Jessica Catherine doesn't consider herself "just a fashion designer." As one of the up-and-coming designers who will show during Milwaukee Fashion Week on Saturday night, Jessica loves the overall creativity and artistry of designing clothing.

"I love textiles and material. It's not all about fashion -- I love mixtures of materials, like unconventional materials and recycled stuff. I'll use recycled stuff if it's pretty."

The one distinct theme that runs through the Madison designer's clothing? Simple, quiet beauty with a sexy edge. Things like exposed zippers, colorful fabric peeking out of a dress hem and body-conscious designs out of fabrics with a subtle sheen are the very core of her design aesthetic.

OnMilwaukee.com: What is the look that defines your show on Saturday?

Jessica Catherine: Color and texture. The dress shapes have nice lines. It's feminine clothing that's ideal for any body type; I try to make things that look good on everyone. The main colors are black, gray and yellow. The fabrics are silks and chiffon. The fabrics are solid, but have a sheen to them. My pieces are usually solid-but with a little flash of something.

OMC: You say you like using recycled materials. Why do you like them so much?

JC: I love using recycled materials. I like working on projects that are out of the ordinary. Like constructing clothes from everyday materials -- (for example) like a tent -- but making it into wearable art. I would make it look high fashion, but you would never guess it's a tent!

For this show, I tried to use recycled parts. Anything from trim to a zipper-just to give the design something different. Almost all of the dresses have recycled parts in them.

OMC: What inspires you as a designer?

JC: Architecture, interior design, product design, abstract art and art history. It's not (other) fashion designers, actually -- it's interior designers and product designers. Though Bjork is one of my fashion inspirations.

OMC: When did you start designing? Take us through your history a bit.

JC: As a little girl, I changed my clothes a lot. My mom bought me this super-cool dress for Christmas or something -- and I said, "I don't want stripes," (laughs). I was the baby and I got all hand-me-down clothing, but I didn't like that. My mom had a sewing machine and I would reconstruct things. We didn't shop much. At 12, I started making my own clothes. From 12 to 17 (years old), I designed my own stuff. I would cut up sweaters and add aesthetics to them.

I grew up in Fond du Lac and went to school at the Illinois Institute of Art. At 19, I dropped out and actually, I wasn't even going to school there for fashion. I was always designing stuff for myself, I just wasn't sure that school was right for me. I wanted to eventually go back to school, I just knew there were so many possibilities out there. So I thought I would take some time off and research what I wanted to do -- so I traveled.

First I went to South Africa. Fashion was really cool in Cape Town and Johannesburg. It made me appreciate fashion from around the world and helped me visualize it in clothing. Then I went to Ireland and backpacked through Europe for four months. I did organic farming, and that made me appreciate organic cotton, recycling and the larger picture in that scene.

I came back to Madison and took some classes at MATC in upholstery and thought a lot about interior design.

I moved back to Ireland and was accepted out of 60 people for a month-long live-in artist residency program in Germany on architecture and sustainable living. We did an art installation. We got a bunch of fabric, hung it up and spray painted designs all over it. Then we laid the fabric down and I cut out all of my favorite parts and made a collection of dresses out of it. It was all sustainable.

That was what got me into graphic design and graffiti art. I'd like to venture into that more-like with photographs on fabrics and textile design. I guess I'm an artist, too.

After that I went to New Zealand to be a nanny and the family gave me a sewing machine to use. I was really intrigued by fashion there. It's really modern and simple. I was happy to see a lot of black and simple colors. It influences my line, actually. Then I became very eager to do work in fashion. It made me really think about where I wanted to go in the next few years.

OMC: Is fashion a full-time gig for you or do you have another job?

JC: I work at Creative Energy (a window treatment business in Madison) as a seamstress. I construct environmentally friendly window treatments.

OMC: How did you become involved in Milwaukee Fashion Week?

JC: I was looking for a project to donate to. This was something I found intriguing, and I wanted a new challenge. I'm excited to donate one of my dresses to the auction.

OMC: What's your favorite thing you've ever designed?

JC: A strapless navy blue dress with navy chiffon squares on the lower half. I just love it.

OMC: What do you see yourself doing in the future?

JC: I'd like to sell in boutiques. I don't want to do custom designs necessarily, where a customer would tell me what to design. I'd rather sell my designs in a boutique so if someone buys it, it means they like it.

Ideally, I want to do wardrobe coordinating or styling for films or magazine. I like dressing people up. I love picking out their shoes, what they wear and their makeup.

OMC: I'm guessing you wear your own designs?

JC: I do if I have the chance to. I love going to events and dressing up -- that's why I started designing. And I love making clothing for other people.

OMC: If you could pick a celebrity to wear your clothing, who would it be?

JC: Anyone! Anyone who wants to feel good about themselves, and feel good in my designs.

OMC: What's the most difficult thing about being a designer?

JC: Affording my rent because of the fabrics I use! But I love doing this. When I'm in my workshop sewing, I'm so excited.