Acclaimed Bridal Designer Amsale joins roster for Fashion Week

Bridal designer to the stars exclusive 2015 gown lines will take center stage

Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week® 2015 (CFW), announces acclaimed designer Amsale Aberra as the 2015 Bridal Featured Bridal Designer. Amsale is the third featured designer to be announced as part of the 2015 CFW lineup, which also includes famed designers Todd Snyder and Charles Harbison. Amsale, who will show bridal gowns from her 2015 collections, including Amsale, Christos, Kenneth Pool, Nouvelle Amsale, and Amsale Bridesmaids, will headline the Charleston Weddings' Spring Bridal Show portion of CFW, held Saturday, March 21, under the tents in Marion Square. 'I'm really looking forward to spending time in Charleston. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. I will also be looking forward to working with the team at Charleston Weddings whose work I truly admire. And I cannot wait to taste again some of the amazing food that I've had in Charleston,' stated Amsale.

Amsale's journey to A-list designer is an inspiring story of talent and determination. Growing up in Ethiopia, little did she dream that one day she'd be a celebrated fashion designer whose clothes would be sold in luxury stores around the world, including her own flagship stores on New York's Madison Avenue and in Seoul, Korea. That her dresses would grace the red carpet on Oscar winners like Viola Davis, Julia Roberts and Halle Berry, and many others, and be featured in major motion pictures and television shows such as The Hangover, 27 Dresses, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice. Or that she'd be featured in top fashion publications, and profiled in Time, The Wall Street Journal, and WWD, as well as appear on major television shows, including The View, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Entertainment Tonight, and Project Runway, and moreover, star in her own TV show, Amsale Girls.

Amsale Aberra (known professionally by her first name) is co-founder, co-CEO, and creative director of the Amsale Design Group, which houses the Amsale, Christos, and Kenneth Pool collections of wedding and evening wear.

Amsale came to the U.S. from her native Ethiopia to study commercial art in New England. Political unrest in her homeland initially interrupted her studies and kept her stateside. Nevertheless she put herself through school, earning a degree in Political Science at UMASS-Boston. Long held passion, combined with frugality, led her to design and sew her own clothes. At the urging of admiring friends, she moved to Manhattan to attend and graduate from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (for which she now serves as a member of its Board of Trustees).

It was the fruitless search for her own wedding dress that led Amsale to start her business. Discovering that there was little available that reflected her distinctly understated style, Amsale decided to make her own wedding dress. Convinced there were other brides-to-be who shared her taste, Amsale opened her business and confirmed her intuition that there was a large untapped niche in the bridal market. Since its inception, the Amsale label has captivated generations of women who are drawn to the designer's decidedly modern designs that are sleek and soft, timeless and modern. Amsale has an immense following in Charleston, where brides find her gowns at White on Daniel Island (Amsale), Maddison Row (Christos), Bella Bridesmaid, and coming soon Gown Boutique (Amsale / Nouvelle.) 'We couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Amsale herself to Charleston,' said Melissa Bigner, Editorial Director of Charleston Weddings. 'Her gowns are immensely popular with our brides, we know they'll delight in seeing them on our runway.'

About Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week® & Charleston Weddings' Spring Bridal Show:

Showcasing fashion designers, retailers, and models, Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week® (CFW) has fast become one of the premier fashion weeks in North America. Named a Top 20 Event for March by the Southeast Tourism Society, this multimedia event presents high-end runway shows, interactive entertainment, chic after-parties, and press events. The 2014 event featured more than 40 runway shows, over 7,000 attendees, Charleston Weddings' Spring Bridal Show, Emerging Designer Competition: East presented by Benefitfocus, and the Rock the Runway Model Competition™. Baker Motor Company Charleston Fashion Week® 2015 is scheduled for March 17th – 21st (with the Charleston Weddings' Spring Bridal Show falling on the 21st). For more information, please visit charlestonfashionweek.com and charlestonspringbridalshow.com. See the 2014 Spring Bridal Show recap video here.

Wednesday, November 12, 10:35 a.m.

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