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Fashion Show: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

My name is Tatiana Shabelnik. I am an emerging fashion designer residing in Whittier, Calif., and originally from Belarus. Due to the recent attention my fashion career has received, I have been invited to show my designs at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week happening on September 11, 2014 at the Lincoln Center and sponsored by FTL Moda.  

I also have been approached by the director of the forthcoming documentary "Emerging," which "follows the models, designers, buyers and internationals, with full access to every angle of what goes into making a fashion week possible." His intention is to film me at New York Fashion Week for inclusion into the documentary. Achieving this requires financial resources. In order to pay for the entire cost of my participation in the show (models, dancers, choreographers, make-up artists, travel, accommodations, and back stage crew), I need $25,000. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, but it will only be possible with support and donations. Thank you for your time. Below is some background on myself, and the history of my fashion career.

I was born in Minsk, Belarus, when it was still a part of the Soviet Union. Love for art came very early in my life. I started drawing and painting at the age of 6, designing outfits for my paper dolls. Growing up, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer. I wanted to go to a fashion school, but life took me on a different route. Currently I work full-time as the Web Interactive Services Manager at Claremont McKenna College.

Through these years, my passion for fashion design has remained palpably strong, and in 2012 I decided to pursue my childhood dream by enrolling in fashion-design classes at Otis College. Within a year, I launched a custom line of shawls and scarves. It was then that I also began sketching and producing a clothing line for women: "Contrast.” My current collection showcases pieces in leather, silk and chiffon, and is partly inspired by the colorful works of Russian artist Vasily Kandinsky, and Belarusian/French artist Mark Chagal.  You can see my lookbook on my website : http://www.tatianashabelnik. com

I presented my first collection at the "Mamomt" avant-garde fashion show in my hometown of Minsk, Belarus, in June 2013. In fall 2013, I competed at RAWards, and was chosen to be one of three finalists for Designer of the Year in Los Angeles.

Last October I was featured in the Los Angeles Times, and several months later in March, I showed my collection at Style Fashion Week LA. The Los Angeles Times covered my runway show as well. You can read more about it here.

Organizer

Tatiana Shabelnik
Organizer
Whittier, CA

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