Stories

Neon has a following. And Kate Widdows is a loyalist. She’s an independent letterer and typographer who designs everything from typefaces and record covers to GIFs and, you guessed it, neon signs. She’s also found a way to merge the two, having pioneered animated neon lettering for the web, work which has been exhibited internationally at design festivals and art galleries. We asked Kate a few questions about reaching peak neon fan status, and how that appreciation transitioned into her own bright work.

Design thinking is bullshit. It’s an opinion and a talk notable designer Natasha Jen is well-known for. And, sure, it’s a phrase that entices, piques curiosity. But it’s the experience behind the opinion—the years of exploring cultural intersections and divergence, design systems, philosophies, failures—that has made Natasha Jen a Name in the design world. Or rather, she has earned that reputation for herself.

Mexican-born and Portland-based Fabi Reyna is a guitarist and the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief—the result of being fed up with women’s roles in music magazines (you know the types: wearing clothes as thin as the guitar strings they’re not playing). She Shreds was started in 2012 as the world’s only print publication dedicated to women guitarists and bassists, a platform where “people can listen, see and experience what it means to be a woman who shreds.”

Alejandra Oyervides launched her Ale O Moda label in fall 2018, debuting at Fade to Light, a Portland fashion show known for its unique experience. The introduction was fitting, as Alejandra has since won UpNXT’s Emerging Designer Award and its People’s Choice Award for a style that’s modern...almost futuristically so. During Design Week Portland 2020, Alejandra will present her first solo runway show, where her newest collection will be on display, with past collections set up as an exhibit.

Run by father-son team, Melvin and Nick, Studio Signs Co. is tethered to Portland’s history. Founded in 1963 by Dean G. Stanley and taken over by Melvin in 1984, the shop has experienced waves of the industry’s changes throughout the decades, yet has always managed to stick to its artistic promise: made by hand.

Abibat Durosimi is the President and Creative Director of Tabiba Styles, an agency in Portland specializing in makeup, hair extensions, and natural hairstyling. Her newest venture, BLOOM Beauty Collective, is lifting up fellow creatives while giving back to the community. We learn more about Abibat’s process and her plans for BLOOM’s big runway show at Design Week Portland this April.