Aidah Collection Maternity featured in Bellyitch Blog

Designer Aidah Fontenot (r) with a model in one of her maternity designs for Aidah’s Collection
I discovered Aidah Fontenot showing off her versatile collection of eco-friendly designs made up of 95% all natural materials during the “Bump the Runway” show at the Baby Bash & Bling Expo and Show in the DC area last weekend.
Fontenot, who has been sewing her own clothes since junior high, started her line in 2008.  What unifies it is her designer signature emblem that appears on each piece. The DC-area based designer said she decided to make maternity clothes out of necessity. 
“It started out of a personal need,” Fontenot told Bellyitch. “I had a son about 16 months ago and I was wearing my collection as I always do and as my belly grew, I was able to keep wearing my collection.
“The designs are loose fitting and wrap around with a belt or tie and some of the material folds.”
Gabrielle Union in an Aidah gown After the models paraded her designs on the runway, Aidah explained that the clothes are met to grow with you as your belly grows and can be worn after the pregnancy.  Now that is versatility. She said eventually her collection will be 100% organic.
  “Aidah Collection’s ethical mission is to empower women and protect the environment through the support of charitable organizations and artists,” Fontenot writes on her site.
Since launch, Fontenot has gotten tremendous amount of positive feedback including from actress Gabrielle Union who chose to wear one of Fontenot’s dresses to a red carpet event benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation in 2010.
The clothes are made to order and can be found on the Aidah website: www.aidah.com

(Source: bellyitchblog.com)

Aidah Collection 2009 Feature in On Tap Magazine

2009
Confident, Unique, Sexy: Aidah Collection

Aidah Fontenot dishes on where her versatile collection and muse will take her

written by Kristina Hernandez

Transplanted California girl Aidah Fontenot imports the sunshine and bright colors from the West Coast into her beautiful and versatile collections. She’s been making her own clothes since grade school and now has her own D.C.-based fashion line. With her dazzling smile and engaging personality Aidah embodies her tagline: be unique, be confident, be sexy. She makes each piece individually to order and hand paints her signature design onto the clothes, giving her clients something different and beautiful every time.

On Tap: Describe the concept of your designs.
Aidah: I want every woman, no matter what her size or shape is - I make everything from petite to plus size - to feel confident and to feel sexy in what they are wearing. I want it to be effortless. I use stretch fabrics, my clothes are super comfortable, easy to dress up or dress down.

OT: What inspires you?
Aidah: Everything I do is inspired by nature and natural elements. When I moved here from San Diego it was kind of a culture shock for me since it’s so urban here, it’s not the beach, so my expression changed when I came here . It’s now a balance of the natural and the urban chic.

OT: What is unique about your collections?
Aidah: All of my patterns and designs are simple. I just pay attention to the way a woman is shaped. The woman makes the clothes rather than the clothes making the woman.

OT: Have your designs been influenced by the recession?
Aidah: It isn’t particularly because of the recession, but I think a lot of designers over-price their clothing, so my dresses and other clothes are very reasonably priced to stay competitive. To be able to dress the everyday woman is my philosophy.

OT: Favorite item in your own closet?
Aidah: The Brooke dress from my collection because it’s extremely versatile. I wear it around the house and then I can just put on a belt and heels and I’m out the door.

OT: Who would you want to dress if you had the chance?
Aidah: Michelle Obama! I thought since she’s the First Lady, she’d be conservative and not want to wear my stuff, but it would go so perfectly on her and fit her so perfectly.

OT: Where will your collections to be in the next few years?
Aidah: I’m now working on my men’s collection. It will be available in the fall and will be loungewear for men: turtlenecks, t-shirts, lounge pants.

(Source: ontaponline.com)

Designer profile: Aidah Collection, runway benefit

Written By Sandra Oulmas for Examiner.com
DC Lookbook Examiner
May 11, 2011

DC’s most fashionable gathered at the anticipated third annual Aidah Collection Runway Benefit. The sold out crowd enjoyed a fun-filled evening of laughter, live music and incredible cocktails. Anticipation of the collection revealing built up as attendees filed to their seats.   

Host of the evening, Paul Wharton, popular TV personality, entered the gallery by strutting down the runway with great humor. Wharton then highlighted Girls, Inc.; the benefit supported their cause of “inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.” Following the presentation, Wharton announced the commencement of the awaited runway show.

Aidah premiered her Summer and Fall 2011 collections, which featured cocktail dresses, evening gowns, business attire and swimwear. The collections were rich in color and texture; chic and trendy, the luxurious designs embody today’s modern woman. The “Empress Gown” was a personal and crowd favorite – altogether: sleek, sexy and sophisticated.

The Beginning…

Looking back at Aidah’s versatile collection, when starting her line, she sought to make creations that were “comfortable during the daytime that [she] could wear straight to a cocktail party afterwards.”

Her first collection was casual, with designs made of jersey fabric. There were blouses, bottoms, skirts and jersey dresses and only one satin gown in that collection. Her current collections feature mostly satin gowns and cocktail dresses, which were a hit at the runway benefit. Aidah gave us exclusive insight into her Spring 2012 collection, promising she will be “bringing back jersey” – the great, comfortable fabric she used in her initial collection.

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What’s so signature about Aidah’s collection?

• Her lavish hand painted gold emblems on her designs.
• Aidah boasts truly “handmade couture” — her exquisite line is made in her home studio, not a factory. Made to fit any shape and size, pieces from the Aidah Collection flatter your figure. For example, the “Cupcake Dress” from Aidah’s collection was featured on a plus size model at Saturday’s benefit, while a size 2 model advertised the cocktail dress in her lookbook — both looked equally stunning. 
• Aidah follows rules! Her ultimate fashion rule? “Show women how to be sexy and classy, that’s a definite fashion rule.” 

What to look forward to?

• Aidah filmed a documentary with Mundovision to give audiences a “behind the scenes” look into what goes into running a fashion business; from being an ethical designer and a mother, model fittings, and exclusive backstage footage. Aidah noted that “some people have a difficult time understanding what it takes to be a couture designer,” and the documentary will take you inside her studio, where you will find “unique handmade couture, unlike anything you’ll find in a department store or boutique.” Keep an eye out on her Facebook fan page for the final cut! (It should be out within a month).

To find out more about our dashing DC designer, Aidah Fontenot, and her collections, visit her website.

(Source: examiner.com)