Local designer has market on simple elegance

Eight-year-old Iman Bengana already thinks she's famous.

After all, it's her name on the clothing labels and storefront of her mother's trendy fashion boutique in Shadyside.

And, like her dark-haired, blue-eyed daughter — whose name means "faith" in Arabic — Mary Margaret Stewart's designs are a perfect combination of simplicity, elegance and fun.

Stewart's artistically inspired line of dresses, skirts and tops conjure up images of sleek, modern paintings or an adventurous trip through the African Serengeti.

Using a variety of knit fabrics including wool, cotton and viscose that she purchases regularly from France, Stewart's garments cling to the body in just the right places.

"I think knits have gotten a bad rap over the years," Stewart says. "Mostly because of synthetic fibers like Spandex and polyester that don't wear well."

She describes her custom-made and ready-to-wear garments, which sell for $50 to $550, as "super-simple with a little twist."

"I can tailor a dress to any size, and they travel well," she says. "Most can be washed by hand or in the machine on gentle cycle."

Although she was born in Squirrel Hill, Stewart moved to France shortly after graduating from Taylor Allderdice High School.

"I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but my friends always said I had a flair for fashion," Stewart says.

Stewart attended design school at ESMOD, one of Paris' top schools for commercial design. During the next 12 years, Stewart refined the craft that forms the heart of the Iman B. line, selling her creations at flea markets to hip, young Parisians and Japanese and Chinese retailers who brought them to wholesale markets in Hong Kong and Tokyo.

"I think my passion for creating and design really emerged during that time," she says.

Stewart brought her rich experience back to Pittsburgh in 1997 to be closer to her family and to raise her daughter in a less hectic environment. She opened her first boutique on the South Side in 1997, where word of her unique style traveled fast.

Seeking to diversify her clientele, she moved the business to Ellsworth Avenue in 1999. Two part-time seamstresses now assist in piecing together her creations.

Stewart says she draws inspiration for her designs directly from the fabric.

"I think my favorite part is picking out the fabrics," she says. "I can just look at a fabric and know what I want to do with it."

She also enjoys working with ethnic and animal prints. Her ex-husband, Iman's father, is from Algeria.

"I love Africa … African food, African culture, so a lot of what I do comes from those experiences," she says.

Locals have come to know Stewart's designs through various fashion shows, including Fashion Africana and the annual Steelers charity fashion show. Most of her customers are women between ages 25 and 60, although she also has designed prom and wedding gowns, and even a few bridesmaid dresses.

Demeatria Gibson Boccella, president of the Utopia Model Agency, which produces Fashion Africana, is a big fan of Stewart's designs.

"I'm wearing one right now," she says during a recent telephone interview. "I love every aspect of her work."

Boccella says she became interested in Stewart's clothing because of her ability to customize. Stewart recently designed Boccella's wedding gown.

"She spends quality time with each of her clients," Boccella says. "She works hard to create something that will compliment you, and she's very honest."

Boccella says she also loves the high-quality fabrics of the Iman B. line.

"You can take them on the road, you don't have to iron them, and it feels like you could wear them forever."

Recently, Stewart collaborated with Pittsburgh artist and musician Karl Mullen to design a line of dresses.

Mullen uses acrylic textile and fabric paint to adorn Stewart's garments with whimsical faces, villages, trains and animals. He also uses a signature handprint.

"I love the notion that one of my paintings can walk down the street," Mullen says. "They take on a whole new personality based on who is wearing them. They really seem to come alive."

Mullen and Stewart used to live in the same building, the Spinning Plate artists lofts in Friendship, but Mullen says he first became acquainted and fascinated with her work when she opened the South Side boutique.

"She doesn't come to me with anything specific in mind," Mullen says of the partnership. "She gives me the freedom to do what I want, and that's very gratifying as an artist."

Stewart says she doesn't pay much attention to fashion trends or famous designers.

"Today, pretty much anything goes," she says. "I do what I feel like doing."

That everyday creativity is what Stewart enjoys most about designing clothing. She says it is possible to be a successful fashion designer in Pittsburgh, but there are some challenges.

"It's difficult to find items such as thread, zippers and other accessories, as well as qualified seamstresses, and sometimes the fashion community itself seems rather microscopic," she says.

But Stewart says she has noticed several positive changes in the past few years.

"I think there is a growing community of designers, and we're all starting to exchange ideas."

Iman B. is at 5894 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside. Hours: by appointment Mondays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. (412) 661-3324.