Trading in her corporate job and laptop for a sewing machine in 1999, Heidi Fish knew that creating a fresh new look for swimwear was her calling.

Sewing ever since she was three years old, her grandmother Henrietta Staving-Baumann, a designer for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City from 1934 to 1948, taught her the tricks of the trade. Fish learned traditional skills of conceptualizing a garment, measuring the individual pieces and stitching them all together for a finished product.

"See, in Germany you have to have a trade or you're nothing, grandma was from Germany, my father was from Germany, so you needed a trade and she taught me," said Fish. "My other grandparents lived on a farm and they were tailors and my Aunt Ruby sewed bras. So I was all around people (who sewed), so it's like you don't go out and buy an outfit you make one."

As she "dabbled" around with the idea of designing swimsuits in her kitchen, Fish started selling her suits on the beach of Alki near Alki Mail and Dispatch. She considered herself somewhat like a gypsy but found it to be a ton of fun. She was able to see what people of the northwest were looking for at the time.

In 2003, she was inspired to go outside of the comfort of her West Seattle community and submitted a few of her retro looks to GenArt, an arts and entertainment organization dedicated to showcasing emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. To her surprise they chose her look out of 10,000 applicants where she placed second over big time swimwear names such as Letarte and Becca.

"Everyone on that catwalk had established themselves and has been in a Sports Illustrated (swimsuit edition) and guess what, I'm in Sports Illustrated and it looks like I'm following in their footsteps," said Fish.

After sending media kits and not really getting anywhere with the editor of Sports Illustrated, Fish finally sent over a $1,500 seashell handmade bikini which finally caught the editor's attention. Now in her third year featured in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition 2009, Fish's reputation has also been plastered and recognized amongst the likes of Evening Magazine, V2 Vodka, Hugh Hefner, Women's Wear Daily and Sound Magazine.

Her collection of swimsuits include her Retro Pin-up line called Honey Bea honoring her belated mother, a couture line of designer suits with many embellishments she sees as true pieces of art and her most original design, the Anne Fanny line.

Anne Fanny is the name of her best girlfriend of 13 years who became ill with breast cancer in 2006. This line is a stylish and sexy swimsuit for women who have undergone mastectomies. As reported by NWsource, "The Anne Fanny line features pockets for breast prosthesis, as well as higher cut around the arm area for comfort."

Fish's suits range from $98 to $198 and most of her customers are surprisingly from New York. She sells her suits online and she hopes to hook up with a sales representative who can start getting her suits into boutiques and department stores.

"I'm directing my swimsuits to women who are 16 years to 60 years just depends how you want to feel. My mother use to wear my suits and oh god she was styling even in her late 70s," said Fish.

But the fame and media hasn't pushed her out of her little studio in the Alaskan Junction. Still designing and creating her swimsuits in her second floor studio, Fish has taken on another project that will collaborate music and fashion together.

Her studio is not just a design studio but it has now been turned into a weekend recording/practice studio for Rock da Fish, a band that she help create with her long time friend Norman Murray. The band plays rock music and is influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and Santana.

The idea for this new project is to combine swimsuit runway shows with live music, classic rock and feature cameo performances. But what is most original about this collaboration is that the background vocals of each show will be sung by the "Fishettes," a number of girls, some from West Seattle, who will not only perform but will walk the runways as the show's swimsuit models.

Fish said she use to be able to sew and design during band practices but the hum of the sewing machines became a distraction to the band and the band became a distraction to her.

Currently Rock da Fish is working on new songs with a Caribbean influence that will be showcased at their first swimsuit runway show. Fish hopes the show will premier in August of this year in a local venue in West Seattle.

"It's so exciting. Great tunes, awesome band and we have, three beautiful models with cordless mics that will be singing with the band as well as down the catwalk with my new collections," said Fish. "West Seattle is my No. 1 fan! They have always been there for me through the years. Thank you!"

For more information on ordering Heidi Fish's swimsuits visit http://www.heidifish.com.

Allison Espiritu may be reached at 783.1244 or allisone@robinsonnews.com.