Today marks the first day of Tampa Bay Fashion Week 2013 and we’re kicking off at International Plaza and Bay Street! Be sure to click here to view the day’s schedule of events!

While we’re celebrating the launch of Fashion Week, we’d also like to take a moment to introduce you to Sandra Hagen, a Colombian born designer, and one of the first designers ever featured in Tampa Bay Fashion Week! Sandra graduated in Fashion Design from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa and went on to intern at LUCA LUCA before designing her own line. She finds the perfect balance of feminine and vintage in her designs and ensures that each piece is perfectly crafted. Family is extremely important to Sandra, who makes sure to find a balance between her career as a designer and her family.

1. What does fashion mean to you? After my family, fashion is my life and my passion. I live and breathe fashion every day. It is what I do.
2. What do you hope to bring to Tampa Bay’s Fashion scene? I hope to bring beautiful, wearable, comfortable designs that the women of Tampa Bay can see themselves wearing. Wearing my pieces not only for very special occasions, but for everyday life.
3. What matters to you the most as a designer? What matters to me most is making sure that my customers get something that is well-made and with a great fit.
4. What makes your line unique? Details and fit are what makes my line unique.
5. You have experienced living in many different cultures. How have these cultures had an influence on your designs? Living in different cultures has opened the doors for me to see how the women in different cultures dress. It has enhanced my skills and opened the world of possibilities as far as working with details, colors, textures, and shapes.

~Stephanie