In-Seine-ly Fashionable 

Rylee Bowman of Southern Pines shop Manifest Boutique has shown her designs in New York Fashion week and, more recently, Paris Fashion Week. Rylee B Designs was one of 40 designers to walk in the Flying Solo, Ones to Watch show — a milestone for Rylee’s brand and her first trip abroad.  “I was definitely a bit culture shocked,” she laughs. 

Before the Oct. 1 show, Rylee spent a whole day in fittings with models who were all size 0-2 — while her prototype designs were styled after a more traditional American medium. The high-waisted designs also tended to sit lower on many models’ longer torsos.

“It was cool to see my stuff on different body types than what I originally designed them for,” she says. “Now I really can be confident in saying my clothes are for everyone.”

“The whole process is teaching me patience. This trip to Paris especially. In Paris, time is valued, you can’t rush anything,” says Rylee. “This is a career where you have to get comfortable and then uncomfortable again. You have to be confident. It all takes time.”

So what’s next? Rylee has her sights set on bringing a fashion show to The Pines next year. See more on the gram.