Helen Castillo

Helen Castillo Project Runway Season 12, Project Runway All-Stars Seasons 4 & 6 Finalist specializing in eveningwear

In 36 hours we’ll be hosting our Harajuku fashion event, featuring independent designers from Tokyo and New York City. W...
05/28/2026

In 36 hours we’ll be hosting our Harajuku fashion event, featuring independent designers from Tokyo and New York City.

We have planned this incredible event for the last three months, between two opposite time zones.

I never imagined in a million lifetimes that I would have the opportunity to collaborate with a Japanese designer who has such a meaningful approach to design.

When I visited Japan in January, I happened to come across account and had to connect with her. The fact that she takes fabrics that have so much depth in Japanese culture and creates wearable 100% silk designs so effortlessly, felt like it was a moment in fate.

I’ve never explored ready-to-wear before, let alone a pop-up event to host and share my designs at.

We are so fortunate and excited to have you join our event. Our guest vendors have worked tirelessly creating hand made pieces exclusively for this!

RSVP for free using our Peatix link in bio. 🔗

We will be sharing our livestream on Instagram May 30th, set a reminder and don’t miss our runway preservation.

VIP tickets are almost sold out for a front row seat and gift bag with designer items retailing for over ¥11000 ✨

36時間後、いよいよ原宿ファッションイベントが始まるよ！
東京とニューヨークのデザイナーが集まる特別なイベントです。
3ヶ月間、時差に負けずにがんばって準備してきたよ。

大好きな日本のデザイナーさんとコラボできて、本当に夢みたい！
1月に日本でたまたま さんを見つけて、運命（うんめい）を感じたんだ。

伝統（でんとう）の生地で作るシルクの服が本当におしゃれ。
服のイベントを開くのは初めてだけど、みんなに会えるのがすごく楽しみ！

ゲストのみんなも、この日のために手作りの限定（げんてい）アイテムをがんばって作ってくれたよ。
プロフィールのリンク（Peatix）から無料で予約（よやく）してね。🔗
5月30日はインスタでライブ配信（はいしん）もするから、リマインダーを忘れずに！

特典（とくてん）つきのVIPチケットはもうすぐ売り切れちゃうよ！✨

05/27/2026

It’s been 30 YEARS since I started my design journey.

Growing up I was fortunate to be in an art magnet school, I remember my parents put together a portfolio the size of 8 year old me filled with drawings of my childhood dog, collages of self-portraits, photography, you name it. I was one lucky little kid.

My parents were struggling artists turned graphic designers in the early 90’s, and we had moved to a new town in the middle of my second grade of grammar school. They had just bought their first home. After years of scrimping and saving, somehow providing me an my siblings with the best they could buy, whether that be art supplies, new sneakers for school, or bread on the table every night with dinner, our childhood home became a reality.

They rented the first floor apartment to a tenant to help make ends meet with the house payments. Coincidentally, she was a fashion designer. I would sometimes I would cat sit for her while she was away on work trips.

Another coincidental moment in Helen’s design history timeline, is that my curiosity would be peaked by her career. At 8 years old.

I had joined our school’s Fashion Club, where we were given a commercial pattern to cut and sew a basic shift dress for the runway show at the end of the school year. Naturally my personality was not the most.. what’s the word when the teachers can’t stand an 8 year old? I mean, I was a rambunctious and excited little kid. 😅

With all that being said, I was not great at sewing, not great at following directions, shocker, at 8 years old I wanted to be creative and have a good time! That bit me in the ass. My mother never sewed, I only worked on the sewing project at school - and the night before the show my garment was a mess.

My mom asked the downstairs tenant to help me cut and sew and brand new dress that night.

I haven’t stopped designing since.

デザインを始めてから、もう30年になります。✨8才の時、学校のファッションクラブに入りました。でも、ショーの前日の夜、わたしが作ったドレスはボロボロでした！😅でもラッキーなことに、家の1かいにすんでいた人はフ

VIP Access 🤫 Here is a sneak peak at our gift bag haul for those sitting from row at our event on Saturday AND a styling...
05/26/2026

VIP Access 🤫 Here is a sneak peak at our gift bag haul for those sitting from row at our event on Saturday AND a styling preview from our extremely talented team for the runway show.

Front row attendees will receive their gift bag at the door, including a hand made zipped pouch from up-cycled kimono and obi fabric by original signed print featuring two of the collection designs by and select beauty items.

We have a few VIP seats left you can purchase at our event listing via link in bio ✨

We’ve brought some incredible inspiration together for this collaboration and are humbled with the opportunity to share our teams vision and hard work for

Swipe to the end to see our vendor floor plan for the pop-up!

