Lauren Conrad
Kicking off her senior year in high school, Lauren Conrad had no idea what she had signed up for when MTV approached her and a group of friends to film their final year. The show would become MTV's 2004 hit reality show LAGUNA BEACH: THE REAL O.C. and Lauren would become the trendsetting breakout star.
Born and raised in Laguna Beach, California, Lauren is the eldest of three children. She is the "big sis" to her 17-year-old sister, Breanna (LAGUNA BEACH: Season 3), and a 14-year-old brother. Her parents, Jim, who is an architect, and Kathy, who manages Jim's business, have both been a major influence in Lauren's life. "Both have always let me know that I can do anything I want to do as long as I don't give up. They are the most important role models in my life because they are exactly who I want to be when I grow up. They are supportive and understanding and I try everyday to remember what they've taught me."
Although billed after the hit Fox series The O.C., MTV's LAGUNA BEACH prides itself on its real connection to the kids. Lauren and her friends spent months filming the show and inviting the camera crews into their homes for a slice-of-life real program. Her love of fashion (she includes Marc Jacobs, Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfield as her fashion inspirations) made Conrad the fashion trendsetter of the show and set her squarely in the eyes of young girls throughout the world. "I do love fashion, so I'm very glad that they were able to focus on that aspect. When I was six, my neighbor taught me to paint and draw. We would sew and make clothes for my Barbie doll. Ever since then I've loved high fashion and designing."
For Lauren, LAGUNA BEACH: THE REAL O.C. has opened doors to a new world. "I chose to do the show because Entertainment and Fashion are so closely related. I wanted to get a taste of a different side of my world and I loved just trying a new experience. MTV was so great about spending time with all of us so closely that we all became one big family. I'm definitely glad that I did it and it's cool that people seem to understand and like who I am."
Lauren recently launched a new fashion line called "The Lauren Conrad Collection". The line debuted at Mercedes Benz LA Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in March 2008.
Maya Hayuk
Maya Hayuk's paintings, murals, prints, drawings and photographs can range from tender mockeries of idealized social rituals to transcendent portrayals of geometries giving way to nature.
Growing up in the suburb of Baltimore the daughter of Ukrainian immigrant parents, she converted to punk rock early on. Studying in Boston, Toronto and Odessa, Ukraine, she earned her BFA in Conceptual Art, Interrelated Media and Philosophy. These and other sojourns to Europe, the U.S.S.R. and Northern Africa gave Hayuk exposure to a panoply of rich cultures. She landed in San Francisco, and later helped to found and creatively direct withitgirl, a skate-surf-snowboarding-punk-art website and magazine with the aim of mentoring young women and nurturing their individual artistic expression.
In 2005 she built and painted a massive skate track in Pittsburgh, Penn., and painted a hotel room at the Hotel Des Arts in SF alongside numerous other large-scale painting projects. The cornucopia of Hayuk's worldly experiences is ever-present in her curvilinear, psychedelic, organic-cum- geometric and palpably patterned handiwork, and she continues to show nationally and abroad.
Hayuk has also had a hand in the music world, making videos with Andrew Deutsch under the moniker "Open Arms," and lending her artwork to album covers, tour posters and publicity for numerous artists, from Prefuse 73 to Devendra Banhart.
Kelly Nishimoto
Kelly Nishimoto was born in the back woods of Macon, Georgia to a Scottish Irish craftsman/chemist/musician father and a Japanese American jewelry designer mother. She was exposed at a very early age to design and construction using a variety of materials. Her first wedding gown at age 13 was made of trash bags and a glue gun. At 19, after trading in GA’s laid back country living for the frenetic night life of Miami’s South Beach, Kelly created her first collection which included corsets, ball-room gowns, double breasted jackets, and handbags, all made using colored Reynolds Wrap. The line was a huge hit garnering her such accolades as “Top Ten Designers to Watch” by the Miami Herald.
After 5 years in Miami’s fashion circuit, Kelly ventured west in search of new inspiration. She found it immediately upon arriving in Los Angeles. Noticing everything she saw in the clothing market was shabby-chic and grunge, Kelly saw the perfect opportunity to bring back elegance, sophistication, and femininity by revisiting one of her favorite pieces…the corset! With lush fabrics and a more comfortable structure, Kelly breathed fresh air into an age-old garment. They quickly made a stir on red carpets across the country.
This self-taught designer didn’t stop there. Kelly Nishimoto debuted her Spring/Summer 2006 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in March 2006. Feeling that fashion had no soul…she set out to make a full collection of things that were missing from her own closet. Simple elegance is how she described the flowing collection that graced the runway. When asked what inspires her, Nishimoto smiles, “I dream up most of my collection, in the middle of the night. Actually, when I am sleeping…things come to me and I realize that…this has to be made. I can’t stop thinking about them until they are!” Fresh off the runway is her Fall/Winter 2008 collection she describes as “Multiple Personalities”. She is quickly becoming fashion’s go to girl for Celebrities, Stylists, and the hottest boutiques in the country! With a celebrity clientele that includes, Roselyn Sanchez, Gwen Stafani, Tori Spelling, Dave Navarro, & Vanessa Williams.
Nishimoto’s career recently took an exciting turn when The Style Network hired her to co-host the hit show, “My Celebrity Home.” She has since taken the hosting world by storm working on various shows showcasing her fashion sense as well as her knack for home décor. Most recently launching Sophie Simmons’ debut on the runway for “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” and mentoring Shante on the ins & outs of the fashion business on “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood” Her quick wit, pink hair and cartwheels are creating smiles everywhere!