Video | 'Emerging' Seattle designer Banchong Douangphrachanh to show at fashion week

Seattle designer Banchong Douangphrachanh has earned an 'emerging' stamp by Seattle Fashion Week, yet she is nearly impossible to find on the Internet.

"I'm a very private person," she said in a recent interview, astonished Seattletimes.com producers had tracked her down. "I (design) because it makes me happy ... I don't think too far in the future."

Despite a desire for minimal Google results, Douangphrachanh collaborated on an piece that was worn by one of today's most notorious fashion icons, Lady Gaga, in the "Poker Face" music video. Douangphrachanh hadn't even heard of the pop artist.

But on Thursday, Douangphrachanh will know exactly who is wearing her clothing. Local models will show off her menswear collection during fashion week's Independent and Emerging Designers runway show at WaMu Theater.

She brought several of her designs to The Seattle Times for a photo shoot and discussed how regatta racing and Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures inspired her to combine outerwear materials — neoprene, ripstop and wool — with tailored designs.

Watch the video below for a look at her work and why she thinks the Pacific Northwest will be competitive in the American fashion world.

Information in this article, originally published May 13, 2010, was clarified May 18, 2010. A previous version of this story stated that Banchong Douangphrachanh designed a top worn in Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" music video. The piece was part of a collaboration between Douangphrachanh and another designer.