Michelle Jank

Michelle Jank (born 1976 in Perth, Australia) is a well known fashion designer. She is sometimes also referred to as a "fashionista", slang word for people that enjoy fashion.

External links

* [http://www.sbs.com.au/fashionista/?id=782 sbs.com]

Biography

Michelle Jank is the daughter of Gunther Jank, a computer company owner, and Sue Jank, an artist. Michelle Jank tried to draw things before she could even walk.Through her childhood, Jank always demonstrated interest in fashion and drawing.Jank attended the John XXIII College in Perth, where she was one of the top students in her art class, repeatedly scoring high grades at the end of the class semesters.In 1991, Jank became a fashion model, officially beginning her career in the fashion industry at the age of fifteen.After only two years at the Curtin University, where she tried for a fine arts degree in textiles and jewellery, Jank decided to move on and finally begin working as a designer. Jank registered her name in 1998, and opened a small shop where she sold her creations.Apart from that, she kept busy as a model, working both in Australia and the United States as a photography model for various firms and participating in some photo ads.After her trips to the United States, Jank decided to return to Western Australia, where she returned to college, concentrating her studies on clothes designing.After her return, Janks met [Wendy Marshall] , a [boutique] owner from the Perth area of Nedlands. Ms. Marshall had more than thirty years of experience importing such brands as Armani, Chloé, Karl Lagerfeld and others to her store, and she was impressed by Jank's designs. Ms. Marshall called Janks a bright shining star.Jank, who now dedicates herself almost fully to designing instead of modeling because she has grown weary of the modeling world's behind the scenes ongoings, was the first student to be invited to design a solo collection for the prestigious Mercedes Australian Fashion Week, in 1999. During the week's main show (held in Sydney), many important things happened to Jank's career: A London resident named Joan Burstein bought every dress that Jank presented in the show, and famous Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett modeled one of her dresses, going backstage to congratulate Jank afterwards.Michelle Jank has a studio set in her parents' home at Cottesloe, overlooking the Indian Ocean. She was interviewed in the August 2000 edition of Qantas airlines' in-flight magazine, Qantas, the Australian Way.