The Avant Garde Issue
The Avant Garde Issue | No. 10 featuring cover model Lluvy Gomez ( America's Next Top Model/Cycle 4), The Window Lady Clothing by Janay Rose, Pieces Of A Masterpiece; President Ilse Metchek of California Fashion Association; Runway Renegade, Alexandria von Bromssen; Behind the lens with Sarah Brickey Photography; How To Become A Fashion Stylist: The New Clebrity, Purge: 2014 Best Emerging Designer Maricella Olague; Roc Rio Designs; In Living Color: On Geetika Gupta (Art Institute, Director, School of Fashion), Designer Kaye Morales, 2015 Beauty Trends At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week & more!!!!
The Avant Garde Issue | No. 10 featuring cover model Lluvy Gomez ( America's Next Top Model/Cycle 4), The Window Lady Clothing by Janay Rose, Pieces Of A Masterpiece; President Ilse Metchek of California Fashion Association; Runway Renegade, Alexandria von Bromssen; Behind the lens with Sarah Brickey Photography; How To Become A Fashion Stylist: The New Clebrity, Purge: 2014 Best Emerging Designer Maricella Olague; Roc Rio Designs; In Living Color: On Geetika Gupta (Art Institute, Director, School of Fashion), Designer Kaye Morales, 2015 Beauty Trends At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week & more!!!!
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FASHION XCHANGE<br />
ALL FASHON. ALL BUSINESS. NO GOSSIP.<br />
AVANT GARDE 2015 · NO 10<br />
THE AVANT GARDE ISSUE<br />
RUNWAY RENEGADE<br />
ALEXANDRIA VON BROMSSEN<br />
Lluvy<br />
Gomez<br />
BEYOND AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL<br />
AVANT GARDE FASHION<br />
It’s history & influence<br />
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week<br />
Academy of Art Show<br />
2015 FALL BEAUTY TRENDS<br />
MAN OF MANY STYLES<br />
DORK DOZIER<br />
BEHIND THE LENS<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY PROFILE WITH<br />
SARAH BRICKEY<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 1
“All Fashion. All Business. No Gossip.”<br />
Editor-In-Chief<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Director of Photography<br />
LA Photography Director<br />
Contributing Photographers<br />
Advertising Director<br />
Graphic Designer<br />
Writers<br />
ROBERT SILVER<br />
IVANNA WOODS<br />
ROBERT SILVER<br />
DERRICK RODGERS<br />
KEN ALCAZAR<br />
FILIP FILIPIAK<br />
PATRICIA GOMEZ<br />
PETE HOPKINS<br />
HOWARD LEVINE<br />
MICHAEL MOORE<br />
CHARLES SEDGHL<br />
STEPHEN WHELLER<br />
JUAN ZAMBRANO<br />
MARGAUX VICKERS<br />
ROBERT SILVER<br />
HANNAH BE<br />
CHRISTINA MITCHELL-LESSER<br />
CAITY SHREVE<br />
ALEXA RAE PALACIOS<br />
RACHEL RIOT<br />
CAITY SHREVE<br />
V. ALEXANDRA DE F. SZOENYI<br />
MALCOLM THOMAS<br />
JEANE WALSH<br />
IVANNA WOODS<br />
Questions and feedback:<br />
1282 Mattox Rd., #42, Hayward, CA, 94541<br />
Phone: (510) 363-8080<br />
Email: info@fashionxchangemag.com<br />
Online: www.fashionxchangemag.com<br />
For Advertising & Sales:<br />
Phone: (800) 690-9931<br />
Fax (800) 383- 2709<br />
Email: ads@fashionxchangemag.com<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine is a fashion industry trade magazine. As a resource for emerging & established<br />
professionals we advocate the brands, events & professionals that embodies the success of the fashion industry.<br />
Beyond mere product placement, with a goal of delivering informative content, we’re focused on giving in-depth<br />
reporting & analysis of the ever changing fashion industry trends. We enlighten our readers with the necessary<br />
tips & advice on how to create and maintain a sustainable career in the industry. Whether you’re a model, fashion<br />
designer, photographer, student or a fan of fashion, Fashion Xchange Magazine allows our readers to gain knowledge<br />
often only revealed behind closed doors.<br />
“All Fashion. All Business. No Gossip.”<br />
<br />
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24<br />
Runway Renegade<br />
Alexandria von Bromssen<br />
Lluvy Gomez<br />
Beyond America’s Next Top Model<br />
04<br />
06<br />
08<br />
10<br />
14<br />
18<br />
20<br />
22<br />
34<br />
40<br />
46<br />
50<br />
54<br />
Letter From <strong>The</strong> Editor<br />
Behind the <strong>Avant</strong><br />
On it’s history & influence<br />
Innovation: IIMUAHI<br />
<strong>The</strong> Transition of Sensiblity<br />
How To Become A Fashion Stylist<br />
<strong>The</strong> New Celebrity<br />
California Fashion Association<br />
President: Ilse Metchek<br />
Live2LoveArt<br />
David Reposar<br />
In Living Color<br />
With Geetika Gupta of Art Institute<br />
Roc Rio Designs<br />
Delivering Modern Edginess<br />
Photography by Robert Silver<br />
Ken Chen<br />
On <strong>The</strong> Cutting Edge<br />
Janay Rose<br />
Pieces Of A Masterpiece<br />
Chrisitna Morgan Cree<br />
One Of A Kind Couture<br />
About A Woman<br />
Anastasia Bachykala<br />
27<br />
58<br />
62<br />
68<br />
72<br />
82<br />
84<br />
88<br />
90<br />
94<br />
98<br />
101<br />
82<br />
Behind <strong>The</strong><br />
Lens<br />
With Sarah Brickey<br />
Photography<br />
Plague: Best Emerging Designer<br />
Maricella Olague<br />
Once Upon A Runway<br />
With Paris Harris<br />
Photography by Derrick Rodgers<br />
Dork Dozier<br />
Letting His Inner Dork Shine<br />
Kaye Morales<br />
<strong>The</strong> Centipede Collection<br />
Photographed by Ken Alcazar<br />
Creating Winning Photo Shoots<br />
Behind<strong>The</strong> Lens<br />
A photogrpaher’s profile with Sarah Brickey<br />
Studio Fashion Shoots - Meetup Group<br />
<strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> Makeup workshop for<br />
photographers of all levels<br />
Amorous Style at LOVESICK Fashion Show<br />
2015 Beauty Trends At<br />
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week<br />
An Education: Backstage at the Fall 2015 Academy<br />
Fresh Face Model<br />
Leslie Hawkins<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 3
►<br />
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR<br />
to sharing the business of fashion, we will be adding a<br />
e-commerce section to our physical, digital issue and<br />
website. When we highlight boutiques, brands and<br />
designers, you will have the option to shop products<br />
featured in the editorials with the simple click of a button.<br />
With same sex marriage becoming a reality across all 50<br />
states, the increasing legalization of medical marijuana<br />
and more designers experimenting with genderless<br />
collections - this is the best moment in time for doing<br />
what others are not. Not only is the industry becoming<br />
more open towards embracing broader market, but it<br />
also shows that its’ audience is ready for change. I believe<br />
this is the time to for those in fashion push themselves;<br />
through photography,fabric choice, ways you engage<br />
with your audience - and beyond. If the same always<br />
worked, then Myspace would still be around.<br />
As the first issue of 2015, we took a moment<br />
to look back at our successes and learning<br />
experiences. This is an opportunity to look<br />
forward and adapt our new goals according to<br />
the lessons we’ve learned the previous year.<br />
My first goal for Fashion Xchange was to build a brand<br />
during our first year - by any means, nothing more,<br />
nothing less. Creating a name for ourselves through<br />
consistent fashion coverage, and engaging readers on as<br />
many platforms available to us as possible. Putting profits<br />
aside helped us to focus on creating a strong editorial<br />
voice from the start.<br />
We’ve had the opportunity to interview numerous<br />
industry professionals that have helped to fine tune our<br />
mission. Ilse Metchek, President of California Fashion<br />
Association (page 18), broke down the difference<br />
between east coast / west coast fashion industries in the<br />
United States and why there is a disconnect with runway<br />
