic thing, but I mean the act of doing is what makes you better. And also asking for help. I would not be where I am if I hadn't asked people," said Isabella. "You'd be surprised at how many people will give you the time, they will give you great advice if you let them."Since Isabella is a fashion guru, we had to get her take on the latest fall trends. Check out our style Q&A with Isabella below.
Cambio: Do you have a favorite piece from your line?
Isabella: My buffalo flannel jacket is one of my favorites if I had to pick one, but I like all of the pieces in my collection!
Cambio: What's your favorite fall trend?
Isabella: I love fall because of layering. Monochromatic pattern mixing is also one of my favorite things this season, but layering is sort of always relevant, not just in the fall.
Cambio: What's your must have accessory?
Isabella: I really like chokers. That's probably what I wear the most.
Cambio: What's your best piece of style advice for girls?
Isabella: I would say: simple and accessorize. Accessories jazz up any simple outfit.
Cambio: Who do you look up to?
Isablla: I love Nasty Gal. I think that she [Sophia Amoruso] really did an amazing job of growing her business and in a relatively short amount of time, so I really look up to her. Donna Karen, as well, for the business side of things.
Cambio: Where are your favorite places to shop?
Isabella: I really like Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom.
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Can Women in Power Still Be Stylish?

Of all the candidates running in next Tuesday’s American midterm elections, only one, it seems to me, really hasHalloween potential — which is to say, only one has succeeded in identifying herself closely enough with a specific sartorial semiology that a Pavlovian association is created in a viewer’s mind. See the garment, think the person.
I am speaking, of course, of Wendy Davis, the Texas state senator and beleaguered gubernatorial candidate, as well as famed Mizuno sneaker wearer. A blond wig, a bright suit andthose sneakers doth a costume create. Who needs masks when you have fashion?
Clothes have the power to define a person and a position, and though they are often seen as handicapping women in positions of authority, acting as a distraction from their achievements and substance, they can also be a strategic communication tool. One that is, ironically, more accessible to women than to men, who are stuck in a never-ending generic suit loop, forced to rely on the distinguishing characteristics of hair and tie color.

