The Birmingham Jane: Elizabeth Singleton

Deprecated: ltrim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home2/seejanew/public_html/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 3031

By Javacia Harris Bowser, See Jane Write Magazine Founding Editor 

Elizabeth Singleton can say, without exaggeration, that Birmingham Fashion Week changed her life.

Last year Singleton — a University of Alabama graduate who grew up in Birmingham — earned BFW’s Emerging Designer title. She went on to intern with Birmingham Fashion Week founder Heidi Elnora and then moved to New York where she has interned at  Rebecca Minkoff and is working on building her fashion design business.

But Singleton isn’t one to forget where she comes from. Not only did Singleton return to the Magic City for last week’s Birmingham Fashion Week 2014 events, but she also strives to let folks in the Big Apple know that Birmingham’s fashion scene should not be underestimated.

Both figuratively and literally, Singleton is making Birmingham look good.

How has winning the Emerging Designer award helped your career?

It definitely gave me more confidence to do what I like to do. It pushed me forward and inspired me to go for my dream, which is developing my own line and working in New York City.

After winning that, I did an internship with Heidi. She’s been like my mentor ever since the Emerging Designer competition. I did that through the summer. That was awesome and I learned a lot from her.

I moved to New York City in June and did an internship there.

Now my goal is just to develop my business and sell my pieces to boutiques in New York and Birmingham.

Your line last year was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia and you’ve said that you draw inspiration from artwork, architecture, history, literature, and nature. Do you draw any inspiration from your southern roots?

This last collection that I just showed at Birmingham Fashion Week was inspired by a photo of a sunset I took here in Birmingham while visiting for Thanksgiving. The lines and colors were all inspired by that photo.

How would you define southern style? Do you feel there is something unique about style in the South?

We put our own classy, traditional twist on trends. In New York I’ve noticed that no one has restraints on what they wear.  Whatever trend it is, they’ll wear it; they don’t care what it looks like. Here it’s more controlled. If it looks good then we’ll wear, but if it doesn’t look good we won’t wear it.

How has being raised in the south influenced your sense of style?

It’s definitely made me more conservative. My designs are sexy, but still conservative. It leaves a little to the imagination. It’s sexy but classy just like the South.

Why do you think it’s important for things like Birmingham Fashion Week to exist?

Birmingham Fashion Week is great because it gives anyone who has this dream of fashion a chance to get exposure.

It’s a good way to get buzz here in the South as well, to show that we have fashion too here; we know how to dress too. It’s very good advertisement of the South.

And it’s something fun to do with your girls. You go shopping, put on cute outfits, and go with your girls to take selfies at Birmingham Fashion Week!

Do you feel that you are spreading the word about the Birmingham fashion scene in New York?

I do feel that way. I’ve met people from places like Texas, Kentucky, and South Carolina and they’re not proud of being from the South. I’m proud to say I’m from Alabama. I’m a good representation of what the South is. It’s a good way to tell people it’s not what you see in the movies.

 

 

The Birmingham Jane is a See Jane Write series of profiles on women in Birmingham who are making a difference in our city. If you know of a woman who is making a difference in Birmingham please send your nominations to javacia@seejanewritebham.com. And don’t be ashamed to nominate yourself!