shows and how they don’t promise to be profitable for<br />
emerging or established fashion designers.<br />
Since the last issue, Blanc Noir & Couture <strong>Issue</strong> No.<br />
9, we have added two more sections to our website,<br />
Photography and Retail. With increasing our dedication<br />
As we were producing this issue, I would continually<br />
ask myself what ‘avant garde’ means to me. Daring.<br />
Controversial. Unorthodox. <strong>The</strong>se can all been said about<br />
any legendary designers such as Chanel, Betsey Johnson<br />
or Alexander McQueen - all who exude style, passion &<br />
individuality. With that in mind, I wanted to make sure<br />
that our first avant garde issue set a particular tone.<br />
Allowing ourselves to embrace change while staying true<br />
to our mission.<br />
This issue includes more contributing photographers<br />
than any other - Sarah Brickey (page 84), Ken Alcazar<br />
(Kaye Morales, page 72), Filip Filipiak (Transition of<br />
Sensibility, page 10) and the creative contributions from<br />
vintage Stylist Hannah Be (How To Become A Fashion<br />
Stylist: <strong>The</strong> New Celebrity, page 14). We have also added<br />
more writers to our editorial team that have helped<br />
diversify our voice.<br />
Entering into our second year of publication is an<br />
incredible feeling of anxiety,excitement and amazement<br />
of how far we have come in just one year. We remain<br />
thankful to everyone who’s helped us along the way and<br />
continue to see the potential our vision. Prepare yourself<br />
for another awesome year and the new special edition, biannual<br />
issue of Fashion Xchange, “<strong>The</strong> Runway Rapport”-<br />
as we share, discuss and bring to you backstage access,<br />
runway images, designer interviews, and breaking news<br />
from the leading fashion shows of each season all in one<br />
issue!<br />
4 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Editor In Chief ROBERT SILVER<br />
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Behind THE <strong>Avant</strong><br />
Innovative. Daring. Ahead of its time. <strong>The</strong>se words are often used to<br />
describe the work of a handful of fashion designers that go against<br />
mainstream conventions to create something new. <strong>The</strong>se artists are<br />
known as the avant-garde. But what is avant-garde? It is a term often<br />
thrown around without understanding of it’s origin.<br />
By V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi<br />
<strong>Avant</strong>-garde originated as a military phrase.<br />
Literally translating to “advance guard” or<br />
“vanguard,” they were the small group of highlyskilled<br />
soldiers that went ahead of the main<br />
troops in battle. <strong>Avant</strong>-garde now speaks of progressive<br />
artists that like to push the envelope and change people’s<br />
perceptions of what is fashionable. Not surprisingly,<br />
social and political commentary are also made with these<br />
sartorial statements.<br />
In fashion, there are a handful of highly-skilled designers<br />
that stood at the forefront of their craft, illuminating the<br />
way for the rest of the fashion world to follow. <strong>The</strong>y took<br />
risks by using different materials, techniques, silhouettes<br />
and different directions entirely from what was done<br />
before. <strong>The</strong> following are five masters of <strong>Avant</strong>-garde<br />
fashion, and names worth knowing:<br />
GABRIELLE<br />
“COCO” CHANEL<br />
Although her designs aren’t radical by today’s standards,<br />
Chanel was a forward-thinking pioneer in the changes<br />
she made in women’s fashion. She helped eradicate<br />
the confining corset in the early 1900s, adopting a<br />
freer, more relaxed silhouette, made black acceptable<br />
for more than just mourning with her little black dress,<br />
and made costume jewelry chic. Chanel also elevated<br />
jersey fabric to a couture level, made pants de rigeur for<br />
women, and created the iconic Chanel suit - chic but<br />
also meant to offer ease of wear. Comfort became as<br />
important as style, and faux as essential as authentic.<br />
CHANEL<br />
ELSA<br />
SCHIAPARELLI<br />
This designer collaborated with other avant-garde<br />
artists in the 1930s, such as Jean Cocteau and Salvador<br />
Dali, to create outrageous garments like the lobster<br />
dress and shoe hat. Also creating forward-thinking<br />
garments on her own, Schiaparelli was the first to use<br />
rayon, Lurex fabrics, and tricked the eye with the first<br />
ever trompe l’oeil bow sweater. She dyed zippers that<br />
were used on the outside of clothing, used buttons in<br />
the shapes of snails, hands, and people, and introduced<br />
to the world the color “Shocking Pink.”<br />
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RUDI<br />
GERNREICH<br />
Starting in the 1960s, Gernreich<br />
designed completely out of the box,<br />
using bold colors and prints, vinyl and<br />
plastic as fabric, adding cutouts to<br />
garments, and shocking the world with<br />
a topless monokini bathing suit. In the<br />
vein of liberating women and liberating<br />
the body, the designer also created<br />
bodysuit-like garments that allowed<br />
for free movement. Gender roles were<br />
also freed sartorially, as Rudi Genreich is<br />
also credited with the concept of unisex<br />
clothing.<br />
KAWAKUBO<br />
REI<br />
KAWAKUBO<br />
Choosing to outright ignore the female<br />
shape, in the 1980s, Kawakubo made her<br />
Commes des Garçons (French for “like the<br />
boys”) clothing line more about the art<br />
being conveyed. Draped around the body<br />
in oversized, asymmetrical silhouettes, her<br />
clothing went so far as to be considered<br />
“anti-fashion.” Colors were mostly black,<br />
dark grey and white, there were unfinished<br />
edges, wrinkles and holes. Rei Kawakubo<br />
wanted to challenge the view of feminine<br />
beauty and work against the sexy looks<br />
permeating the runways, and in the process<br />
ushered in a new era of deconstructed cool.<br />
GERNREICH<br />
SCHIAPARELLI<br />
ALEXANDER<br />
MCQUEEN<br />
“<strong>The</strong> hooligan of English fashion” was a<br />
controversial character who brought an<br />
avant-garde edge to not only his clothing,<br />
but also to his outrageous fashion shows.<br />
Models became pawns in an oversized<br />
chess game, pretended to be electrocuted<br />
and robots sprayed dresses with color.<br />
Garments, tailored to perfection, featured<br />
digital prints, python lace, bones and<br />
human hair. McQueen, wanting to make<br />
the world look at things it didn’t want to<br />
MCQUEEN<br />
but needed to, used his garments to shock<br />
while making a social statement.<br />
Innovative. Daring. Ahead of its time.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se words are often used to describe<br />
the work of a handful of fashion designers<br />
that go against mainstream conventions<br />
to create something new. <strong>The</strong>se artists<br />
are known as the <strong>Avant</strong>-<strong>Garde</strong>. But what<br />
is <strong>Avant</strong>-garde? It is term often thrown<br />
around without an understanding of its<br />
origin.<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 7
Innovation: IIMUAHI<br />
From the land where web startups & technoligical innovation is born.<br />
BY CAITY SHREVE<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bay Area is a wellestablished<br />
center for<br />
technology and business.<br />
Home to some of the<br />
world’s largest tech<br />
giants like Twitter, Facebook, and<br />
Google. We’re known for nurturing<br />
start-up companies with incubator<br />
programs, helping develop innovative<br />
technology, and fostering creative<br />
talents across all fields.<br />
One of these recent exports is<br />
