Risa Beck graduated in 2012 from the University of Oregon- school of Architecture and Allied Arts with a Bachelor of Architecture, and a Bachelor of Arts in Product Design. Her journey began when she met Suzette (a fellow middle child,) while taking one of her classes through Pensole Footwear design school.  Fresh out of school, she kicked off her career by working at Will Leather Goods as an assistant designer and product developer.  Her desire for a deeper understanding of material and product design, to move back to Portland, and fashion eventually reconnected her with Suzette and her consultancy, Hangers & Lasts.  In December of 2012, Risa began her new job as a creative/ assistant material designer for Hangers and Lasts in Portland, Ore.

She is deeply invested in combining her architectural and product design knowledge to explore the interplay between an object, it’s environment and the human experience.  Her design philosophy (and life philosophy) is grounded in the belief that progress and innovation comes from exploring these relationships and collaborating with people of different backgrounds to learn and evolve together.

She has an insatiable appetite when it comes to satisfying her curiosity, and asks questions all the time.   This curiosity also breeds a tendency to pick up a new hobby every couple of months which keeps her life exciting.