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If in doubt, simply consider an exhibition that opened Wednesday in London at the Design Museum, entitled “Women Fashion Power.” It has little to do with fashion as trend-driven designer vision, makes no aesthetic judgments and shies away from “power dressing” in the 1980s-Joan Collins-"Working Girl"-big-shouldered sense of the word. Rather, it focuses on image and authority in the public eye.
“It felt like it was the right time to look at the rise of women in contemporary power roles, and how they view and use fashion to facilitate their place in the world,” said the co-curator, Donna Loveday, describing the show as one of the most ambitious the museum has done.
She and her fellow curator, the fashion historian and journalist Colin McDowell, began work on the exhibition 10 months ago. Designed by Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, it is laid out over almost 6,500 square feet in three parts: There is an analytic “corridor of power” that identifies 16 of the most influential dressers in history, starting with Hatshepsut, the Egyptian queen who used elements of male dress to establish authority after her husband’s death; culminating with Hillary Clinton; a 150-year timeline highlighting moments of public sartorial change (the “freedom from constraints” of the turn of the 20th century, the suffragist movement of the 1920s); and, most significant, a gallery of current power players who contributed a Q. and A. and favorite garments that reflect their words.
And since, as Ms. Loveday pointed out, “I don’t think there has really been an exhibit in a museum on the subject before,” it makes me wonder if this marks a turning point in our own relationship with fashion.
Just consider the fact that the show includes 25 high-profile women happy to go public with their thoughts on clothing. This includes the usual suspects: fashion professionals like Natalie Massenet, executive chairwoman of Net-a-Porter; the designer Vivienne Westwood; and the model Naomi Campbell. But it also includes Wei Sun Christianson, co-chief executive of Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific; Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris (who also opened the exhibition); Alfiya Kuanysheva, chief executive of the Kazakhstan finance group BATT; and Kirsty Wark, the British broadcaster.
That, it seems to me, is an enormous and meaningful change in the conversation about achievement and gender. The idea that women whose power is undeniable and exists in traditionally male sectors like banking and politics might stand up and say, for the record and posterity, that clothes matter and require (and deserve) thought is, in my experience, unprecedented.
Even just three years ago, Michelle Obama, featured in the corridor of power, was denying giving any real consideration to clothing, announcing on “Good Morning America”: “Look, women, wear what you love. That’s all I can say. That’s my motto.”
(It just so happened that she loved wearing dresses from small American brands made by designers with notably diverse backgrounds, hence raising their profile on the international stage — but, hey, guess that was a coincidence.)
Fashion, like money — if not more than money — has been the off-limits topic, the subject whispered about and obsessed over, but rarely acknowledged in any nonpejorative way. It’s the invisible elephant in the room; like disinformation, it’s the tool everyone uses — and has used, as the exhibition makes clear, since Joan of Arc threw on some male armor — but refuses to admit they use.
“For a very long period, as women began entering the workplace and taking up roles traditionally occupied by men, the subject of dress was really put to one side, and treated as a frivolous distraction,” Ms. Loveday said.
Indeed, in a Daily Beast article last year about Ms. Davis and her sneakers, the liberal pundit Sally Kohn wrote that noting what women wear “undercuts the leadership of women and quashes their voice.” It seems to me, however, and this exhibition shows, that the situation is the opposite: What women wear is an embodiment of their voice, and identifying it helps identify their agenda (as it does with men, for that matter).
Granted, there were still women, and some very big names, that chose not to take part in the Q. and A. section of the Design Museum show. Ms. Loveday had Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton and Queen Elizabeth II on her wish list, and all begged off from participating in the interactive, though they are referenced in the show. But, Ms. Loveday said, the reason she was given for their demurrals was not “I don’t want to be seen talking about that subject,” but rather “time.”
Before you say “Well, isn’t that the same thing and weren’t they just being polite,” consider the fact that a few years ago when I was trying to convene a panel of power women to do some image analysis for a different newspaper, the answer I heard over and over again from chief executives I approached was a straightforward: “Thanks for thinking of me, but I can’t be involved in any overt discussion of fashion. It would undermine my hard-won seriousness.” (I’m paraphrasing, but not that much.)
I’m not saying the time excuse should be taken at face value or is anything but an excuse (though it could be true), but the sheer fact that the women involved bothered to make it, as opposed to taking umbrage at the very idea they might think about clothing is, in my book, a step forward.
Besides, even without the active participation of such pivotal figures, it is meaningful to think that for six months visitors to the Design Museum will be able to read the property developer Morwenna Wilson’s words — “Jackets are very important to me because I am petite and a woman, yet one with responsibility and authority working in a male dominated industry, often with a team of people older than me” — and Ms. Christianson of Morgan Stanley attesting that “I decided that while I was working in a man’s world, I was not going to suppress my femininity in an attempt to blend in.”
“It’s an incredibly positive message,” said Ms. Loveday, referring not just to Ms. Christianson’s words, but her willingness to contribute. I would have to agree.
Even more pointedly, the fact that this is now a public subject of conversation, blessed by a major institution, suggests that perhaps during the coming British elections, which will take place in May but with campaigning beginning in January, image analysis may be discussed in formerly unheard-of ways — and vis-à-vis candidates of any gender. And given that after “Women Fashion Power” closes in London, it may travel to the United States, Asia and Europe, it could potentially play a part in the presidential election here,if Hillary Clinton is a candidate.
And that in turn means that it is possible that this political cycle, instead of the usual disingenuous disavowals and fights about whether or not clothes are a legitimate part of spin and manipulation and the fight for higher office, we might actually be able to have a meaningful conversation about how exactly our candidates are attempting to communicate through cloth, and what exactly the subtext is.
Trick or treat?
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There's Still Something About Mary

IT'S six years this month that Mary Katrantzou - one of London fashion's fastest rising stars - began her label.
"Sometimes it feels like it's an eternity and sometimes it feels like it's just been three seasons," said the designer last night, talking at The Industry's latest networking event.
But time flies when you're having fun, are in demand and being very successful. Though it might surprise you to know that Katrantzou began her business after graduating from the Central Saint Martins Fashion MA with just eight dresses, a jacket and a pair of trousers - the latter developed because she felt that would constitute a "developed range".
The Greek-born designer is the first to tell you that going into fashion all very naively - from the course itself to setting up the business - worked in her favour.

