We were all witnessing the rise of a true Cleveland original.
Fashion designer Valerie Mayen of Cleveland’s own Yellowcake is on Lifetime TV’s Project Runway, Season 8 (which can be seen every Thursday at 9PM)
Episode 1: Valerie sailed right through the first competition. Her role was understated though, because the show tends to focus on controversial figures, and she was a shoo-in. When we did get fleeting glimpses of her, the bright purple shirt she wore made her easy to spot, as she literally tore through competitor Casanova’s trousers (don’t worry, he was not wearing them at the time). Valerie’s positive visual vibe and spunky dialog left us wanting to see more of her!
Episode 2: Our local star was really shining! Gretchen Jones, winner of the first competition on Episode 1 rightly saw Valerie as her only serious rival. Valerie’s sporty red dress finished in the top three designs. All of the judges’ comments were enthusiastically supportive of her work. This episode gave her much more airtime, and she stood out in her red-and-white striped top, then her swingy lime-green frock.
This kind of local champion really does Cleveland proud. Not the kind that was born and bred here, rose to fame and left. This champ came here from Texas for the excellent design education our region offers, and settled in Cleveland for other uniquely Northeast Ohio features. Because of the outstanding local design schools, Valerie’s fashion studio Yellowcake, has benefited from using interns from those institutions and is constantly encouraging other arts businesses to do the same. In 2009 she was awarded a Cuyahoga Country-funded Creative Workforce Fellowship Grant. In 2010 she won the COSE Arts Network ABI (Arts Business and Innovation) Individual Artist Award. If that is not impressive enough, this Cleveland pioneer keeps on giving back. Five percent of all Yellowcake’s sales profits are donated to different non-profit organizations each month.
Our fashion queen is holding court in Cleveland every Thursday at 9PM at a different location to view Project Runway, Season 8, with her fans. Check out her blog weekly to find out where she will be. When asked about her experience on Project Runway, Valerie says “I’m extremely proud to have represented Cleveland and thankful to have the overwhelming support that I’ve had!” So don’t worry, she has no plans of moving out of town.
Carol Drummond has been a professional designer for 25 years. Prior to starting her award-winning graphic design studio 15 years ago, Drummond Design, she graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, worked at a graphic design studio, a video production company, and a consumer products company. She has been an art docent for Mayfield City Schools and currently serves on the COSE Arts Network Advisory Committee. http://www.DrummonDesign.com