Designers - Megan Crook

American girl turned Londoner, Megan Crook, is not only looking forward to showing in New York to further her career but more importantly it gives her a chance to see her family, "With me living in the UK and all my family in the states this will be the first time they've seen my work on the runway, its a really important event for me." Having moved to the UK about four years ago this single mother founded her company, Crooked Knitwear, in 2005 and has used her move as a catalyst for her drive and ambition. Her greatest challenge as a designer has come with the balancing act that all mothers face saying, "There's just not enough hours in the day, you can try so hard to be superwoman but you can't do it all. I've had to learn that my best is good enough, I have to stop being so hard on myself." Moving back to her upcoming show in New York, Megan assures us that this collection, like all of her other work, is full of color and texture. Currently she's been experimenting with leather and new ways to work with yarns in an effort to expand her knowledge and move forward as a designer. The biggest challenge this collection has presented her was showcasing her creativity as much as possible while still providing a cohesive collection in only 12 looks. All things considered, I'm sure Megan's unique creations will generate the kind of buzz stateside that she's expecting and then some. For Megan, the girl who not only survived the leap across the pond but is coming back to show us what she's been working on, the sky is the limit. She looks forward to expanding her brand in the future and knows she can't do it alone, "Like I said before, there's only so many hours in a day, when you design a product, make it, market it, and try to sell it all by yourself, you limit yourself as to how much you can realistically accomplish. My goal now is to seek some financial backing and start outsourcing the labor here in the UK so that I can concentrate on new designs." Quoting her favorite teacher's saying "the artist never stops moving", Megan plans to keep learning, evolving, and pushing boundaries in what she feels that knitwear can be. By Anastassia Simon

Designers - Kenyatta Williams

Up and coming designer Kenyatta Williams, recently shared a few minutes of her time with me to bring us all up to speed on what it's like to be showing during New York Fashion Week for the first time. The Clark Atlanta University student began sewing at 15 after her mother bought her a sewing machine one Christmas. Two years later, while most girls her age were having trouble concentrating on homework, Kenyatta launched Kae Couture, a line of swim wear for women looking for more options than the standard bikini or one piece. After doing fashion shows at school and around the Atlanta area, she attended a FashionHow seminar which gave her the industry insight and inspiration to get moving towards her goal of becoming a top designer and hasn't stopped moving since. I asked Kenyatta how it felt to be living out every design students dream by showing during the FashionHow International Designers Show during New York Fashion Week, " Crazy!" was her response. With all the excitement of a kid at Christmas Kenyatta told me she felt as though she was "floating on cloud nine" and that she had been dreaming about this moment. She also told me what to expect from the collection she will be showing which is entitled Tainted Love. "The collection", according to Kenyatta, "will be intimate and full of color. It will evolve like love, from pure to tainted." If the sophisticated sex appeal of her past pieces are any indication, we will all be falling in love with Kae Couture this September. Being that she is very busy preparing for fashion week, Kenyatta kept it short and sweet when asked for the best advice she could give to young aspiring designers, "Never give up, stay persistent, and think positive."