Most of us know Ryan Christensen as the founder and CEO of Sameunderneath, the local apparel company that he sold to another local company (LFI) in September. Now, he is embarking on a new chapter with RYZ Wear, another locally founded company that invites artists to design graphics on a template sneaker design, which are then voted on by the company's online community to determine which styles go into production, a method called crowdsourcing. I wrote about it briefly here, but behind the jump is a Q & A that further explores his transition.

A contender from RYZ's site: "Back Burn" by DamienOReilly

One of my big new year's resolutions is to start a successful blog and make tons of money and move to some tropical place and drink slushie alcoholic drinks all day. Easy peasy, I'm sure. One lady that's mostly done this (though she chooses to kick back in our fare city instead of at the beach) is the lovely Chelsea Fuss of {frolic!}. The blog is like a sugary treat, featuring a variety of simply lovely things: photos from her always beautiful adventures in Portland, new clothes from local and not-so-local designers, magazine cutouts of beautifully-styled rooms, pics of backyard parties that she's styled. Chelsea is so good at blogging that late last year she was able to leave her nine-to-five to blog full time, so I asked her some questions about her blogging start to see where everything went so right. Check the Q&A after the jump.

photo by john valls, styled by chelsea fuss

My column this week takes a look at the recent Sofada fashion show, but a mere 450 words could not contain the long conversation I had with Sofada designer Alice Dobson. Below is the full Q & A, with more pictures from the show taken by Minh Tran.

You've been designing in Portland for quite some time. Recap?

I've been sewing my whole life. Right around eight years old I have concrete images of sewing, but I know I started earlier than that. All through grade and high school I liked to make things. I went to Seaside High School, which offered sewing as an elective, and I felt so fortunate to finally have a teacher. When I moved to Portland, I worked at Washington Mutual, and although I had been selling my things through word of mouth, for cheap, it never dawned on me that that could be my job. It seemed like a pipe dream. I was working at the uptown branch, and this really stylish guy and his wife would come in to do their banking. They told me about FIDM in Los Angeles, and I immediately knew that I would go there. My degree is in apparel manufacturing, because that program also included classes on how to make a business. I was 20 when went there, and moved back at 23. I heard randomly about Seaplane, and was totally excited because even three years before there was nothing going on in Portland. It's been this huge bubble burst of fashion designers since. I met Kate [Towers] at Seaplane, and my stuff started selling immediately. Kate and Holly [Stalder] were sending people to me all the time who wanted a certain dress in a different color, etc. I was tired of people coming over all the time, so I started looking around for shops, and found the teeny one on Fremont. It had no bathroom, no air conditioning--which in a shop is horrible.

In retrospect, what do you think about your decision to pursue apparel design in Portland as opposed to New York or another large market?

I think it was the best decision I ever made. And I cried when I was leaving LA. I loved my life there. There's an omelet named after me there. I thought, "What am I doing moving back to Portland, Oregon?" But my husband and I wanted to buy a house. It only took two months to see that things had changed, and probably because of Kate and Holly. I feel like I am lucky to have gotten in on the ground floor. It's definitely been nice, and I feel special to have been part of that growth. I've been in business six years and it just worked out, because of really good timing, good people. I never had any ambition to go to New York. It's too far away, I have my family. Even when I sold my line in LA, I had so much trouble just getting paid. Here we have a pretty good handful of designers, but in LA there's like two million. I thank every day that I went to school in LA, and that I moved back when I did.

Can you talk a little but about your business plan and current goals? How important is growth to you?

It's changed over the years. In the beginning, growth was really important, but I was taught in school "baby steps, baby steps, baby steps." I just want to live nicely, like anybody. The business doesn't need to be huge and I don't need to be rich. I just want to keep on working and building the business. When I went to New York fashion week, I was six months pregnant, and when I had my son I had to step back. I got so much good press and so much business, but in hindsight, it was sort of too big of a step. I had to make a choice: I have my family and my business. I decided to focus on the wholesale accounts that really loved me, and concentrate on the store. The store is my bread and butter, and I wanted to get my production in-house. We now even offer production for other lines outside of Sofada under the name Alice, Inc. We've always sewn in-house, but we used to send things out to local contractors too, and always had problems. I'm so much busier on Burnside [2937 E Burnside], and I'm so happy we were able to buy the building. I now have four employees, plus interns. I personally don't make much money at all. I pay my mortgage and pay the girls, but that way everybody has a job.

Another MOD Q & A! This installment: Pamela Baker-Miller whose new store Frances May is one of a number of shops, which, along with the looming Ace Hotel, have galvanized the "West End" of downtown. Here's what's on her mind these days:

What are your picks of this season from your store?
A Mooka Kinney Romper:

Rachel Comey high waisted camp shorts, Church + State's Work Horse Jacket:

A Samantha Pleet blue mini dress, and Christian Joy's Bridge Top.