designer Elena Slivnyak – An original<br />
on all fronts – Precisely the type of<br />
talent the Bay Area is proud to support.<br />
Not only has this<br />
accomplished designer conquered the<br />
8 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine<br />
catwalks of New<br />
York Fashion Week<br />
and appeared on<br />
both Project Runway<br />
and Project Runway<br />
All Stars, but she’s<br />
achieved it on her<br />
own terms. With<br />
a client list that<br />
includes Lady Gaga,<br />
Tyra Banks, Debbie<br />
Harry, and Ciara, it<br />
would be easy for<br />
her to rest on her<br />
laurels. However, she<br />
continues to intrigue<br />
her growing fan base<br />
with innovative, bold<br />
new designs.<br />
In addition to<br />
a sportswear line –<br />
R2Wear – Elena has<br />
plans to conquer<br />
the menswear and<br />
accessories arenas.<br />
And if that wasn’t<br />
enough, she’s also<br />
producing one-ofa-kind<br />
costumes for<br />
the Hunger Games franchise and Cirque<br />
DuSoleil.<br />
Fashion Xchange got a chance<br />
to chat with this San Francisco-based<br />
designer about the future of IIMUAHI<br />
Couture, upcoming projects, and her<br />
thoughts on the US fashion industry.<br />
Q1: You’re an alumnus of AAU and<br />
have had the honor of being on<br />
Project Runway not once, but twice.<br />
What can you tell FX about yourself<br />
and your background that they may<br />
not already know?<br />
My first degree was in Product<br />
Development, which gave a perspective<br />
in to the business world. I am not<br />
particularly happy with fast fashion<br />
today, which pollutes our environment,<br />
and drives talented designers that<br />
actually produce quality fashion out of<br />
business. I know that I cannot keep up<br />
with this, so I’ve been taking a different<br />
approach to business. In the last year I<br />
opened doors to clients that want highend<br />
custom made designs, and have<br />
been fulfilling up to three orders per<br />
month, on mostly jackets, for men and<br />
women. Jackets are my thing and my<br />
true specialty.<br />
I have also been contracted to create<br />
unique costumes for the Hunger Games<br />
Mocking Jay film and I’m currently<br />
working with a Cirque DuSoleil type<br />
show as their costume designer. I love<br />
creating avant-garde fashion and plan to<br />
stick with it for the future. My ultimate<br />
goal is to be the go-to house for the<br />
film and entertainment industries. I’m<br />
launching my new collection entitled<br />
“Space Opera” in the next few months<br />
and really hope that it will open more of<br />
those doors for me.<br />
Q2: I’m a big fan of IIMUAHII’s eco and<br />
animal-friendly approach to fashion<br />
– How do you feel you differ from<br />
your peers in this respect? From your<br />
point of view, does this refreshing<br />
perspective impact your vision and<br />
your designs in the long run?<br />
I do not use fur, and most of the materials<br />
I prefer are man made. I only buy from<br />
suppliers that can prove that they are<br />
taking extreme measures to ensure the<br />
safety of our environment. I produce<br />
everything in-house and local, to ensure<br />
everything is environmentally healthy. I<br />
recently even went as far as restricting<br />
my hair and make-up team to only use<br />
cruelty free products when working with
me on set. I love animals and our planet,<br />
it is so remarkable the world we live in,<br />
and hope that one day people will wake<br />
up and start caring about every living<br />
creature and taking care of this gift that<br />
was given to us called Earth. I am just<br />
one person and I believe that all it takes<br />
is one person to influence everyone<br />
around you.<br />
Q3: IIMUAHII Couture has recently<br />
focused on new avant garde designs<br />
& costuming. What knowledge from<br />
your RTW experience are you holding<br />
onto as you head into this next<br />
chapter?<br />
I’m not completely done with ready<br />
to wear, I’m just waiting for the right<br />
opportunity to come along, where I<br />
will feel strong enough to take another<br />
shot. It’s not my first love so currently<br />
it’s on a back-burner. My ready to wear<br />
New York is definitely<br />
more fast-paced, which<br />
is not my cup of tea.<br />
New York designers<br />
also have a certain<br />
aesthetic that circulates<br />
in the air there, which<br />
is also not my cup of<br />
tea. <strong>The</strong>re are a lot<br />
more resources in NY<br />
definitely, but I believe<br />
that if you are good at<br />
what you do, you can<br />
be located anywhere you want and<br />
people will come to you. That is why I<br />
choose to stay in my favorite city in the<br />
world, SF.<br />
Q5: What advice would you offer to a<br />
new designer just embarking on their<br />
career in fashion? Any lessons you<br />
learned the hard way?<br />
Fashion design is not a joke and it’s a<br />
lot harder to make it than people think,<br />
I would say they need to be patient<br />
and persistent, they need to be able to<br />
take criticism and brush it off and keep<br />
going. You have to be tough and not<br />
let your failures get the best of you, and<br />
most of all practice your craft every day<br />
because that is the only way you will<br />
get better.<br />
end result is nothing short of art.<br />
This boundary-pushing designer is<br />
certainly one to keep an eye on in the<br />
future as she continues to produce<br />
new collections, features her designs in<br />
film, magazines, and on the stage, and<br />
pioneers a new approach to avant-garde<br />
couture.<br />
experience really taught me about the<br />
needs of different clients, what they like,<br />
what they are missing in stores and so<br />
on. I put this knowledge to use for my<br />
private clients, and I’m planning to use<br />
all of this knowledge when I do launch<br />
a ready-to-wear line sometime in the<br />
future.<br />
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some<br />
of the IIMUAHI pieces in person and<br />
they’re an eye-catching combination<br />
of sleek futuristic designs and intricate<br />
couture-level attention to detail. <strong>The</strong><br />
Q4: With your incredible background<br />
showing at Fashion Week, working<br />
on a television series, and launching<br />
your own company, you’ve had a<br />
chance to experience a great deal<br />
of what the fashion industry has<br />
to offer. What would you say the<br />
major differences are between<br />
San Francisco and New York for a<br />
designer?<br />
Photographers: Juan Zambrano & Stephen Wheller<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 9
THE<br />
TRANSITION<br />
OFSENSIBILITY<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY FILIP FILIPIAK<br />
10 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Model Ola K / SPOT Management<br />
Stylist & Makeup: Joanna Głowacka<br />
Art Director: Greg Red<br />
Jewelry: Viintage<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 11
12 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 13
HOW TO BECOME A<br />
THE NEW CELEBRITY<br />
BY HANNAH BE<br />
HAVE YOU EVER<br />
FLIPPED THROUGH<br />
YOUR FAVORITE<br />
MAGAZINE AND<br />
WONDERED WHO WAS<br />
BEHIND THE LOOKS<br />
OF YOUR FAVORITE<br />
MODEL. HAVE YOU<br />
EVER THOUGHT, HOW<br />
YOU COULD GET A JOB<br />
STYLING YOUR MOST<br />
ADMIRED CELEBRITY?<br />
DO YOU WORK HARD,<br />
HAVE A PASSION FOR<br />
FASHION, AND KNOW<br />
HOW TO NETWORK?<br />
WELL, IF YOU SAID YES<br />
TO ANY OR ALL OF<br />
THESE QUESTIONS,<br />
READ CAREFULLY AS I<br />
SHARE MY TIPS WITH<br />
YOU ON HOW TO<br />
BECOME A FASHION<br />
STYLIST - THE NEW<br />
CELEBRITY.<br />
First thing’s first. EDUCATION is key. Formal<br />
or informal training is ideal in this<br />
1<br />
field. Study patterns, color<br />
