EMERGING DESIGNER

Wyatt Orr

IN THIS FEATURE: Meet Wyatt and Orr Fashion Focus

irst Karly Orr designed a red dress in 16 hours to win a contest benefitting the American Heart Association. She followed the win by snagging the top spot in the Seamless In Seattle design competition, and her runner up was Liise Wyatt, a classmate and close friend from the New York Fashion Academy in Seattle. Now they’re a team.

If their aesthetic for women’s designs with clean lines, elegant fabrics and an imaginative edge are any indication, the friendship-turned-design team of Karly Orr and Liise (LEE-zuh) Wyatt have a bright future together as they begin building their new line of menswear under the moniker: Wyatt Orr.

After receiving praise and interest in a few men’s jackets, Wyatt Orr decided to put their skills toward the sex that receives less attention from the fashion world. Their partnership is so new, that there were not any men’s designs available to show us. The high demand samples had already been snatched up! What was left were delightful fabric swatches and a wall of inspirational photos. But, they gave us a pretty good idea of where Wyatt Orr is headed. And all was fabulous!

“We’re in the process of designing half a dozen jackets to launch in 2009. It seems like an untapped market. We’ve talked to guys who get excited about interesting designs,” said Wyatt. “Still timeless, but cutting edge with detail that’s not common in menswear. There’s just not a lot,” added Orr.

They started with custom pieces, which local musicians loved. “Especially these musicians – they want to wear something no one else has,” Wyatt explained. Capitalizing on Seattle’s strong grass roots and underground music scene, WyattOrr has a good base for expanding its client list.