VIPアクセス 🤫 こちらは、土曜日のイベントで列から座っている方々へのギフトバッグの先行プレビューと、ランウェイショー用の非常に才能あるチームによるスタイリングプレビューです。

前列の参加者は、入口にてギフトバッグを受け取ります。その中には、アップサイクルされた着物と帯生地を使用した手作りのジッパー付きポーチが、 のオリジナルサイン入りプリントで、 のコレクションデザイン2点と選び抜かれたビューティーアイテムが含まれています。

残り数席のVIPシートをご用意しておりますので、バイオの ✨

私たちはこのコラボレーションのために素晴らしいインスピレーションを集め、チームのビジョンと努力を共有できる機会に謙虚な気持ちで、relicedreimagined のために尽力いたします。

ポップアップ用のベンダーフロアプランをご覧になるには、最後までスワイプしてください！

TOKYO ❤️ You might regret missing the fashion event of the season. Two design brands fostering sustainability and femini...
05/23/2026

TOKYO ❤️ You might regret missing the fashion event of the season.

Two design brands fostering sustainability and femininity. Shop our remade designs all day, and view our runway presentation at 15:00.

• Location
イベントスペースさくら原宿竹下口1F
〒151-0051 東京都渋谷区千駄ヶ谷3-54-8
Japan

T151-0051 3-54-8 Sendagaya
Shibuya, Tokyo

• Date and Time
Sat, May 30, 2026
11:00 AM - 18:30 PM

RSVP for free entry at: https://peatix.com/event/4964662



TOKYO ❤️ シーズンのファッションイベントを逃したことを後悔するかもしれません。

持続可能性と女性性を育む2つのデザインブランド。リメイクされたデザインを一日中ご購入いただき、15:00にランウェイプレゼンテーションをご覧ください。

• Location
イベントスペースさくら原宿竹下口1F
〒151-0051 東京都渋谷区千駄ヶ谷3-54-8
Japan

T151-0051 3-54-8 Sendagaya
Shibuya, Tokyo

• 日付と時刻

2026年5月30日（土）

午前11時〜午後6時30分

無料入場のためにRSVPしてください: https://peatix.com/event/4964662



We’ve planned this fashion show down to the minute, two-woman operation. Pretty wild how we met a few short months ago a...
05/21/2026

We’ve planned this fashion show down to the minute, two-woman operation.

Pretty wild how we met a few short months ago and have absolutely monumental amounts of stuff in common. Our design philosophy, upcycling deadstock fabrics, balancing career and passion, all while being our own boss.

I’ve never in a million years imagined I would be having a fashion show in Tokyo. But when fate brings the right people together, who see no boundaries or limitations - we make things happen.

Our show is in literally 9 days, deep breathes!

We’ve had really successful model fittings at Chie’s atelier and all that’s left is show day.

✨You can RSVP for free using the link in my bio, and we’ll be sharing the live stream link soon too.✨

05/16/2026

Working on collection in Tokyo has been a really eye opening experience.

I’ve only ever come here for travel and leisure and now everything is about to change. Fingers crossed I can keep this positive momentum going when I’m back in the states.

No drama here, no angry people on the street 24/7, it’s just a very serene place. Very opposite energy than NYC. Sewing all night and sleeping on a futon, feeling truly like a local, surrounded by shrines and temples, maybe I’ll do some appliqué in the park?!

Have you ever visited a place where you felt inspired to approach your creative work in a new way?

✨✨✨

東京でコレクションに取り組むことは、本当に目を見張る経験でした。

私はこれまで旅行やレジャーのためだけにここに来てきましたが、今やすべてが変わろうとしています。米国に戻ったとき、この前向きな勢いを保ち続けられることを願っています。

ここにはドラマもなく、通りで怒っている人が24時間ずっといません。とても静かな場所です。NYCとは正反対のエネルギーです。一晩中縫い物をして布団で寝て、まるで地元の人みたいに、神社や寺に囲まれて、もしかしたら公園でアプリークをやってみようかな？

創作活動に新しい方法で取り組むインスピレーションを受けた場所を訪れたことがありますか？

lovethethingyoudo fashiondesigntokyo slowfashion releasedreimagined coutureinspireddesign

Living in Tokyo has changed my entire mental health. It’s been 9 days since I arrived in Japan, and after 48 hours of je...
05/11/2026

Living in Tokyo has changed my entire mental health.

It’s been 9 days since I arrived in Japan, and after 48 hours of jet lag I’ve fallen in to this routine of walking about six miles a day followed by sewing until midnight.

Completely unbothered, fully inspired, and feeling very fortunate to be able to visit this incredibly city again this year.

Each semester feels messy and exhilarating, followed by a desperate need to travel and reset. Living like a local this time around gives me a brand new appreciation for the culture and kindness Japan shows every one who visits.

Here’s to a successful fashion event later this month in freaking HARAJUKU!!! (The 3rd to last slide is my event space!!!) And to making more friends, more dresses, and more memories fueled by probably the world’s best iced lattes with oat milk. ❤️

Experience our fashion-event in Harajuku on May 30, blending couture-inspired fashion and sustainable design from New Yo...
05/08/2026

Experience our fashion-event in Harajuku on May 30, blending couture-inspired fashion and sustainable design from New York and Tokyo based designers.