composition, fabrics and materials.<br />
Familiarize yourself with upcoming<br />
styles and trends. Learn cuts, styles, and<br />
what looks work well on different body<br />
types. Always know your fashion<br />
designers, but most importantly learn<br />
how to pronounce their names. You<br />
want to make the client feel confident<br />
that they chose you to represent their<br />
brand.<br />
FOLLOW<br />
<strong>The</strong>se<br />
STEPS<br />
2INTERN<br />
I know, I know,. Who wants to work<br />
for free? <strong>The</strong> answer is, YOU do. By<br />
interning you can get to know the<br />
fundamentals of the business. You will<br />
also have access on how the industry<br />
works from top to bottom, while<br />
gaining top notch connections. Once<br />
you have gained the training you<br />
need to get started, take your skill set<br />
to the next level, and get a paying gig.<br />
14 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
FASHION STYLIST<br />
3NETWORK<br />
You must NETWORK to get<br />
WORK. Go get yourself some<br />
professional business cards,<br />
and go mingle. Get to know<br />
the industry players, by<br />
going to events and socials.<br />
Connect with fashion<br />
designers, photographers,<br />
makeup, or hair artists. By<br />
connecting with these major<br />
behind the scene players, you<br />
will stay in the loop when new<br />
styling jobs come along.<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 15
4PORTFOLIO<br />
Since you’re new to the industry,<br />
developing a quality style portfolio will<br />
be the most important thing on this list.<br />
Hiring a style team of photographers,<br />
models, hair and makeup will be costly.<br />
You think, “how will I ever get a budget<br />
to get started?” Easy, it’s called trade<br />
for print. TFP or TFCD is a term used<br />
in the fashion industry to trade your<br />
style time, for the photographers prints<br />
or cd’s. When creating your portfolio<br />
make sure to show range in your style<br />
aesthetics. Add images of product<br />
placement, high fashion, or head shots<br />
to show variety in your styling. This way<br />
you can market yourself to an array of<br />
publishers.<br />
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5SUBMIT<br />
Once you have a quality portfolio,<br />
submit your work to different agencies<br />
and / or publications. When submitting,<br />
make sure you have permission from<br />
the photographer as they will own the<br />
copyright to the photo. Always accredit<br />
all that was involved in creating your<br />
looks.<br />
6<br />
REACH THE STARS<br />
By reaching for the stars, you need<br />
to out TO the stars. Connect with you<br />
favorite musician, actors or models.<br />
Find them on social media, or connect<br />
directly through their agents. Introduce<br />
yourself as a stylist, and send<br />
images of your work. If your style fits<br />
their brand you just may gain yourself<br />
some celebrity clientele.<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 17
profile<br />
CALIFORNIA<br />
FASHION<br />
ASSOCIATION<br />
PRESIDENT:<br />
ILSE METCHEK<br />
THE CALIFORNIA FASHION ASSOCIATION IS AN ORGANIZATION<br />
BORN OUT OF NECESSITY TO PROVIDE LEADERS OF THE<br />
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURING AND TEXTILE<br />
COMMUNITY ACCESS TO SHARING BUSINESS RELATIONS BOTH<br />
NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. “IT WASN’T SOMETHING<br />
THAT I DREAMED UP”, SAYS PRESIDENT OF THE CFA, ILSE<br />
METCHEK. BY IVANNA WOODS<br />
In 1994, there was a crisis entitled the El Monte Contracted Crisis, which stemmed from the Department of<br />
Labor finding a contracting shop that sub-contracted for other contrators involved in indentured servitude for<br />
seven years. <strong>The</strong> building had barbed wires around it and all. It became a national story covered worldwide<br />
which lead Los Angeles to be given the name of ‘the sweatshop capital of the world’ at the time. Mayor Reardon<br />
then called a roundtable of stakeholders because he didn’t want LA known for this absurdity.<br />
At this time, Metchek was the Manager at the California Mart and was also a stakeholder. <strong>The</strong> unified decision of<br />
the investors was to create an association to handle issues such as this and there is no such association like the<br />
California Fashion Association anywhere else that is about the business of doing business. “It was decided that<br />
what we needed was an association and a spokesperson to show after investigations that this abhorrent situation<br />
was an anomaly,” she explains. When it came time to vote on who would be that spokesperson, it was a unanimous<br />
decision that Ilse Metchek would be that voice.<br />
<strong>The</strong> mayor’s office provided seed money if the CFA could match the donation to get the association off the ground.<br />
<strong>The</strong> stakeholders were able to match the $75,000 donation with only five phone calls. And thus, the California<br />
18 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Fashion Association was born. <strong>The</strong>y became the spokesperson for an industry with no<br />
public money - they do not lobby for funds. Twenty years have passed and the CFA have<br />
gone from handling labor issues to international issues to the business of the business of<br />
the fashion industry. “We’re kind of like traffic cops”, Metchek says. “We have all the banks,<br />
accountants, attorneys, media, and major companies as members of our association. We<br />
are the conduit for everyone to know what’s going on within the business.”<br />
So again, the CFA was born out of necessity and is ‘necessary to gather significant statistics,<br />
on-going data, and instigate cooperative efforts with city, state and federal officials<br />
investigating on behalf of the apparel and textile industry at large.’ Some of the bigger<br />
challenges of today are the regulations and restrictions that are only in California.<br />
When asked what are some of the driving forces of the fashion industry today, Fashion Tech<br />
is indefinately a huge player. “Fashion Tech is the driver of fashion right now,” Metchek says.<br />
“Patternmakers and CAD is key. You can’t get a job without knowing how to CAD. 85% of<br />
what we make in California is designed in corporate offices but made somewhere else. In<br />
order to make something somewhere else, you have to have very good technical packages,<br />
called the Tech Pack. Every seam, every inch has to be described to detail. 3D printing is a<br />
great retail tool that is used in two ways. In retailing, it’s used so that you can see the front,<br />
back and all sides of a product and in the fitting room where you can see how a garment<br />
moves.”<br />
WE ARE THE<br />
CONDUIT FOR<br />
EVERYONE TO<br />
KNOW WHAT’S<br />
GOING ON<br />
WITHIN THE<br />
BUSINESS.<br />
Regarding the development of west coast fashion, Metchek says that we are bigger than<br />
the east coast. “<strong>The</strong>re are more people working in fashion and more companies than they<br />
have on the east coast. However, New York has the media and larger corporate equities.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are 6,000 companies in California - this is where trends happen without question. <strong>The</strong><br />
entire world comes to California to find out what’s the next best thing. In New York, they<br />
go to work on what’s IN fashion currently, but for the futuristic vision of what is happening,<br />
they come to California.” Apparently, there are new companies popping up all the time in<br />
California - and the LA Fashion Market is the mecca. In fact, ‘there are approximately 48-<br />
50,000 more people employed in the fashion industry than in New York.’<br />
THERE’S A<br />
DISCONNECT<br />
AT RUNWAY<br />
SHOWS.<br />
