Plant-Based Custom Designer Wins Grand Prize At Houston’s Fashion Showdown

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From Banana leaves to Lavish Summer Wear

Houston’s 2nd annual Fashion Showdown was nothing short of vibrant colors, exotic models and diverse designs. This past Saturday, 11 local designers competed to wow their fashion elite judges for a chance to win the $5,000 grand prize, which included a trip to New York Fashion Week. From banana leaves to lavish summer wear, Ethiopian fashion designer Teshalech Ega of Adot Liyu Designs is this year’s lucky winner.

Ega is originally from Ethiopia who moved to Houston three years ago to promote her designs in the United States. In the showdown, her clothing line featured designs made from enset; a plant that belongs to the banana family where they use the dried remainders of the plant after fermenting the fibers from the root. As a result, she i

“I love fashion and am very devoted to the products I produce,” Ega stated. “I’m very appreciative that the Fashion Showdown judges saw not only the quality of my eco-friendly designs, but the uniqueness of producing breathable garments with a bohemian vibe .”

Ega has participated in Houston’s African Fashion Week 2017-2018, and has been featured in CCTV Africa Global Business News.

“Adot means mother in my country, and I have so many mothers that help with the fermenting process of the fiber,” Ega states. “They have to hold the plant with their toes while their work. I want to use the money to make their labor easier and more efficient. By doing so, they can produce more product, which helps me produce more material.”

Fashion Showdown was created specifically to give local designers exposure to showcase their talents, while earning capital to grow their collection.

“As a model who’s been in the fashion industry for over 10 years now, it was important for me to use more resources for more than just an opportunity to make a product look good,” Founder of Fashion Showdown Chekesha Johnson states. “I believe there are so many designers who are overlooked because they don’t have the huge platform to position them for success. Combining my relationships and experiences, I was able to produce Fashion Showdown as a form of business development in my community. We are proud to present Tesha as this year’s winner as she shifts the paradigm of fashion with her designs in the industry.”

Fashion Showdown was held at LifeHTX with fashion culture creators Beena Yusuf, Chasity Sereal, Bichar Myrtil and Toya Jewel as this year’s judges. Curated by Houston’s publicist of the year Berry Dynamic, the event was sponsored by Dash Vodka and Midwest Cookin’ with over 200 guests in attendance.