Janay A Handmade was recently featured in the Pitch, along with In the nation’s couture capital earlier this month, along with 3 other Designers… full article here.

“Teisha Barber realized that Kansas City Fashion Week had arrived.

Barber, executive director of the KC event, was in New York to attend Fashion Week. She says: “I was hearing, ‘Oh, we’ve heard of you guys’ and ‘You all are doing some fabulous stuff.’ ”

She credits Midwestern designers, 30 of whom are set to bring their best work to the local five-day fashion marathon. Kansas City Fashion Week returns February 27–March 3 with its 2013 spring showcase. The runway dazzle goes down at 28 Event Space. (See kcfashionweek.com for tickets.)

Here’s a look at four Kansas City designers who are putting our city on the fashion map.

Designer Janay Andrews, Photo by Brooke Vandever

Hopeless romantics, prepare for Janay Andrews’ bridal collection to whisk you away to a place where mad, effortless love swirls with subtle surprises and organic whimsy. You know: the South of France.

Andrews was there to attend a client’s wedding when she found inspiration for her runway look. “I’m going for simple elegance,” she says. “Like, it’s after the party, and you have this beautiful, careless look after dancing in the night.”

This is KC Fashion Week’s first bridal show, and Andrews — a designer of custom, eco-friendly wedding dresses — is also new to this event. She has been designing since 2005, though, and she plans to move her studio and shop from midtown Kansas City to Mission this spring.

Andrews says her collection this week is a fashion-forward, conceptual take on her typical work. She’s elevating her look with chunky jewelry, a bold color palette and texture-heavy pieces. Her clean, focused designs are usually made-to-order, and she loves hidden pockets, colorful tulle, open backs and art-nouveau screen printing. She uses only natural, organic fabrics — often a silk-and-hemp blend. She dyes with tea to turn dresses a champagne color.

“I’m very passionate about sustainability, and I definitely feel like the way you live your life should reflect what you believe,” she says.

Janay A Gowns, Photo by Brooke Vandever

“I want to use my work to make people more aware of their impact on the environment and give people a new perception of natural and organic. Ecofriendly weddings go beyond burlap. I also want to show that bridal does not mean stuffy or homespun. I’m certainly not your grandmother’s dressmaker.”