I love design. I always have, I always will. Form, lines, color, texture excites me in a way that’s not quite normal. The Katera Collection is the most recent manifestation of this strange obsession.
Read "What's in a Name?" and you'll understand more about the catalyst that sparked Katera. But the genesis of my design career began long ago…
I first learned to sew when I was about 7 years old, first by watching my Mom, then by trying my own hand in making a pair of psycadelic lime and forest green tie front shorts. (Hey it was the seventies, I’m not to blame.) By middle school, I was designing my own dresses for school dances, and outfits for concerts. I held fashion shows for a very forgiving audience full of family and friends (I still use that tactic today. It’s great for the ego.) The world was different then. There was no such thing as Fashion TV or the Style Channel, and especially the luxury of the Internet. My only connection to this life that eluded me was Style w/ Elsa Klensch, and my subscription to Vogue. Design was my escape. I could get lost in my fabrics, molding and shaping what I considered to be works of art.
High school was a blur for the most part. But I do remember working with a very patient designer who introduced me to the world of leather work. I also remember a couple of my muses of that time, 1) the most incredible artist of our day, Prince and 2) A really good friend Stephanie who loved pushing the fashion envelope and wasn’t afraid of rockin’ my creations. I did a lot of evening wear, costume design, tailoring, throughout my college years. Then I took a long unscheduled B R E A K from design.
I worked as a rocket scientist (literally), decided that wasn’t a fit for me, tried some other stuff, ended up as a IT consultant, resurfaced in the design world with a line of active wear, Bare Minimum, all of which lead me to this.
The proverbial “They” say everything happens for a reason… I am a firm believer that every experience, good and not so good, can be a tool for learning. I’m a much smarter designer, and much more resourceful, creative, dedicated to quality and fit, and I bring all of this to Katera with the hopes of creating an incredible collection of beautiful clothes for beautiful women.