Simply put, the fashion industry in California is a leading force to be reckoned with. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
more Universities providing fashion design degrees and the like in California than any other<br />
state in the United States. Currently, there are nineteen design schools on the west coast - more<br />
than anywhere else in the world in such close proximity - and they are all under the umbrella as<br />
members of the California Fashion Association. Ilse Metchek’s advice is to fashion design graduates<br />
and aspiring / emerging designers is to learn the business first. “Get a job first”, she says. “Learn the<br />
business. Don’t immediately jump in as an entrepreneur. <strong>The</strong> one thing schools don’t teach is the<br />
business of fashion. <strong>The</strong>y teach fashion, but not how to make money at it. Learn how to evaluate<br />
the process and build a brand that’s sustainable,” Metchek advises.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are so many designers that decide to invest enormous amounts of money on fashion<br />
shows, to which Metchek finds to be useless. “<strong>The</strong>re is no return on investment. Any business<br />
that is putting up $200,000 for a fashion show isn’t guaranteed for buyers or any return on their<br />
investment. It’s friends and family. <strong>The</strong>re’s a disconnect at runway shows. Unless you’re showing<br />
where buyers are and showing them designs to go into stores - it’s a boring fashion show for the<br />
media,” she states. Overarchingly, runway shows always showcase the most outrageous designs -<br />
made for grand entrance, not what winds up at Macy’s or Nordstrom.<br />
It was a wonderful surprise to hear Ilse recognize Fashion Xchange Magazine for doing something<br />
that other magazines are not. “<strong>The</strong>re is no message coming directly out of California reporting on<br />
the business of fashion. Women’s Wear Daily doesn’t cover California other than the Hollywood<br />
scene. <strong>The</strong> Washington Post does not, nor the New York Times.” This resounding statement shows<br />
what an incredible niche market we at Fashion Xchange Magazine is enveloped in as a publication<br />
for emerging and established professionals that embody success in the fashion industry.<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 19
Live 2 Love art<br />
David Reposar<br />
By Ivanna Woods<br />
Hair styling is in<br />
Oakland native David<br />
Reposar’s DNA - he<br />
was destined to<br />
land in this career.<br />
Reposar has lived in<br />
major metropolitans<br />
throughout the<br />
country; from Los<br />
Angeles, New York, to<br />
San Francisco, Reposar<br />
is the perfect storm<br />
of talent and business<br />
savvy.<br />
He beholds a solid corporate business<br />
background and trained at the<br />
acclaimed Vidal Sassoon Academy in<br />
Los Angeles, otherwise known as the<br />
boot camp of hairdressing.<br />
Like most artists, his passion for<br />
styling hair stems from childhood. “It<br />
all started when I was a small child -<br />
my British Mum had very fine blonde<br />
hair. She wore all sorts of hair pieces<br />
that she hid in the closet on heads that<br />
stared at me when I opened the door.<br />
I would sneak them out and style and<br />
arrange them. Why was I able to style<br />
them up much better than her own<br />
stylist I ask!” David exclaimed. “<strong>The</strong>n<br />
there we’re those moments when the<br />
drama kids from high school would<br />
come over and I would cut their hair<br />
in the garage, it was a no brainer that<br />
this would someday turn into a career.<br />
I very much enjoyed making others<br />
look and feel great about themselves,<br />
it’s a great confidence builder.”<br />
accomplishments as a hair stylist<br />
wasn’t an easy question for David to<br />
answer, being in the profession for 25<br />
years. “I can honestly say that I have<br />
done just about everything in the<br />
hair business you can imagine. From<br />
owning a successful salon, mentoring<br />
others, Online Virtual Makeover Artist<br />
for Cosmopolitan, On Tour with P&G<br />
endorsing Vidal Sassoon Products at<br />
the consumer level, styling backstage<br />
at NYFW, creating editorial campaigns,<br />
music video and television with Lady<br />
Gaga, Born This Way Ball World Tour<br />
- Lady Gaga, voted Best Hair Stylist<br />
of 2013 by the San Francisco Fashion<br />
Awards, and Hulu press junket NYC.<br />
I am now getting heavily involved<br />
in Art Direction, concepts and ideas,<br />
fashion styling, hair and makeup. I<br />
have a dream of building my team<br />
of artists and tribes that deliver the<br />
utmost inspiring imagery! So you<br />
see, I am not by any means a ONE<br />
NOTE ARTIST but rather a FULL<br />
ORCHESTRA! Because after all, my<br />
20 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine<br />
Some of David’s proudest<br />
David Reposar
tag line is Live2LoveArt (L2LA)” David<br />
proclaims.<br />
David Reposar is a talent that knows<br />
no bounds. “I like to think of myself<br />
as an above the curve trendsetter. I<br />
don’t follow trends, I set them. It’s a<br />
thing, a knack that I have.... Maybe it’s<br />
intuition, maybe it’s that I don’t fit in<br />
the the box. It’s important for me as an<br />
artist to put my own spin on things....<br />
If you put too many restraints on me,<br />
and boundaries, the work becomes<br />
confined. I do my most brilliant work<br />
when I have no boundaries and I can<br />
make my ART! Everything disappears<br />
when I get to do my thing, time<br />
disappears, I get lost in the work.” he<br />
shares.<br />
Reposar expounds on how hair relates<br />
to personal style with, “Hair is a fiber,<br />
a texture, a fabric, it should be treated<br />
is to ‘know that you are getting into<br />
a career that requires you to be a<br />
caretaker, it is in our hearts and<br />
souls. If you are truly going to be a<br />
wonderfully successful stylist, you<br />
must do it because you love people.<br />
I casted a reality show once based<br />
on young aspiring hair stylists, and<br />
many wanted to get into the business<br />
because they wanted to do editorial<br />
and runway. It takes years of work,<br />
honing your craft, determination<br />
and learning the ropes. Study the<br />
masters, get a mentor and fasten your<br />
seatbelt!” he expresses.<br />
Some of the business goals in David’s<br />
future? “I am waiting on the green<br />
light to do a book on hair, so I am<br />
looking forward to building my<br />
presence in that space, because<br />
someday I wish to do a book on<br />
fashion. In the meantime my gift is<br />
doing my beautiful clients and styling<br />
gigs that are coming my way.”<br />
David Reposar is based out of North<br />
Beach and can find out more about<br />
him and book an appointment with<br />
him at<br />
Salon A7, 463 Union Street, San<br />
Francisco CA. 94133 415-603-2877<br />
davidreposarofficial.tumblr.com<br />
like a couture garment, sometimes<br />
it is forgotten and put low on the<br />
priority list. Someone might pay close<br />
attention to all the dressing details,<br />
like finding the right dress, shoe,<br />
handbag and lipstick, but completely<br />
ignore their hair. I do not understand<br />
this, your hair is your crowning glory,<br />
it is such an important part of who<br />
you are, how you represent yourself,<br />
how you carry yourself through<br />
the world, how you enter a room. A<br />
great hairstylist knows architecture,<br />
we study the face, the head shape,<br />
the bones....so many people live in<br />
fear of change, but if you could walk<br />
more confidently through the world,<br />
wouldn’t you be willing to try.”<br />
Advice he has for aspiring hair stylists<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 21
in<br />
living<br />
color<br />
Written by Alexa Palacios<br />
