Tucson fashion designer Jaime Edwards could be the region’s rising star in couture. A past “Designer of the Year” named by Tucson Model Magazine, this former software analyst aims to perfect her love of luxurious fabrics and creative color mixes, as well as, her reimagining of the classic neckline to best frame the feminine silhouette.

“I love making couture because it highlights the individual and unique qualities that define the beauty of each woman,” says Edwards, whose namesake line JL Edwards was invited to appear in last year’s NYFW.

“What an exciting and overwhelming feeling to be on Fashion Avenue during that week,” she recalls. “Models, artists, designers and vendors moving quickly in several different directions…I was quite frightened, feeling I was out of my league, but the people, models, producers and other designers were very welcoming and encouraging.”

Edwards, who followed her longtime fashion dreams after a debilitating illness hit her head-on with life’s fragility, is hoping to expand into menswear and a creative collaboration with glassmaker Jonathan Russell.  Eyeing a return to NY, she’s focused now on refining her details.

“Jonathan and I have a lot of future ideas and designs we want to use,” including a retake of the bustier. Her beautiful advice to women: “Talents lay quietly and dormant like seeds beneath the soil, feed them and they will blossom.”