Portland / Oregon / United States
Owner and designer, Erica Lurie, lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, Mike and her kitty, Roxie. She began sewing at a young age with the helping hands of her mother who loves to sew. Erica entered her first outfit, a spatter painted top and skirt, in the Vermont State Fair and has been in love with the process of creating ever since. After starting and running a polar fleece outerwear business in high school, Erica realized that having a clothing business was both challenging and rewarding. She graduated from Montana State University with a BFA in Sculpture and a minor in Clothing and Textiles. Her sculptures, which were typically metal or a combination of found objects, often focused on clothing as she experimented with texture and form. She loves to work with her hands and is truly inspired by fabric, "I love to build things and fabric is such a beautiful medium." Erica started Garnish Apparel in the summer of 2004 with the first line debuting in the summer of 2005. Many laughs, many cries, and many skirts later, she opened the boutique in 2006. She is excited to now have a team of talented artists and professionals helping her. Upon finishing her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Textile art and design at University of Wisconsin, Madison, Kate Troyer moved to Portland to pursue her interest in designing. In addition to her role at Garnish, she is an active artist, designer, and educator. She is currently designing a line of womens clothing and is interested in creating visually engaging and interesting textile work through the mixture of mediums and structural techniques. Kate is thrilled to be a part of the Garnish team and play a role in the marketing, sales, and designing. Oregon native, Shannon Swartley, is a talented self taught seamstress. She learned to sew at a young age making gunnysack skirts through 4-H. As a teenager, Shannon was tall and skinny facilitating the need for her to create much of her clothing. Over time, s ewing became one of her greatest pleasures. In addition to her work for Garnish ; Shannon is currently immersed in a variety of upholstery sewing projects. Shannons other interests include spending time with her family, camping, travel, reading, cooking, and movies.