✨ Released. Reimagined.

This event celebrates the concept of ‘tsumugi’ passing precious items from hand to hand, reimagining vintage kimono and dead stock designer fabrics into contemporary masterpieces alongside our guest design brands for this one-day event.

👗 A runway show will be presented at 15:00 by using up-cycled heirloom kimono fabrics and from couture-inspired collection of 8 looks each, designed exclusively for this event.

💎 Featuring a collective of brands for a pop-up event from 11:00-18:30 celebrating the hand crafted fashion and wearable art by:

tokyo




🎀 Professional styling for the runway models by:






🍪 Little bites by .shots

Indulge your senses and discover something unique to add to your collection. We are so overjoyed to share this event with you all, and showcasing the full vision of this global collaboration.

We warmly invite you to be part of this FREE memorable occasion, for more details please visit the link in our bio via

⭐️

5月30日、原宿でファッションイベントを開催します。ニューヨークと東京を拠点とするデザイナーによる、クチュール感あふれるファッションとサステナブルデザインをお楽しみください。

✨ Released. Reimagined.
このイベントは「紬（つむぎ）」のコンセプトを称えるもの——大切なものを手から手へと受け継ぎ、ヴィンテージ着物やデッドストックのデザイナー生地を現代に馴染む洋服へと生まれ変わらせます。一日限りのイベントです。

👗 15:00〜 に受け継がれてきた着物生地を使用したランウェイショーと、 出身の によるクチュールインスパイアのコレクション、各8ルックをこのイベントのために特別に制作してお届けします。

💎 11:00〜18:30のポップアップイベントでは、手仕事のファッションとウェアラブルアートの複数のブランドが集結します：

tokyo




🎀 ランウェイモデルのプロフェッショナルスタイリングを担当：






🍪 スイーツは .shots が担当します

五感を刺激する体験の中で、皆様にぴったりの一点をぜひ見つけてください。このグローバルなコラボレーションの全貌をお届けできることを、心より楽しみにしています。
この特別な機会に、ぜひ無料でご参加ください。詳細は よりプロフィールのリンクをご覧ください。

I was really really nervous to cut up a vintage silk kimono, to the point I left one of the last gowns in my collection ...
05/01/2026

I was really really nervous to cut up a vintage silk kimono, to the point I left one of the last gowns in my collection to be finished 3 days before I leave for Tokyo.

Originally I delicately removed the sleeves and repurposed that fabric for the corset, but when it came crunch time… I realized I put it off for way too long and had to bite the bullet. Nothing feels worse than leaving for your favorite city with unfinished design work for a FASHION SHOW you’ve been planning for months.

Hear me out, I want to serve this fabric justice. I mean it’s so special and gorgeous, it was loved once and worn to something special. But to cut it up felt like a crime… it felt even more inconsiderate of me to not use it, because really it would just sit and have no purpose in a ziplock bag otherwise.

So here we are, leaving for Tokyo in 3 days and although my event isn’t until the end of May, there is still so much planning, model fittings, venue visits, coordinating to be done.

All the while at a wedding two weekends ago in Yosemite, taught a 12 hour, 2 day, crash course fashion illustration workshop last weekend, capstone/finals week this week, AND two custom orders.

No rest for the wicked, amiright?

I honestly haven’t felt this accomplished and relieved in such a long time, between design work and teaching career I am finally feeling like I’ve found a balance. And, I’m really happy with where my hard work has gotten me. To feeling a sense of fulfillment and joy from my jobs, how is life real?!

P.s.
Last slide is literally 3728301 pieces panels using the vintage obi belt fabric, which you will lose your mind over when I share that design!

P.p.s.
My seamstress made these sick t-shirts from deadstock jersey fabric for my event and my dad does commercial embroidery, best of both worlds ❤️

setgoalsnotlimits

04/15/2026

I just wrote a really long caption about how I decided to challenge myself by using textured paper for this sketch, and how my chartpak markers have lasted as long as I have been designing… Which has been since I was 13 years old… And then Instagram crashed so…

All I’ve got to say is that using this type of paper and how resilient it was against my dull colored pencil and Chartpak markers was a treat, considering it was 88 degrees today in NYC this was a good cool down after a morning of teaching, an afternoon at a fitting, and cutting/sewing three more pieces for my fashion event in Tokyo next month.

IF you’re in NYC the weekend of April 25 feel free to join my class linked in my bio, we’ll be illustrating a fashion figure and mini collection in 12 hours!

Talk about make-it-work moment… hope to see you there!

And if you decide to join my workshop, you can use my code ‘helen15’ for an additional 15% off the website ❤️

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1111 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA
90015

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