Seattle's Thread Magazine launched its second-annual fashion and lifestyle show April 22 — an exhibition that attracted fashionistas and trendsetters from all over the state.

More than 100 buyers and store owners were invited, and 90 designers were handpicked from the Northwest area. The seven-hour event gave local designers Empire Empire, Sam Trout, PartyBots and Mish Mash (among others), the opportunity to showcase their wares like tote bags, blade-saw belts, hairpieces and buttoned ties.

Local and national DJs spun their tracks on a vast stage while shoppers packed the floor. Gift bags and urban underground magazines were handed out to the first 250 patrons. Customers could order live screen-printed apparel and observe the graffiti wall.

Sam Huff, a designer from Portland-based Hecklewood, specializes in humorous and edgy print designs. His vintage T-shirts top at $15, a deal considering that the buttoned ties went for $23 each. Huff's company describes itself as "a bunch of restless kids that grew up in Suburbiaville, Nowhere USA."

"I'm inspired by everything," Huff said, explaining the motivation behind his work. "Mostly by the music I used to listen to as a kid. I was really into punk rock but I like all genres with the exception of country."

One of his designs, the iconic Smokey Bear famous for the forest fire prevention tagline "Only you can prevent forest fires," is parodied by the depiction of a marijuana blunt.

ZEBRACLUB jeans were by far the most popular item at Thread. Dozens of hipsters prowled the aisles with ZEBRACLUB vendor bags. ZEBRACLUB operates boutiques in downtown Seattle, Vancouver, Bellevue and Capitol Hill.

Sameunderneath is a company started by Ryan Joseph Davis Christensen, who believes that his venture is a way of life carried through personal fashion.

"I was fortunate enough to have been a product of an inter-racial couple and to have been raised in a culturally diverse setting," Christensen states on his Web site. "I don't see this as just another clothing line."

The Sameunderneath mission includes changing the way people look at each other and uniting individuals regardless of religion, race, hobbies, color, creed and/or sex.

Alchemy Goods, whose mission is "Turning useless into useful," recycles inner tubes donated by bike shops including UW's very own ASUW Bike Shop. Every part of an Alchemy bag is recycled. The old tubes are created into durable waterproof bags and even the straps are made from seatbelts retrieved from local junkyards. The store's Web site explains that "Each bag is assembled by hand in our workshop, which is another reason that no two bags are exactly the same."