<strong>The</strong> world of fashion design is a<br />
continuous cycle of inspiration,<br />
innovation and creativity. Life<br />
and all that comes with living<br />
often serves as the most organic<br />
source of the art and creativity<br />
that designers bare to the<br />
surrounding world. <strong>The</strong>re is a<br />
certain connectivity and electric<br />
charge that these individuals<br />
breed during their creative<br />
processes, designer and creator<br />
extraordinaire Geetika Gupta,<br />
embodying that and more in<br />
her 20 plus years of lighting the<br />
industry up with her vibrancy and<br />
design aesthetic.<br />
Geetika Gupta hails from the capital of India,<br />
New Delhi, a country known for its intricacy in<br />
design, abundance of color, culture and beauty.<br />
Surrounded by an impenetrable family, Gupta<br />
was introduced to the world of design by her<br />
mother and grandmother through knitting and embroidery.<br />
“I learnt to knit and embroider by observing my<br />
mother and grandmother. Entertainment was limited when<br />
I was a child, and I sent a lot of my childhood drawing and<br />
painting and messing around with fabric, scissors and trims.”<br />
Maximizing her talents into a career was initially<br />
not a thought of Gupta’s. Following in the footsteps of her<br />
best friend senior year of High School, Gupta applied to the<br />
only design school in India that was highly competitive and<br />
was admitted. She began studying textile design and later<br />
transferred to design institution Nottingham Trent University<br />
in London.<br />
“Studying in India had taught me respect for the<br />
long and rich tradition of textiles and craft and studying in<br />
England developed my individual creativity and thought<br />
process.”<br />
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Following her graduation from design school,<br />
Gupta’s entrance in the professional design field was<br />
seemingly one of destiny. She met a highly noted Indian<br />
couturier and during conversation with him, discovered<br />
he was searching for a design assistant; she began working<br />
with him the next week.<br />
<strong>The</strong> design studio was one based on the production<br />
of utter luxury, serving the likes of princesses<br />
and brides with luxe materials such as silk, lace and<br />
organza,with golden printing and pearl embroidery.<br />
Gupta immediately excelled in the position<br />
with much credits to her knitting and embroidery background<br />
from her mother, grandmother and scholastic<br />
career and soon began solely running the design studio.<br />
Capitalizing on her talents in the professional<br />
field and a boost in the demand for product and in the<br />
Indian economy, Gupta in partnership with her sister,<br />
opened a children’s clothing company.<br />
“Around this time, my sister had a baby and I<br />
noticed that very little was available in the market. I took<br />
my first step as an entrepreneur, starting a children’s<br />
clothing company with my sister. We called it “Space<br />
Baby” and started in our parent’s garage with one machinist.”<br />
As the “Space Baby” business rapidly grew due<br />
to high demand, Gupta and her sister were able to employ<br />
30 people after two years and sold their designs to<br />
elite stores in India.<br />
With the success in her personal career, Gupta<br />
decided to “pay it forward” with the next generation<br />
of young designers and now teaches in San Francisco<br />
at the Art Institute of California. Amongst having the<br />
talent, she relays to her students that, “she believes that<br />
you have to prepare yourself by developing your skills<br />
and knowledge.”<br />
“I have been fortunate to work in many diverse<br />
areas of the fashion industry and now working with you<br />
people entering the industry. It’s a privilege to see the<br />
next generation of fashion professionals and helping to<br />
hone their skills and point of view.”<br />
Being a part of the fashion industry as a whole<br />
for over 20 years, Gupta has been a prime witness of the<br />
growth and changes due to the surge of technology<br />
and believes it to be a gift, but also has much room for<br />
growth and development production and ethics-wise.<br />
“Fast fashion disrupted the fashion industry<br />
by revolutionizing the supply chain. But, I would like to<br />
see these companies doing more than making cheap<br />
clothing, destined for land fills.”<br />
Gupta finds thrills in the “maker-movement”<br />
and in conscious consumers who inquire about the production<br />
of the product they invest in, in its entirety. <strong>The</strong><br />
constant change and transition in the industry and in<br />
products/trends distributed to the masses doesn’t leave<br />
much room or interest from the short-minded consumers<br />
we’ve become in true craftsmanship, which is the<br />
way of design in which Gupta has made her life’s work.<br />
As involved as ever in progressing the industry,<br />
along with her instructor duties, Gupta manages the<br />
Art Institute’s annual student fashion show along with<br />
noted show producer Michael Rosen and has developed<br />
this platform for students to display their talents to the<br />
masses, for the past few years.<br />
It seems as though breeding the next generation<br />
to experience the wealth of opportunity she has<br />
and pass on her craftsmanship techniques as well is a<br />
deeply rooted passion of Gupta’s. Keeping constantly<br />
inspired by being a self-proclaimed, “sensual person”<br />
who’s “deeply affected by color and texture” the basis of<br />
her experience in something that is a treasure to those<br />
who have the opportunity to experience it.<br />
Gupta states, ‘I’m constantly inspired by my students<br />
- their youthful energy, new ideas and changing<br />
style keep me fresh everyday!”<br />
Gupta’s journey will seemingly always be rooted in the<br />
vibrant colors she sees and breeds and the vigor she has<br />
for tradition and innovation simultaneously. Her experience<br />
is a treasure to the fashion market in San Francisco.<br />
Her parting advice for budding entrepreneurs<br />
in the industry is: “Dream big, but pay attention to the<br />
smallest detail. Play to your strengths, but know your<br />
weaknesses. You can’t do it alone, so get a team together.”<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 23
unway<br />
renegade<br />
Alexandria von Bromssen<br />
Bolts of fabric flew. Sewing machines whirled. Eyes rolled. Backs<br />
were stabbed. Nobody said being on Project Runway was easy,<br />
but Season 12 alum Alexandria von Bromssen showed the world<br />
her work, made her mark, and is now looking to the future.<br />
By V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi<br />
24 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
"I thought they were insane and really can't agree with them<br />
much," says von Bromssen about Project Runway judges Nina<br />
Garcia, Zac Posen and Heidi Klum. "Part of me wonders what<br />
they themselves were thinking as they said what was dictated<br />
to their little ear pieces. In real life, Heidi liked my stuff a lot,<br />
Nina did too, and (mentor) Tim Gunn said he never worried<br />
about me at all. As for Zac Posen, well, I really can't recall a<br />
word he said. I can listen but I really do trust my judgement."<br />
Alexandria's judgement on the show led to her<br />
almost win it all, coming in as runner-up, with edgy<br />
asymmetrical tops, perforated leather shorts and relaxed<br />
cropped pants. In fact, "edgy, modern and perfectly tailored"<br />
are words she uses to describe her design aesthetic. Asked to<br />
explain her mission statement, Alexandria uses words like<br />
timeless, empowering, armor and urban warrior princess. She<br />
mentions Lauren Bacall in the same breath as the characters<br />
