CaliforniaApparelNews.net

Just when you thought Patagonia couldn’t become more eco-friendly, the label known for environmental activism launched a new line of salmon – as in jerky.

The company decided to tackle unsustainable fish-farming practices by embracing a new model of harvesting salmon that uses traditional First Nations fishing methods that won’t deplete stocks or impact endangered runs, and provides jobs for locals living near the Skeena River Watershed in British Columbia.

The top-three dresses on the runway at FIDM (Brandon Clark/abimages)

Last summer, Los Angeles designer Karen Kane issued a challenge to students in the third-year advanced fashion design course at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.

From Hollywood to Downtown, LA Fashion Week has been showcasing the city’s best emerging and known designers, with creations ranging from Romantic to punk rock.

The eco-friendly fashion line Nuvula showed at ACE Gallery, channeling artists Gustav Klimt and Toulouse Lautrec and the brand’s twist on La Belle Epoque and Bauhaus, complete with a live performance of “Roxanne.”

So you want to be a famous fashion designer? You want millions of Americans to see your imaginative creations?

Fear not. There is hope. The people at "Project Runway," the TV show that has designers going measuring tape to measuring tape to come up with some of the best collections around, is looking for candidates to be on the show's next season.

Let’s start with the bad news. L.A. designer Andrae Gonzalo has moved to New York. (Hmph, where’s Andrae, indeed.)

The good news is, he’s still sending his scoops out west. (Thank you, Andrae! Sorry for using the image above--but the T-shirt was too perfect to pass up.)

The Otis graduate, “Project Runway” alum and, ahem, former Los Angeles designer is designing for New York–based eveningwear line Mikael Aghal.

Outdoor Retailer named the winner of their Project Runway spin-off competition, Project OR, on Monday. Margaret Mussman, a junior at the University of Cincinnati, was one of six student designers chosen to participate in the competition. In 48 hours, the former snowboarder designed and constructed a women's backcountry ski bib, which earned her first place, a trip to Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2012 and a profile in the publication Textile Insight.

Costume Designer Patricia Field received the Iconic Fashion Visionary award from Darren Star, producer of Sex and the City.

As the auctioneer Vanessa Thanos at Divine Design said, you can’t take it with you to the grave. Thankfully for Project Angel Food, the Hollywood industry crowd that came to the annual Divine Design’s fundraising gala last night was generous. The live auction rallied more than $40,000. And they are just getting started.

Five of the 13 designers returning to compete in “Project Runway All Stars” in January are from California.

I’d prefer 13 of 13, sure, but it’s a better West Coast showing than we’ve seen in recent seasons of the reality show, youknowwhatI’msaying?

The California competitors are:

Rami Kashou, Mila Hermanovski, Sweet P Vaughn, Michael Costello and Gordana Gehlhausen.

Lifestyle blogger Marcus Troy gives California Apparel News the scoop on connecting fashion bloggers to brands. 

“Personally, I’ve always had this dream of putting together a trade show for bloggers….  my blogger friends were always wanting to know ‘How do we reach brands?,’ and brands were always wanting to know ‘How do we meet bloggers?,’ so I wanted to connect both of them.”

Project Runway Host and Liz Claiborne's chief creative officer Tim Gunn.  Make it work!  (photo provided by HL Group)

Amy Smart, Busy Phillips and Alicia Witt were just some of the celebs that turned out last night to hear Project Runway’s Tim Gunn tout Lucky Brand’s new denim line and support the nonprofit The Art of Elysium at an event at Eveleigh on Sunset.