Loading ...Every week or so, ‘Tis Cleveland likes to showcase local young professionals and businesses who are inspiring the people around them and making great things happen in Cleveland.
Lisa Malanij, Fashion Designer | Cleveland | TisCleveland.com
Let us introduce you to a fresh, new, futuristic, hypermodern, fashion designer who is making her mark on Cleveland. Lisa Malanij, is taking on Ohio’s fashion scene by storm and couldn’t be happier to start her career in her hometown of CLE. We were elated to sit down and chat with this fashion diva and get her story to share with other young professionals starting their careers in Cleveland.
Here’s what she had to tell us:
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started?
I am a recently graduated ambitious fashion designer taking small steps to make her dreams come true.
I attended to Kent State University’s School of Fashion Design and Merchandising majoring in Fashion Design and graduated May of 2009. My junior year I lived in New York City for a semester and continued living there over the summer for my internship at Soundgirl and Re:sound as a design intern. Since my graduating, I have been designing freelance for myself and others. Most recently I designed a line of tops for Girl Factor, an up-and-coming local label’s S/S 2010 debut collection. In spring of 2010, I showed my first collection at both Cincinnati Fashion Week and Fashion Week Cleveland.
Lisa Malanij, Fashion Designer | Cleveland, O
Fortunately after I graduated, I was given the opportunity to pursue the path to becoming a recognized designer in my own right. Through my internship and freelancing, I learned how the fashion business works – enough so to make my own 17 look debut collection by my self: Concept, designs, drafting patterns, sewing: everything. My collection, CIRCLE.SQUARE can be described as edgy streetwear in monochrome colors, inspired by circle and square shapes in silhouette, and lookbooks of Stockholm and Tokyo.
Initially what drove me to become a fashion designer was my passion in creating my own outfits, so I took all the sewing courses I could in high school. I did not want to be dependent on waiting till certain styles I wanted hit the stores of the Midwest. Personal style is highly unique, and I want to support that. In the future I would like my customers to wear my clothes as an extension of themselves, not just a label or brand. Mostly now I want to give back and be able to share and inspire others in the same way people and designers have inspired me.
2) What inspires you and your designs? How would you describe your vibe?
My vibe I would describe as futurist, hypermodern, and minimal with a penchant for clean lines, sleek silhouettes, cut-outs, color blocking, and layering. As a designer, I create with a innovative aesthetic with at times an extreme concepts. I work with a mixture of futuristic and contemporary silhouettes with an emphasis on volume, shape, and inventive ideas.
Personally I enjoy designing for both womenswear and menswear markets. I like to make my men and women designs echo each other, so that ideally, my menswear customers and womenswear customers would date each other!
Lisa Malanij, Fashion Designer | Cleveland | TisCleveland.com
It is also strong belief of mine that art, music, fashion, film, and literature, are closely intertwined. They inspire and feed off each other to represent the essence of the time. My love of all things pop culture continually drives me to discover new ideas. From sci-fi movies, to survival horror videogames, album covers to comic books, my inspirations become my muses. I delve into what inspires me to create and design distinctive collections that will in hope, inspire others.
When I design for fun, I choose things that I are interesting and make fashion collections out of them. My senior collection was based on cold war era Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: Space Odyssey, and my senior illustration portfolio had a strong dystopian theme with illustrated collections based on Final Fantasy VII to menswear based on David Bowie’s Low album. I don’t want to make just fashion collections, I want to make stories and characters out of my models. I want my collections to be a whole encompassing experience with reason and research for all fashion enthusiasts.
Often people will make music references when viewing my stuff –which is exactly what I am going for. I’m a Vivienne Westwood looking for her Sex Pistols, a Christian Joy looking for her Karen O, a Nicola Formichetti looking for his Gaga.
3) How did you get started doing Fashion Weeks, like Cinci and now Cleveland? What has it been like being involved in them?