of Bladerunner. She says her art "taps into a darker realm of<br />
humanity, statements only to be worn by those who dare to<br />
embrace their own inner beauty."<br />
Belgium, and it's most famous avant-garde<br />
designers-- the Antwerp 6-- proved to be a major design<br />
inspiration. "When I was getting my Masters, I flew to Europe<br />
and rented a car and drove north to Belgium from France and<br />
hung out in Antwerp for a bit. I got to see where Antwerp<br />
6 created amazing clothing. I went to their schools, their<br />
shops and roamed their streets. I was genuinely inspired by<br />
them and their surroundings, above all their ideology. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
somehow made it ok to be really crazy. Crazy and cool should<br />
coexist. Limitations suck."<br />
<strong>Avant</strong>-garde is something von Bromssen embraces,<br />
albeit in a less obvious way. "My take on the avant grade<br />
through my designs I feel is the direction of the construction,<br />
design lines, silhouette and overall attitude conveyed to<br />
represent an edge and modern approach to fashion," says the<br />
San Mateo, California resident. "<strong>The</strong>re is a timelessness to<br />
my pieces, like you can wear what I created seven years ago<br />
and it still looks cool. I think that an <strong>Avant</strong>-grade approach<br />
to design extends the length of it's modernity." A trend the<br />
designer sees as being avant-garde now is the current focus on<br />
androgyny. "I think it's cool."<br />
A place not synonymous with avant-garde perhaps<br />
is the Bay Area, but it is artistic, and seems to be a place that<br />
allows Von Bromssen to thrive. "<strong>The</strong> Bay Area has a lot going<br />
on and a very strong underground indie fashion scene, so<br />
there is an outlet," she states. "Although the proper outlet has<br />
yet to really present itself, one that actually creates a forum for<br />
the designers to expand themselves upon, the indie scene is<br />
prominent. It's like the Wild West. People just go for it here."<br />
However, she is reminded of the area's limitations.<br />
"On the opposite spectrum, I am bored to death here<br />
and use that time to create." Currently, San Mateo is<br />
where von Bromssen has her Red Square Boutique (www.<br />
redsquareboutique.bigcartel.com) as well as Camp Couture<br />
(www.thecampcouture.com), a fashion and sewing school for<br />
all ages.<br />
More avant-garde places sometimes beckon. "Paris<br />
does sound far more intriguing than here a lot of the time, like<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 25
wearing six inch wedges wouldn't freak people out in Paris.<br />
It's expected. I wish that people would understand that<br />
ideology here. So I aim to be an influencer and lead those<br />
that need a direction. <strong>The</strong> Bay Area is really great. It's just<br />
high time to burn the yoga pants."<br />
Eschewing mass producing<br />
to either make her garments herself<br />
or have them locally made, von<br />
Bromssen is still going full steam<br />
ahead with her business. Alexandria<br />
von Bromssen Designs will venture<br />
into menswear, knitwear, and<br />
accessories. "I showed my menswear<br />
and womenswear this past February<br />
14 at LoveSick, a fashion show I<br />
produce. I invite local designers<br />
together to make a fun fashionable<br />
night. It's an awesome event and I do<br />
my best to create a forum for us locals<br />
to show. I have a charity fashion show<br />
this spring through an organization called Parka.<br />
HouseofAVB.com, my online store, will launch<br />
on Valentines Day as well. I guess that is what I have been<br />
up to and all the little creations on that page. I will be<br />
uploading new things to the site all the time and it's all<br />
limited in quantity. Camp Couture will now be in multiple<br />
cities.<strong>The</strong> expansion has begun! I am thrilled about this."<br />
Alexandria von Bromssen may<br />
have been on TV, but she doesn't<br />
want that to define her or her work.<br />
"I was awesome before and my best<br />
is yet to come. I have a lot of say. I<br />
have mad passion for this life I have<br />
created and it's a really cool part I<br />
get to play." For those looking to<br />
follow in her fashion footsteps? "You<br />
have to love what you do, because<br />
it is hard and if shit doesn't pan out<br />
that way we all think it should or<br />
would, at least you have your love<br />
of the art itself. Also, be good, like<br />
know your medium well. Be critical<br />
of your work, refine your artistic eye,<br />
and then, create your reality. I did."<br />
26 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
lluvy gomez<br />
Beyond America’s<br />
Next Top Model<br />
WRITTEN BY IVANNA WOODS<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROBERT SILVER<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 27
BEING ON A REALITY<br />
TELEVISION SHOW AS<br />
TRANSFORMATIVE<br />
TO ONE’S CAREER<br />
AS AMERICA’S NEXT<br />
TOP MODEL MAY<br />
CATAPULT OR CURB A<br />
MODEL’S CAREER - AND<br />
LLUVY GOMEZ WAS<br />
DETERMINED TO MAKE<br />
HER INDELIBLE MARK IN<br />
THE INDUSTRY.<br />
Born in Mexico City, Gomez<br />
moved to San Francisco<br />
at three years old and<br />
began modeling at 12. Her<br />
first modeling gig was for<br />
Aveda in San Francisco and continued to<br />
model until she was accepted on ANTM<br />
Cycle 4 when she was 20.<br />
Although Lluvy did not take<br />
home the ‘grand prize’, without a doubt<br />
did she take home some amazing<br />
insight from the fashion moguls that<br />
were her the creative directors, photographers,<br />
makeup artists and of course,<br />
from Ms. Tyra Banks. She can still hear<br />
their voices in her head; with Janice<br />
Dickinson exclaiming: ‘Any experience is<br />
good experience. Fake it ‘til you make it!’<br />
Tyra counseling: ‘Practice, in the mirror!!<br />
A lot!!’ and Nigel Barker recommending:<br />
‘Always find your light’. <strong>The</strong>se are great<br />
tips provided from some of the top<br />
moguls in the industry - true gems of<br />
fashion knowledge.<br />
When asked about how<br />
America’s Next Top Model affected her<br />
career, Gomez shares: “Honestly, in the<br />
beginning it was a bit of a hindrance,<br />
agencies wanted to put is in their<br />
celebrity division. Reality TV was still<br />
somewhat new when I was on ANTM.<br />
Now, I believe it has given my career<br />
more longevity. And I love all the fans of<br />
ANTM. It’s amazing how many times a<br />
month I still get recognized!”<br />
Beyond Top Model, one of her<br />
goals as a model has been to be able<br />
to express herself creatively through<br />
her work, an accomplishment she met<br />
while on ANTM and beyond - one of her<br />
proudest accomplishments! “Modeling<br />
on the Tyra Show for Beyoncé’s House of<br />
Dereon was fun! I always feel honored to<br />
walk for my friend and designer Richard<br />
Hallmarq from Project Runway. Having<br />
the pleasure to model with my children<br />
has been amazing too!”, Gomez shares.<br />
Advice she has for aspiring models?<br />
“Go for your dreams!! But also do your<br />
homework and know that it’s going to<br />
take thick skin and hard work. Know<br />
your angles, and study your face/body<br />
in the mirror.”<br />
Some of her fashion goals<br />
for the future include revamping her<br />
jewelry line she started a couple years<br />
back and had to put it on hold. “I would<br />
love to get that up and going this year<br />
again. Also, I would love to incorporate<br />
Creative Director, Ivanna Woods<br />
Hair, Timberly Gwan Kerby<br />
Makeup, Naomi Azure<br />
a mommy and me line too.” Lluvy has a<br />
great platform to stand on to take her<br />
in any direction her heart desires in the<br />