Favorite Places to eat?
Simpatica for brunch, and Clyde Common for happy hour. Cheap eats are Pho Hung and the Mexican food cart on 50th and Division.

Drink of choice?
Everyday drink: vodka soda, hard day drink: Makers on the rocks, end of the night: Budweiser bottle.

What summer music are you playing at your store?
Au Revoir Simone, Paul Simon's Graceland , and the Beach Boys.

Travel destination and dream companion?
Brazil with all my girlfriends.

Favorite quote?
"You could be a part-time model." -Flight of the Concords

Items in your wear-every-day outfit?
A charm necklace, a Mina Stone dress or jeans and deep-v neck, Minnetonkas.

What Portland event/concert are you looking forward to?
I never know who's playing until the day of. The TBA festival is right around the corner.

Last thing you bought?

Ditto shorts.

Meet Sarah (if you don't already know her, you haven't been to Lille often enough!) as she gives us her current nearest and dearest selections on matters of style:

What are your picks of this season from your store?
A VPL Bisectional Set—Amazing art deco-inspired bralette/boyshort that could almost double as a bathing suit:

A Stella McCartney Dolly Snogging Set—The most unique bra I've ever seen; creates a gorgeous line on the neck:

An Araks Petra One-Piece Bathing Suit—Supremely elegant; very French Riviera:

And an Araks Organics Dasha Teddy—Cute and loose, it would be adorable worn over tights and a cami if you're fearless:

What are your favorite places to eat?
Masu East, Le Pigeon, Toro Bravo, and Noble Rot.

Drink of choice?
French 75—so crisp and clean for the summer. Be careful, though—they hit you hard.

What summer music are you playing at Lille?
St. Vincent's Marry Me, MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, Cat Power's Jukebox, Simone White's I Am the Man, Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and Devotchka's A Mad and Faithful Telling.

Ideal travel destination and dream companion?
Kyoto with my husband—reliving my honeymoon!

Favorite quote?
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." —Anaïs Nin

What items are in your wear-every-day outfit?
Can I give you my current favorite outfit that I might not get to wear every day? [Of course!—Ed.]: An Eres Edelia/Domino set in Rosemary; a 3.1 Philip Lim Flutter Sleeve Blouse; LAMB Navy Flared Shorts; J. Crew Leather Ballet Flats; and a Marc Jacobs Mouse Gray Turnlock Tote. If I'm going for over-the-top '60s glamour, maybe a vintage silk scarf wrapped around my head and my big white Electric sunglasses

What Portland event/concert are you looking forward to?
Eddie Izzard at the Schnitz? That man cracks me up. I saw him drunk on the street in New York once... funny story.

What was the last thing you bought?
Chie Mihara Crio Mary Janes in off-white from Shoefly.

This edition of the MOD Q+A is for "person whose style we admire".
Brighid's sartorial savvy owes mostly to her totally confidant sense of self--her choices, which usually include brands from Sweden, Antwerp, Berlin, New Zealand and Australia, reflect her sharp and discerning eye. Utterly cool, she constantly garners the attention of photographers and designers and has been in fashion shows and editorials. Check out photographer Chloé Richard to see some more of Brighid...I just can't get enough...

Where are you from? When do you move to Portland? What do you do?
Denton, Texas. I left Texas and moved to Portland – sight unseen – as soon as I was old enough. I celebrated my 6th anniversary in March. I am now a fourth-year student at PSU focusing in Germanic & Scandinavian Studies and Applied Linguistics. I somehow ended up with three jobs. I am spread out between being a nanny and cleaning house/tending to a dog.

Favorite Portland shop:
Stand-Up Comedy. I often want to open my own shop someday, and when I do we’ll be rivals.

Favorite else-where shop:
I otherwise do a lot of online-shopping from stores in New York and abroad. Recent favorites are sevennewyork.com, ashtray.se, reborn.ws, kronkron.com, bestshop-berlin.de, park.co.at, & generalcucumber.com

Place to eat/drink:
A really old personal favorite is M Bar in NW, but I haven’t been there in a couple of years and it probably isn’t the same as I remember; it started to get a lot busier in the last days I lived around there. Its appeal for me was in its size, I think it holds the record for smallest bar in Portland. If you can get in fairly early and sit with just one or two friends, it’s a lovely time. They only serve beer & wine last time I checked.

The items in your wear-every-day outfit:
A pair of raw denim high-waisted Acne jeans, black flats, and an old silk blouse inherited from my mother.

Concert/event you're going to next:
The next Nightclubbing at Holocene on July 3? Please tell me there’s something going on before that.

Travel destination and dream companion:
Iceland, with my cat, Baldr.

Things on your inspiration board:
Braids, horses, masks, a wolf, knots, chains, blood, lightning, taxidermy, swords, prisms, hair, the universe, the ocean, dirt.

Last thing you purchased:

A Christian Wijnants zip-up jacket/dress, purchased from Seven NY.