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"I felt that I was doing a lot of catching up and self-exploration [when I was at CSM] with people who'd wanted to be a designer since the age of 14. You go into it a little blind-folded which makes it better as otherwise you have an abstract sense of perfection. Not having any pre-conceived notions helped."
Launching the now lauded label back in the dark days of recession wasn't a concern that had crossed her mind either.
"I was going into it as a student starting a business without huge expectations so you don't project them onto anyone else."
But she's come a long way since then.
"I understand more about myself than when I started. Back then a shift dress with a print had to do all of the work," she recalled. Since then lampshade skirts, pencil prints, bloom-strewn blazers and alphabet abstracts have done that.
"Every step you take you need to re-asses where you're going. You do evolve. I'm not as scared as when I first started - I thought I would run out of ideas."
And if there's one person who's not going to run out of ideas it's Katrantzou - season after season bowling us over with something exciting and innovative above and beyond our expectations.
"As a designer you want to work beyond what is your signature," she noted - joking at the description of her being "fearless" as directly related to exploring other avenues besides print. The past two seasons have leant themselves more instead to exquisite and elaborate embroidery. "She moved away from print - fearless!" she mock-gasped.
One facet that she has found especially interesting during her career is the role of social media - something that she says is so a part of her generation and world that she could not distinguish it as a separate entity to what she does and how.
"I was told by someone 'When I wore your dress I got the most likes I've ever had'," she recalled, noting the phenomenon's role as a great editing tool - the mass of media we digest each day meaning decisions have to be made at a constant pace.
And Katrantzou, currently working on collaborations and expanding the business (she now has a team of 55) aplenty, is going at a constant pace.
"I don't think it's just about sheer talent. It's about hard work, commitment and focus," she said offering up insight to those with fashion ambition. "It's a long marathon."
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Home-grown fashion leaders offer a message with style

"I just saw Kevan at the White House,'' says fashion designer Tracy Reese. "It was like a mini-reunion. At the White House of all places."
Yeah. At the White House of all places!
Two people who got their start in Detroit --Tracy Reese and Kevan Hall -- are now among the nation's top fashion designers. And they were both at the White House, among a select group of fashion designers honored recently by Michelle Obama.
Reese, now of New York City and Hall of L.A., who've each established their own fashion empires, happened to be in the D this week for separate events.
Reese was the featured guest Thursday at FashionSpeak, an annual conference on the fashion business presented by the Detroit Garment Group Guild.

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Hall will be honored Saturday at the Galaxy Ball of the nonprofit Black United Fund at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center.
Both Hall and Reese credit their families and their teachers at Cass Tech High -- notably arts educator Cledie Taylor-- with giving them their start.
Interestingly, before Taylor, both had considered architecture. Neither saw the fashion industry as an option.
"I didn't realize fashion design was a career. I thought it was a hobby," says Reese, who graduated from CT in 1981.
Hall, who graduated from Cass in 1975, said Taylor took him on his first trip to New York City to see the Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
He would go on to earn a degree from FIT and Reese earned a degree from Parsons.
The vibe and style of Detroit molded him, says Hall who grew up near what was then the Avenue of Fashion, a string of popular clothing shops on Livernois on Detroit's west side.
And, of course, there was Motown, a musical dynasty of charm, talent and style.
"They were all incredibly groomed and looked good when they were on or off stage," Hall says. "So Detroit and Motown is central to my eye and design."
Asked to name his favorite Motown artist and song, he said Marvin Gaye, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas "Dancing in the Street."
Reese's favorite song would have to be the Temptations "Ball of Confusion."
"It was the first record I owned. My sister bought it for me," she recalls.
Reese and Hall offer clear messages for students today sitting at the school desks they sat in a few years ago.
"You have to have passion," says Hall who pointed out that he started his business by packing his car with 15 pieces of his clothing and driving to stores to try to get them to buy his line, a line now sold around the world and worn by the likes of Angela Bassett, Celine Dion and Sharon Stone.
"You have to have a gift and an education," Hall says. "And surround yourself with people you can work with and learn from. Keep looking at the big picture. Don't focus on the problems, but focus on the goal."
Reese's message is similar.
"It's really about researching and preparing," Reese says. "You have to be patient. You have to be tentacious. You have to make it happen. Things aren't going to fall into your lap. If you're waiting for an opportunity, you'll continue to wait."
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Famous Fashion Designer Elizabeth Emanuel Seeks £750,000 Through Crowdcube For New Brand

The mastermind behind the famous 1981 Princess Diana wedding dress has made her way to Crowdcube! Elizabeth Emanuel, who has also made gorgeous dresses for other celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins, hit the equity crowdfunding platform on Sunday (October 12th) to raise £750,000 for her new brand, the Art of Being.
The campaign’s website shared the Art of Being is planning to offer a full service atelier of specialized craftsmen and women creating unique garments and accessories under Elizabeth’s guidance. The new brand intends to retain total control over the entire creative process and the manufacturing of all products ensuring the highest quality at all times.

