Styled to Rock: There Are Some New Designers in Town

Is Styled to Rock another Project Runway? Not. Though the new reality-based designer competition may have similarities to its design competition predecessor, Styled to Rock contestants compete weekly to dress noted entertainers and be America’s next trendsetting designer. Music and fashion mogul Pharrell Williams, model/designer Erin Wasson and Rihanna’s stylist Mel Ottenberg serve as weekly style mentors.

Based on the UK version of the same name which aired on August 12, 2012, like Project Runway, Styled to Rock has some twists and obstacles throughout the competition. Each week contestants will have a small amount of time to create an innovative garment and style the appointed entertainer from head to toe based on the celebrities’ detailed profile. Throughout each weekly challenge, the mentors will whittle down the created looks and those designers whose garments are unsatisfactory will be up for elimination. Prizes for the winner include $100,000, a fashion spread in Glamour magazine, and chance to be a member of Rihanna’s design team— oops, no trip to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Rihanna’s design or Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show, which is the better prize? You decide.

Styled to Rock premieres on the Style Network on November 5, 8pm, EST. Mega pop star and style icon Rihanna is the executive producer.

The competing designers are:

Cecilia Aragon (Age: 30) ‒ San Francisco, Calif.‒ Art and design instructor Cecilia Aragon is finally taking her own advice and following her dreams of solely working on her own clothing line. A consummate perfectionist, Aragon even has a different pair of scissors for each kind of material she uses. She credits Madonna and designer Jean Paul Gaultier as inspirations for her design aesthetic.

Adam Christoffel (Age: 30) ‒ Brooklyn, N.Y.‒ Minneapolis native Adam Christoffel discovered his love for styling at a young age. Since then, Christoffel has immersed himself in all things fashion. He graduated from the International Academy of Design & Technology and currently works as a freelance pattern maker. Christoffel is looking forward to the day when he can quit his day job and focus on his own line.

Jordan Crowson (Age: 32) ‒ Conway, Ark.‒ Women’s wear designer Jordan Crowson undoubtedly has an intense love for both music and fashion. He believes his couture designs could stand up to any of the designs at Fashion Week in New York, but he hasn’t had the financial means to break into the industry. Crowson credits his traditional Christian family for keeping him grounded and counts his father as his biggest supporter and best friend.

Adriana Diaz (Age: 22) ‒ Riverside, Calif. ‒  High-fashion street wear designer Adriana Diaz always has had a penchant for style, teaching herself how to sew at age eight. Diaz credits her daughter Adalie, whom she had when she was 17 years old, as her biggest inspiration and the driving force behind her determination to accomplish her dreams. Her design influences come from the Jamaican culture and street graffiti, and she longs to create universal high-fashion street wear.

Autumn Kietponglert (Age: 33) ‒ Philadelphia, Pa. ‒  Unapologetic designer Autumn Kietponglert has never concerned herself with what others think of her and cares more about following her artistic vision with her avant-garde designs than getting along with her fellow designers. Kietponglert says that her best design inspirations come from her dreams, which are detailed visions of the unseen world. Adept to more complex designs, her talents were recognized when she received the RAW Artist of the Year for Fashion Design in 2012.

Laura Petrielli-Pulice (Age: 35) ‒ Chicago, Ill. ‒ When she’s not spending time with her family, baking and making crafts, seemingly typical housewife and mother Laura Petrielli-Pulice designs latex fetish wear for her brand, Vex Clothing, Inc. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Lingerie from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she went on to create looks that have been featured in W Magazine and Italian Vogue. Despite her success in the world of latex, Petrielli-Pulice is ready to break out into mainstream fashion markets to prove that she can do more than custom fetish wear.

Kristie Metcalf (Age: 33) ‒ Seattle, Wash ‒ Kristie Metcalf, a women’s wear designer, has the unique challenge of sewing and designing with only one arm, but she doesn’t allow her disability to limit her potential. A graduate of Western Washington University, Metcalf is currently finishing a certificate program in Fashion Design at the New York Fashion Academy. Her fashion philosophy is“Form and function. Clothes should be beautiful, wearable and well-made.”

Ahni Radvanyi (Age: 27) ‒ Venice, Calif. ‒ Ahni Radvanyi is a free spirit. Outside of her design work, she enjoys centering herself through yoga and can often be found meditating or stretching in her workspace. In an effort to rebel against her strict conservative upbringing, Radvanyi joined counter-culture movements and became a performer doing circus acrobatics, hoop dancing and fire dancing. She believes that celebrities will embrace her adaptable designs because the clothes will allow them to transform throughout the day.

Dexter Simmons (Age: 29) ‒ Oakland, Calif. ‒ A designer, stylist and make-up artist, Bay area native Dexter Simmons hopes to be fashion’s next triple threat. A self-professed “oddball,” Simmons loves fashion because it’s the only place where he feels his quirky personality really translates. With this experience, he is looking to break out of the San Francisco art scene and find mainstream success with his over-the-top designs.

Andre Soriano (Age: 42) ‒ San Diego, Calif‒ Born in the Philippines, Andre Soriano gravitated toward fashion as a way of expressing himself after moving to America as a child. Although he had difficulty adjusting to a new culture at such a young age, he has embraced the idea that “fashion is freedom.” A couturier, his designs have been featured in multiple publications, including Italian Vogue. Andre’s fashion mantra is “Peace, love, glamour and fashion!”

Ebony White (Age: 36) ‒  New York, N.Y. ‒  Women’s wear designer Ebony White is eager to bring her fashion prowess to the forefront. White has been a ghost designer for several household labels. While she appreciates the opportunities given to her by working for those labels, her ultimate goal is to create a name for herself – “I’ve been designing with no voice for so long. For me, it’s just important to be able to have that opportunity to have a voice.”

Keenan Zeno (Age: 27) ‒  Atlanta, Ga‒  After losing everything to Hurricane Katrina, Keenan Zeno moved to Atlanta with only one suitcase. Through perseverance and a drive to succeed, Zeno graduated with two bachelor’s degrees in Apparel Textiles and Business Management from Southern Polytechnic State University, and he recently received his MBA in finance. While continuing to design in his personal time, Zeno makes a living as an accountant, where most of his co-workers are unaware of his designer ambitions.

—William S. Gooch