Fashion Forward Fridays: Tidal Cool Creations!

Recently I was approached by Pretty Living PR to feature one of their clients, Tidal Cool Creations and thought that this company would be perfect to include with Fashion Forward Fridays. Although not considered a Pittsburgh-based company, they are located in Cleveland Ohio, but have showed their previous collections at Pittsburgh Fashion Week and are growing to even greater fashion heights.

I love the mixture of hard and sweet elements in this new collection, Primary. It is very much my style and I connected to it's mix of edgy and girly instantly. Below is my interview with the Tidal Cool Creations designer, Andrea Howell, and some inside looks as to what to expect from this up and coming brand. Enjoy!

How did Tidal Cool Creations come to be?
I launched Tidal Cool Creations a few years ago as a creative outlet, and was designing and sewing commissioned items as a side job and hobby. Last Spring I auditioned for Fashion Week Cleveland (the first audition or submission I'd ever done) and was accepted. Upon hearing about my acceptance into the show, I decided to go all in, quit my career in restaurant management, and focus 100% on my clothing label.

Why did you become a fashion designer?
I don't think I ever made a conscious decision to start designing, its just always been a part of my life. My grandmother had a sewing shop when I was growing up, and as soon as I started sewing I started designing, it was more of a natural progression than a career choice.

What was the inspiration behind Primary?
When I start designing a collection, I usually start with one piece, whether its a shape, a color, or a texture, and use that as a springboard for the rest of the line. The starting piece is always the hardest for me, after I have that look solidified I usually design the rest of the collection the same day. For Primary, the jump off piece was the white couture gown, the red carpet piece. I wanted something ethereal, white, but a little hard, The fabric in this piece has a beautiful silver metallic sheen in it. After that piece, the rest of the collection flowed, melding the hard edges with soft ethereal features.

If you can pick one, which piece from the collection is your favorite?
Its pretty hard to pic a favorite from such a large collection! All of the pieces are so personal, have cost me hours of sleep, and are representative of what I do and love. If I had to choose a top 3, it would be the faux croc leather motorcycle vest, the red charmeuse and organza cocktail dress, and the white metallic and faux fur coat.

Where can readers see more/buy these pieces?
The full collection is visible on the Tidal Cool website, my Facebook page, and on Pretty Living PR. I'm taking orders directly, and will have the collection available in boutiques closer to the fall.

What are your goals for Tidal Cool & how is Primary helping you reach those goals?
Tidal Cool Creations will continue to grow. I will be showing at NYFW this fall, and I hope to build on that success. My goal is to be available in more boutiques, and have enough growth to create a couple jobs, and create larger collections. In the next year I plan on opening in new markets across the country. Primary is a great representation of my skill, versatility, and ability.

 This is a partnered post but all opinions are my own.