Lisa Malanij, Designer | Fashion Week Cleveland | TisCleveland.com
One of my goals after I graduated as a fashion designer was to show at least one collection. I figured I’d better to do it now while I had the time and studio space before I delve into the corporate world. I knew about Fashion Week Cleveland because it annually features Kent State designers. Cincinnati was also having its first fashion week this year. I figured; why not try out for both? Fortunately I ended up being in both shows, which I consider myself to be very blessed to have these opportunities. I have met many wonderful models, fellow designers, and people interested in fashion from these events. I plan to work with many of these wonderful people again in the future.
Mostly, I really, really want to support Cleveland, my hometown, and the whole state of Ohio for that matter. I am proud of where I came from, and I want to positively represent and support my city. Cleveland is bursting with artistic and creative talent, and it would be nice to see a movement get national attention. Cleveland Fashion Designers and Artists, represent!
4) You could move to NYC or LA to start your fashion career. Why have you chosen to stay here in Cleveland as a young, creative professional starting her career?
In big cities like NYC or LA, designers are a dime a dozen. Competition for jobs, let alone unpaid internships is fierce. Right now, my philosophy is big fish, little pond. I’m taking all the opportunities I can get so when I do move to a different city, I will have experience and notoriety already established. Cleveland is brimming with creative talent, with less competition than a large city where everyone is trying to do the same. I encourage other artists and designers to take every opportunity and gain as much experience, networking and credibility as you can.
There are of course, advantages to living in NYC or LA, such as being inspired daily by the events and people constantly surrounding you. Eventually I do plan on moving. Until then, I don’t feel I am missing out, in fact, I am preparing for my future. Since I lived in NYC for eight months, I got a taste of what it is like to live and work in the design business and what is needed to be successful in that industry.
5) What are your favorite things/places in Cleveland?
Lisa Malanij, Fashion Designer | Cleveland, OH | TisCleveland.com
I grew up in a house in Ohio City over looking Lake Erie and the city skyline, where my current studio is. I always loved storm watching from my porch windows or going to Edgewater Park to fly kites. Room Service’s “Made in the 216” event is my favorite Cleveland event of the year. Personally, I am real proud to see the whole stretch of Detroit from W.45th to W.65th and Gordon Square Arts District taking off. Like I said, I’ve been in this area my whole life before it was up-and-coming. Now I enjoy biking to the Happy Dog and catch a band, going to the Capitol Theater for a film, and cruising down Clifton to look at Big Fun, going to cafes in Tremont, or to restaurants in Coventry followed by a show at the Grog.
6) What are your plans/goals in the future here in CLE? Any ideas to share?
In the near future, I would very much like to sell some of my designs through my Etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/shop/lisamalanij) and if things go well, be able to sell certain designs in local boutiques, and websites. That is the next big step for me, as well as freelancing and growing my clientele and experience. And of course if you know any investors looking for a designer to back, send them my way :]
7) If you could give advice to the young, creatives out there, looking to get their start in Cleveland, what would it be?
In such a subjective field, you will be met with a lot of adversity, naysayers, and critics. Keep believing in yourself, and use criticisms to fuel your desire and in time your accomplishments will manifest. Set practical goals you want to accomplish in a year or two. Use social media to generate hype to get word out about you and your work – most social media like Twitter, Facebook fan pages, and WordPress blogs are free. If possible, do invest in a website. Since more job searching is done online, having an online portfolio will give interviewers something to link to visually and immediately.
Get involved with local events related to your field to help out and create notoriety, and meet important people, and supporting your town. Take every opportunity you can, as you never know what networking opportunities will open up. Mostly believe in yourself and have fun doing what you love!
Links you want:
Lisa Malanij, Fashion Designer | Cleveland, OH | TisCleveland
Check out Lisa Malanij’s website at http://www.lisamalanij.com/ for more information!
She also has a blog at http://lisamalanij.tumblr.com/
Lisa Malanij on Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Malanij-Fashion-Designer/
Follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/LisaMalanij
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lisamalanij
