Back in 2010 I was a judge for both the Art Institute of Seattle’s student fashion show and Seattle mag’s Seamless in Seattle emerging designer contest (details for the 2013 Seamless coming soon!) and Kent-based designer Cindy Marlatt was a winner at both of them for her flowing and ethereal creations. Another thing that made her stand out in my mind is that she’s a funeral home director as a day job. That’s a creative combo you don’t often hear about.

I hadn’t heard anything about Marlatt in the intervening years, so imagine my surprise when I sat down to watch the first episode of Project Runway season 11 and spied none other than Marlatt among the contestants!  It’s always nice to have someone from the region on that show and the fact that it was a former Seamless winner had me tickled pink.

I connected with Marlatt to congratulate her and hear about how it went. “It was an incredible honor for me to be included and I totally loved the experience,” she said, somewhat limited in the details she can give out as long as the show is still airing. I look forward to catching up with her more once the season ends.

Until then, we’ll be rooting for her!