AHS grad starts clothing line




DRESSING IN THE PAST--This blouse, inspired by Audrey Hepburn, is one of the seven items in Kelly Markiewicz's  vintage Kween Clothing line.

DRESSING IN THE PAST–This blouse, inspired by Audrey Hepburn, is one of the seven items in Kelly Markiewicz’s vintage Kween Clothing line.


By Lori Porter
porter@theacorn.com

Kelly Markiewicz, 23, a 1999 graduate of Agoura High School, has created Kween Clothing, her very own designer fashion line. Inspired by vintage fashions, Kween Clothing takes one-of-a-kind looks from the 1950s through 1980s and re-creates them for the modern woman.


Kween revisits fashion from the days of "I Love Lucy" to the birth of hip hop, says Markiewicz.


"I started this line because I grew up in Los Angeles inhaling the intense vibes of both new and old fashion," said Markiewicz.


Recently, Markiewicz introduced Kween Clothing to the public at a launch party at Bliss restaurant in Hollywood.


After graduating from AHS, Markiewicz studied media arts and communication at the University of Arizona. After earning her bachelor’s degree in 2003, she returned to Agoura Hills and began designing clothes.


Local residents may remember a vintage clothing store on Kanan Road in Agoura Hills called Q-Cumbers. It was Markiewicz’s parents who owned the store, and Kelly was the buyer for Q-Cumbers when she was just 15 years old. "It was then that I realized my love for vintage fashions," she said. In addition, Markiewicz worked at Nordstrom, where she says she learned a lot about retail and fashion.


With vintage clothing being difficult to find, especially for those who live in the Las Virgenes/Conejo Valley area, Markiewicz was determined to make it available not just for herself, but for others as well.


Last month Kween’s spring 2005 line was shown at the Mercedes Benz L.A. Fashion Week Show, gaining recognition from local clothing buyers and a variety of high-end L. A. boutiques.


Currently, Kween Clothing is available only online. The seven pieces in the spring 2005 line include three purses, a denim pencil skirt, a blouse inspired by Audrey Hepburn, an airline wraparound blouse and a ’60s-style minidress.


To view the vintage fashions designed by Markiewicz, or to make a purchase, visit her website at www.Kweenclothing.com.


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