I just got back from the press conference for FUSE, the inaugural event kicking off tomorrow in celebration of new attempts between the design communities of Portland and the Henan province of China. The primary local liaison in the Portland Fashion Synergy (PDXFS) group, which is working alongside Portland's Art Institute and—hopefully—the city to explore mutually beneficial arrangements and exchanges. It seems to boil down to this: The delegate here from China, consisting of designers as well as the CEOs of large apparel factories (the region specializes in the design and production of women's pants—as in, they are responsible for over 50 percent of all of China's production of women's pants) have things to teach Portland on a technical level as well as how to streamline production. Portland, in turn, can share its creative design approaches, particularly in regard to approaching manufacture of apparel in sustainable ways. Visions of this playing out include organizing student exchange programs—Shao XIanwei, president of the Henan Institute of Engineering, which has 25,000 students, 1,700 of which are studying apparel design, was one of the speakers—as well as mutual exchanges of design and manufacturing ideas. If it all sounds a little vague, take heart that the itinerary of the trip also includes a visit to Sam Adams' office, who I trust will be interested in the possibility of creating a greater number of apparel-industry jobs in the area, further meetings with AI, as well as tours of some of Portland's existing design studios and production facilities.

Just about every Chinese delegate who spoke this morning invited Portlanders to visit China and get a better idea of what their operations are like, something which I hope to be able to do (hey, Mercury, feel like chipping in on my ticket?) as this relationship develops, to see if it's really possible to make it work in such a way that will benefit Portland's economy and industry in a meaningful way, and effectively integrate environmentally sensitive practices in a culture that most liberal Americans (such as Portlanders) strongly associate with industrial pollution and questionable labor practices. The first step will be to see what comes of tomorrow's black tie affair, I suppose...

We've got to get our eight hours of beauty sleep followed by 6 am yoga, followed by catching up on all the correspondence that's come in since I fled the local scene to sink an entire paycheck into New York, after all. So let the bloodshot-eyed news hounds do their compendiums at the truly stunning hour of 6:30 am. I think I was barely through my first round of sun salutations at that point. Anyhow, to bring things up to speed, there are a couple (no, actually, a ton) of developments of note that have emerged in the past week.

1. The lineup and schedule for Portland Fashion Week (Oct 7-11) has been announced, including repeat participants Icebreaker, Amai Unmei, Idom, Lizzie Parker, as well as a fair number of new names, many more of which are international than in years past, with collections hailing from Sweden, Australia, Pakistan, and Paris. Of particular intrigue is the return of Anna Cohen with her new Imperial Collection headlining the last night of the affair (it was funded in part by a US Department of Agriculture grant, made with wool from Oregon's Imperial Stock Ranch, a National Conservation Farm!), as well as the "Ready to Roll" matinee show of cyclewear.

2. The lineup has also been announced for next Friday's FUSE fashion show, the first major event put on by the PDX Fashion Synergy group that features a handful of designers from China as well as local names Emily Katz, May Tee, Defyance, Adam Andreas, Hillary Day, Janeane Marie, Barbara Seipp, Emily Sunnell, Christa Taylor, Heather Treadway—a handsome lineup indeed! As for the Chinese contingent, they are apparently website-less, so it will be a surprise (I love surprises) but their names are Cathaya, Cui Wen, and Ching Jian.

3. For the 7th year in a row, Sweet F.A. is gearing up for its always-fun marriage of young designers and a rock 'n' roll theme coming up in February, and they are now accepting applications from designers who'd like to participate. Here are the deets on applications, which are due to be emailed here by November 2nd:

-First and foremost, this is a Rock & Roll fashion show, so your designs should reflect that. Does not matter what season, size, or gender (we would love to see more menswear though.)
-Sketches of 6-8 outfits. Each component must be constructed by you.
-Color and/or fabric swatches.
-A paragraph/visuals of what inspired your collection.
-A bio of you/your line and pictures of previous work.

4. Oblation Papers and Press is readying for its 20th anniversary with a cheese 'n' wine reception on Oct 9th, followed on Saturday the 10th with a day of letterpress and papermaking demonstrations and 20 percent off both days on their lovely selection of paper, pens, art cards, and more.

5. On Sunday, Sept 27th, yet another line that marries tee and hoodie screenprinting with artists' work, called 1of7, makes its debut, featuring only seven pieces from each artist. Sniff it out at Tree's Restaurant in the Pacwest Building (1211 SW 5th) from 6-10 pm.

6. West end boutique Narcisse has a birthday to celebrate on Friday, Sept 25th, where they've just received the fall shipment of their flagship line, Noa Noa. Stop in from 2-7 pm for snacks, drinks, a drawing, and 10 percent off.

7. Purveyor of adorable home decorations from wallpaper to pillowcases Makelike launched an online shop full of Portland-designed and produced products based on a given theme, starting with "cactus."

8. This Saturday from 11 am-6 pm is the 12th annual Alberta Street fair, which is going to be a crazy swarm of vendors and bands and freaky people, but those brave enough to venture into it are sure to find some killer deals at the shops.

9. Further south on Saturday on NE Broadway, Soho Boutique (1605 NE Broadway) is having a trunk show featuring locals Banay Designs jewelry and Jane Raymond handbags. Pop in from noon-5 pm for champagne, a drawing, and 20% off all regular priced clothing.

10. Pinkham Millinery is collaborating with Elizabeth Dye, Kate Towers, Frocky Jack Morgan, MothLove, Emily Ryan, Holly Stalder, Jayme Hansen, Duchess Clothier, Emily Bixler, and Valerie Mathus for a show called "The Procession" on October 9th at 6 pm (plenty of time to make it to that night's installment of Portland Fashion Week, I've been assured!) at a top-secret location to be revealed to those who RSVP the day prior.

11. Yet another anniversary—this one belonging to Tilde—goes down this Saturday, all day, from 10 am-8 pm, with 20% off everything in the store, a limited edition reusable shopping bag for every purchase over $40 (while supply lasts) plus cookies and prosecco starting at 2, which is 5 o'clock somewhere.

12. The deadline for artists and designers to be a part of Scrap's annual Junk to Funk recycled fashion show is approaching: Collect your garbage by October 14th!

And finally, this amazing bra—it's more than a bra, though isn't it?—is calling my name from Lille Boutique, where it just arrived with its matching French knicker and bikini brief, all part of the Sofia Flashing set from Stella McCartney. I think I'm in love.

Let's take a moment to wash that name out of our brains with soap, henceforth to be referred to as PFF.

Okay, so this one goes out to all kid brothers and sisters in the house. PFF is an annual scholarship competition open to high school seniors that's currently in its fifth year. The winnings are not to be scoffed at: Full tuition scholarships in apparel design, apparel accessory design, or fashion marketing at Art Institute schools across the country, including of course the Art Institute of Portland. If that's not enough, in partnership with Seventeen, grand prize winner will get a trip to a New York Fashion Week fashion show, a $500 shopping spree, and opportunities to rub shoulders with the Seventeen staff. All the details are here, and the deadline for applications is November 20th. Come out come out wherever you are, young designers. The world needs fresh blood.