Word: chicago
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...predicted Wade's stunning ascension to the top of the basketball world. He wasn't one of the overhyped high school stars who expect everything handed to them. While growing up in a suburb near Chicago's South Side, idolizing Jordan's Bulls, Wade was seriously recruited by only three colleges. He chose Marquette, in Milwaukee. "My hope was just that he would get some quality playing time at Marquette," says Wade's high school coach, Jack Fitzgerald. But he has improved his game every year in college and the pros, and in 2004, Shaquille O'Neal demanded a trade...
...long run, the council wants to make Chicago a hospitable haven for new designers. The city boasts four design schools, but since there are no large clothing headquarters, many graduates quickly flee to New York or Los Angeles to find jobs as assistant designers; some, like Cynthia Rowley and Wendy Mullin, have gone on to great success. "If someone wants to design right out of school, their best option is to start their own label," Turner says. That, of course, takes capital that many young grads do not yet have...
...Ilissa Shefferman, who graduated from Chicago's International Academy of Design and Technology last September, says it was a conscious choice to start her label, I.S. Designs, in Chicago. Was she concerned about setting up shop in a town known more for its pizza than its pret-a-porter? "It does kind of have a dorky reputation, but I think it's undeserved," she says, laughing. "Chicagoans are pretty open-minded, and they love to branch out wearing local designers - there's a feeling of pride...
...That same pride is starting to actually lure some designers to relocate in Chicago from the coasts. Orlando Espinoza moved his business here from Los Angles six years ago. And Joëlle Minassian, who designed for Versace and Gianfranco Ferre in Italy, returned to her hometown in December to launch a handbag business. "Chicago has a lot to offer," she says. "New York is a great city, but I think Chicago is more forgiving and there's more space to grow. There's so much talent here that's been overlooked...
...Some established designers, however, are skeptical of the city's attempts to help them much in the next few years. "I love Chicago, but the industry is quite challenging," says Maria Pinto, a council member and life-long Chicago resident. "The resources are in other places, the buyers are all in New York; it's been tempting [to move] at times." She says she hasn't noticed things getting smoother for her business lately, but she hopes the Fashion Advisory Council will help start-up companies. "They might have a little easier time getting launched, and the city can surely...