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According to the Telegraph, Emanuel’s dresses will be priced from £20,000, and her off the rack items will start at £1,500. With the funds, she will be employing 10 creatives and will aim to open a shop off Bond Street in London as early as next year. She also projects a turnover of £10M in five years.
It was revealed that Emanuel has made one-off designs for high-profile clients in the recent years, but this is the first time she has a business proposal in place. She stated, “The problem has been putting a team together. There have been various investors along the way, but they’ve always insisted on putting in their own team – people with no fashion credibility.”
She also noted that she chose the crowdfunding method after being inspired by other high-profile projects, including Kevin McCloud’s campaign, which raised £1.9M last year for his sustainable Hab Housing. The famous designer has hired Andrew Marshall, who has 25 years of experience working with brands such as Montblanc and Gucci as her chief executive. She approached Marshall through LinkedIn earlier this year. They are joined on the board by other fashion design experts, including Guy Tritton (Chairman), Matthew Richards and Charles Buchan.
Emanuel has dubbed her collection as “distinctive contemporary glamour” along with an “eclectic mix of romance and allure.”
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Pittsburgh Fashion Week's future focused on opportunities for Pittsburgh-based designers

After five years of bringing a week filled with fashion to the city, Pittsburgh Fashion Week feels like it’s found its groove.
“Consistency works and subtle changes make a difference in easing people into the change,” says founder and executive director Miyoshi Anderson.
This formula of tried-and-true meets fresh ideas was featured during the fifth annual Fashion Week, which wrapped a week ago. A record number of designers (25-plus) and models (about 340) participated. Plus it was the first year the majority of events were held at a single venue, Highmark Stadium near Station Square, which Ms. Anderson found to be “beneficial, easy and less hectic.” She’d like to consider having one venue serve as home base for the week again next year.
A casting director for the upcoming film “The Last Witch Hunter” also attended several events, scouting models for the movie. Buyers from local retailers also were invited, but it’s unknown at this time how many attended and if any designers benefited.

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Pittsburgh Fashion Week surpassed past attendance numbers with more than 1,000 people passing through events during the week. Previous years tended to hover in the 800-900 range.
Looking ahead, Pittsburgh Fashion Week likely will hold its sixth annual event at about the same time at the end of September 2015 and plans to continue to find ways to foster the talents of Pittsburgh’s designers.
“We want to encourage [designers] into their own storefronts and their own websites,” Ms. Anderson says. “We want to be able to get [their designs] off the runway and into the closets of those who are seeing them on the runway.”
More from the Pittsburgh fashion and beauty front ...
Cops in Couture runway show benefit: The second annual fashion event to support the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial of Allegheny County and the Police Support Team will be 7 p.m. Wednesday (doors open at 6 p.m.) at The Mall at Robinson. Police and K9 officers from more than 80 departments across the region have volunteered to serve as this year’s models. Clairton Officer James Kuzak Jr., who was critically injured on the job in 2011, also will join the models.
Jeans, Jewels and Jam for Cancer Caring Center: Slip into your favorite denim, bling them up with your favorite baubles and mix and mingle on the rooftop deck overlooking PNC Park’s left field entrance. Guests also will have the chance to win customized jewelry by Brian Smith valued at $1,000. It’s Friday, with a VIP reception 6-7 p.m. and the main party 7-10 p.m. Tickets: $75 in advance at cancercaring.org/jeans-jewels-and-jam, or $85 at the door. VIP tickets are $100.
Natalie Deayala trunk show at Bella Bridesmaids: The shop at 1752 N. Highland Road, Bethel Park, welcomes one of its new designers for a trunk show 10 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment Friday and Saturday. The brand’s philosophy is “friends don’t make friends wear ugly dresses” and is known for its cool and stylish looks. Natalie Deayala orders placed during the trunk show will be 10 percent off.
Rena Lange resort/spring trunk show at Larrimor’s: Shop ready-to-wear women’s clothes known for their luxurious look, quality and design consistency 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at One PNC Plaza, Downtown.
Vintage Valet fashion truck celebrates Pinktober: In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Pittsburgh-based mobile boutique by Marissa Zimmerman will donate a portion of the proceeds from truck sales and the truck’s new online store, at shop to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Also, shoppers who make a purchase this month and “like” Vintage Valet on Facebook while at one of the truck’s events will receive a free breast cancer awareness scarf while supplies last.
Pittsburgh part of Flannel City Face-Off: When it comes to flannel, what city wears it best? Duluth Trading Co. is holding its inaugural contest to answer this question. Pittsburgh is one of 16 cities vying for the title.
Sharspburg-based Simple Sugars update: Lani Lazzari, who founded the all-natural skincare line Simple Sugars at age 11, is up to $3 million in sales since the brand was featured on the ABC TV show “Shark Tank” more than a year ago. She expects the company to do an additional $4 million in sales in the next 12 months, an update segment revealed on the two-hour “Shark Tank” season premiere. Simple Sugars also recently struck a deal with Destination Maternity, which now carries its sugar scrubs in all 575 of the retailer’s locations across the country. In season four of “Shark Tank,” Ms. Lazzari of Fox Chapel made a deal with fellow Pittsburgh native Mark Cuban, who invested $100,000 for a 33 percent stake in Simple Sugars.
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