Estrella Tadeo of The Mission Statement & Cecilia Aragon of CA Couture

This post was written by Zuriel Bautista

Back in November 2010, I was fortuneate enough to witness the presentation of lines from two powerful women/designers, making great leaps in Mens Fashion. Estrella Tadeo & Cecilia Aragon both showcased their lines during the fashion segment of The 2010 Mr. Hyphen Competition, in which my brotha, Kilusan Bautista received 1st Runner Up. I was really impressed by the passion behind their craft and how good their looks were put together. Clean lines, fine tailoring and great choices of fabrics and colors are what entail of both of their collections. I’m looking forward to reaching out to both designers and possibly making a few purchases. Bay Area Represent!

In 1991, Estrella Tadeo unknowingly began the start of her extensive career in the art of apparel design and manufacturing. She quickly learned all aspects of designing a collection from conception to production by teaming up with other partners in small, high quality, specialty-clothing companies where she had her hands in everything. In 1992, she collaborated with her sister Angelita Tadeo and Yves Behar on their women’s suiting and separates line called “Jules and Jim”. Here she fine-tuned her tailoring and construction skills as the line’s success grew to high end specialty boutiques nation wide including Barney’s in New York and Fred Segal in LA. In 1995, Estrella ventured into her own clothing brand called “wyt industries”. It was a mens and womens line with all the quality and timelessness that she always strived for with a keen edgy flavor. The line’s popularity spread nationally and in Japan, Germany and Puerto Rico.

In 1998, Estrella was hired by the Zabari brothers to help them with the local and overseas production of their leather clothing line to fill their three leather specialty stores in the Soho area. This was a perfect place for her to utilize her experience with structured tailored clothing and gain skills in other materials. By 2002, she knew that her passion did not lie in wholesale manufacturing, but in working direct with her customers to create the beyond -the-basic pieces that fit perfectly on the body, and perfectly in their wardrobes year after year.

In 2008, Estrella opened a lifestyle store, “the mission statement”, where she breaks the traditional blueprints of a designer boutique. Along with her namesake line , she and other like-minded local designers collectively work, flourish, and create what they do best. Together they are a powerful force in the local design community in San Francisco.

(courtesy of www.estrellatadeo.com)

Cecilia Aragon is a Menswear Designer & Womens Stylist/Remix Artist. She has earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design with a specialization in Menswear. Prior to graduating from the prestigious Academy of Art University, her collection was featured in the Senior Show, and she was one of the pioneers to ignite the Menswear department at AAU. Her love for art & fashion led her to study 15th through 20th Century Art history abroad in Paris, France during the Summer of 2005.

She currently has a menswear collection called “CA Couture” that has been featured in multiple fashion shows, alongside noteworthy brand names such as Christopher Straub, Hellz Bellz, Adapt, and Acrylick. Her work has been featured in the likes of major publications such as 944 Magazine, the San Francisco Examiner and Apparel News.

Inspired by the earlier years of Vivienne Westwood, Cecilia has also made a true artform of “punking” women’s clothing. She has mastered strategically cutting and slashing clothes to make them her own, making her a Deconstructionist / Stylist in her women’s line called “Punky Couture”

She is currently the patternmaker for Breezy Excursion, and works with several streetwear brands, taking steps to fuse high fashion with streetwear using her evolving fashion taste, yet traditional, classically trained skills.

Cecilia Aragon currently models for Academy of Art Universitiy in the Fashion, Fine Art, & Illustration Departments.

(courtesy of www.ceciliaaragon.com)