One of the reasons I love Fashion Shows so much, I mean, aside from the fact that I've been obsessed with clothes since I was three years old, is the way that they celebrate art. My favorite Fashion Shows, the ones that made me want to produce them, are the ones that combine fashion with other art forms such as dance and music or in this case, even food. Which is exactly what TransparanSEA did.
TransparanSEA was the fifth bi-annual, XChange Fashion Festival. This fashion show celebrates culture and diversity through fashion, dance and music, and is produced by Find Your ID NYC exclusively for New York Fashion Week. Their Fall/ Winter 2020 event was a celebration of Caribbean and Latin culture and took place in one of the most beautiful venues I have ever seen, Lamia's Fish Market. Guests were invited to enjoy a sit-down, three course meal, as models strutted in the newest collections from designers from the Caribbean and Latin America. What better way to celebrate the opening of NYFW than dinner and a fashion show?
After this Fashion Show I was able to add the title of, Assistant Producer, to my resume, but that, of course, came with months of hard work beforehand. I spent weeks contacting designers, attending castings, and messaging media and influencers. On the day of the show, it was my job to make sure the model prep was running smoothly, meaning making sure that each model made it to hair and makeup and was fitted for their looks. During the show, I communicated with the stylists of what was going on, and cues to have the models ready to go.
As the guests were served their appetizers, the host came out and gave a brief introduction and welcomed the first act, a twin dancing duo, Justice and Justine. They danced a Caribbean styled dance and their energy hyped up the crowd. I even found myself moving along to music with them. Next came beautiful, handcrafted couture from D'Marsh Couture.
D'Marsh Couture
If I could use just one word to describe D'Marsh Couture, it would be elegant. His collection was a beautiful display of couture evening gowns and men's suits. With the restaurant as a backdrop each model looked like they had stepped into a real-life fairytale. With the Glenroy March being from the Caribbean you could see elements of that in each piece, whether it was a bold color or the headdress the model was wearing. His collection was the perfect start the what seemed like it would be a great evening.
HelloHi a.k.a. Myke with a Y
Next was a true celebration of Caribbean culture. HelloHi is a Caribbean production company by designer Myke with a Y that creates Caribbean costumes. For TransparanSEA he showed a collection of menswear that just looking at transported you to the islands of the Caribbean. What was cool about this collection was that although Myke is known for costumes, he made pieces that could also be worn in everyday life.
Olvia London Swimwear
The next line shown was Olivia London Swimwear by Celeste Johnny Madhere. Now I was shocked we were showing swimwear in NYC during the month of February, but it was totally fitting to our aqua theme. The swimsuits Madhere created were flirty and fabulous. The models could also be a bit more playful, as shown by the sass served in the photo above. I was mentally picking out pieces for the summer before I remembered it was absolutely freezing outside.
Daniel Chimowitz
Next came our grand finale, and that it was. Daniel Chimowitz is a known artist and designer who creates his streetwear line as works of art. He also treated his runway show as such. There were models interacting with each other, walking their own path down the runway, and doing a full-on whacking routine, and I was here for every second of it. His designs were statement making with caution tape in place of clothing, bold colors, and artistic hats and masks.
After the runway shows ended, the party did not stop. There were a couple more live performances, and a drum set session from Mila Tina music. During those final moments, I got a notification on my phone saying that I had been tagged in an Instagram story. On the post, my name was next to the words, assistant producer. I knew that was my role going into the night, but in that moment it became real. I had helped coordinate a successful runway show for NYFW, and maybe soon, I'll be able to remove the word assistant from the title. In the meantime, I'm going to just enjoy the journey because so far, it's been great.
XOXO,
Kristin
Comments