Designer Highlight: Alicia Janesko- Caftans and Resort Wear

Caftan and Resort wear designer, Alicia Janesko, gives us insight into what it is like to be a designer. We quickly learned that it isn’t for the unmotivated!

When you aren’t designing what takes up your time?

When I'm not designing or sewing I actually have a full-time job. So it takes a lot of time management and discipline in order to produce a collection for KCFW. It's very important to me to have a creative outlet in my life.

Where do you find yourself looking for design inspiration?

I get my design inspiration from various sources. Some of it comes from the caftans women would wear in the 1970s or from the fabric itself. I also get a great deal of inspiration from my travels since that was the initial source for me to create my line. I wanted pieces I could wear that would be as beautiful as the places that I would visit.

How long have you been participating in KCFW?

The Spring/Summer 2016 show will be my second time participating in KCFW. Now that I've had a season under my belt I'm looking forward to finding new ways I can improve upon my previous collection.

How long has it taken you to create your collection for KCFW?

I tend to start thinking about the concept of my next collection as I am working on the current seasons designs. To actually make the garments, it takes me from the day I am accepted as a designer up until the time my collection is due. Basically, the last 3 months before the show I don't leave the house on the weekends. There are a lot of sacrifices I have to make in order to show at KCFW but it's always worth it in the end.

What is your proudest moment as a designer?

I probably get the most joy out of seeing women wearing my garments that I have created for them either on vacation or at a party. The support I have received from the Kansas City community has been wonderful. It was also pretty exciting when I got my first online order from my website from somebody I didn't know personally.

What do you look forward to most for this KCFW season?

This season I am collaborating with my sister, Jennifer Janesko. Jennifer has hand painted all my fabrics this year so each piece will truly be a work of art and one-of-a-kind. I look forward to seeing how the audience response to this unique collection.

See Alicia’s designs on the runway during our Saturday night show during our Spring/Summer 2016 fashion week. To see Alicia’s designes, visit her website http://www.aliciajanesko.com