fashion industry and a wealth of knowledge<br />
from life experience as a model - a<br />
great standpoint to have when taking<br />
your career to the next level as she is<br />
doing.<br />
Readers can find out more<br />
about Lluvy Gomez and her work on<br />
social media on Facebook.com/lluvygomez<br />
and Instagram at Instagram.com/<br />
lluvy<br />
28 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Whimsical harlequin inspired gown made of tie<br />
scraps. bits of lambswool and Victorian jet beads.<br />
A one of a kind design created by Janay Rose, <strong>The</strong><br />
Window Lady.<br />
She can still hear their voices in her head; with<br />
Janice Dickinson exclaiming: ‘Any experience is good<br />
experience. Fake it ‘til you make it!’ Tyra counseling:<br />
‘Practice, in the mirror!! A lot!!’ and Nigel Barker<br />
recommending: ‘Always find your light’.<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 29
Vintage jacket, feathered hat, socks<br />
and men’s vintage shoes. Sleeve<br />
collar, ruffle bustle skirt made from<br />
neckties, lace and critter.<br />
Hair, Timberly Gwan Kerby<br />
Makeup, Naomi Azure<br />
30 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Magazine gown, designed by<br />
Christina Morgan Cree<br />
Hair, Timberly Gwan Kerby<br />
Makeup, Jacey Sheets<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 31
Tulip gown, designed by Christina<br />
Morgan Cree.<br />
Hair, Timberly Gwan Kerby<br />
Makeup, Jacey Sheets<br />
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Wild Souls dress designed by<br />
Mariya Milovidova<br />
Hair, Timberly Gwan Kerby<br />
Makeup, Jacey Sheets<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 33
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oc<br />
rio designs<br />
Photographed by Robert Silver<br />
Hair & Make Up by Nicolette LaFranchi<br />
LE RICKIE DELIVERS A TOUCH OF CLASS<br />
& ELEGANCE WITH A MODERN EDGE. HIS<br />
READY TO WEAR COLLECTION DISPLAYS<br />
A REBELIOUS NATURE FOR ANYONE<br />
LOOKING TO BE DARING IN BLACK.<br />
RocRio little black dress.<br />
Satin Shantung Crepe<br />
plunging vneck combined with<br />
black faux fur skirt Retail: $125.09<br />
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RocRio Men’s black faux leather<br />
side zip frock vest. Retail: $75 .<br />
Black sketch cotton skinny pant $55
RocRio High waist denim<br />
drop crotch pant . Retail. $95.<br />
Black sleeveless button up shirt $60<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 37
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RocRio High Collar Men’s vest : Retail $150.<br />
Purple button up long sleeve shirt $65.<br />
Denim harem Capri pant $70<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 39
on the cutting edge<br />
Ken Chen is a Taipei, Taiwan native. He describes Taipei, Taiwan as an<br />
island in the center of Asia that has amazing cultural diversity. Ken<br />
Chen shares his connection with his hometown saying, “Growing up<br />
I was very excited and inspired by the cutting edge technology that<br />
has been incorporated into the city but there is also untouched, almost<br />
fantasy-like, natural sights. It’s very condensed so there’s a huge<br />
focus on efficiency that I think I really absorbed into my lifestyle.“<br />
By Bria Anderson<br />
Ken Chen shares his connection with<br />
his hometown saying, “Growing up<br />
I was very excited and inspired by<br />
the cutting edge technology that has been<br />
incorporated into the city but there is also<br />
untouched, almost fantasy-like, natural sights.<br />
It’s very condensed so there’s a huge focus on<br />
efficiency that I think I really absorbed into<br />
my lifestyle.“When Ken Chen was growing up,<br />
his grandmother introduced fashion to him.<br />
He shared, “She was always very stylish and<br />
saw that I also had a sense of style even as a<br />
young boy. She taught me the importance<br />
of simplicity and quality as well. <strong>The</strong>n I was<br />
wearing Saint Laurent but the luxury was<br />
not impressed upon me as much as the<br />
craftsmanship and details.”<br />
He also shared that the main force behind his<br />
brand KENCHEN is impatience. As far as the<br />
development of the brand he said, “I knew<br />
how I wanted to present it and I felt very<br />
strongly about the standards and aesthetics<br />
of a small luxury brand so I just started very<br />
simply. Step by step as I learned more about<br />
the fashion business it grew. In a lot of ways<br />
owning a company helped prepare me for<br />
school projects rather than the other way<br />
around.” Ken Chen is inspired by the general<br />
40 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine<br />
inspiration that comes to him in every event,<br />
no matter how small. As far as inspiration,<br />
he also expresses that it is a matter of paying<br />
attention to the details and those fine<br />
elements that make things work together<br />
so well. When creating the collections at<br />
KENCHEN, seeing the initial concept come to<br />
life is his most rewarding part of the process.<br />
He shared his enjoyment saying, “When I sit<br />
back and see the piece as a garment and not<br />
all the effort that went into it. After all, that<br />
is why I feel the need to design: to take these<br />
things I image out of my head and find a<br />
way to put them together. As you get more<br />
efficient at the process you start to wonder<br />
what else you can take out of your head.”<br />
Ken Chen loves functionality and making<br />
beautiful things simple. He feels that,<br />
“Sometimes you need to take extra steps to<br />
simplify the final product but the end result<br />
is the moment when you can take a breath<br />
and see it not as “yours” but just as something<br />
that exists.” His favorite piece from his recent<br />
collection is the Euclid coat. When receiving<br />
his first sale, Ken Chen described the moment<br />
as a feeling of validation! Ken Chen would<br />
love to have his pieces sold at Neiman Marcus<br />
due to his consistently great experiences<br />
[continued on pg. 43]
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[continued from page 40]<br />
there. In the future he sees himself relocating his brand KENCHEN back to NYC to build the business<br />
further. During the journey of developing as a designer, Ken Chen remembers that you must believe in<br />
yourself no matter what and be confident first. Second, don’t over-think things and never stop. Third,<br />
that the moments you have while building and constantly working is important for growth. Lastly, he<br />
remembers that whenever there is a chance, just go for it and when there is a vision, make it a reality. As<br />
far as the world of the fashion as a whole, he loves the constant change, risk, and challenge. We must<br />
stay tuned to the new collection from Ken Chen as it caters towards boutiques through out the country<br />
and beyond rather then the KENCHEN stores alone.<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 43
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(current page) Janay Rose -<br />
Vintage jacket; feather hat; socks and men’s<br />
vintage shoes. Sleeve collar, ruffle bustle<br />
skirt made from neck ties, lace and critter by<br />
Janay Rose<br />
(popposite page) <strong>The</strong> Window Lady Neck<br />
collar made from a jacket sleeve faux<br />
leopard fur and handmade antique lace.<br />
One of a kind design all recycled and seems<br />
by Janay Rose $45<br />
46 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Janay Rose<br />
Pieces of a Masterpiece<br />
If you’ve ever interrupted your routine power walk to work or daily errand running to stop and<br />
admire an enticing, unorthodox, and creative shop window, you may have already met Bay<br />
Area legend, Janay Rose! Written by Rachel Riot | Photographed by Robert Silver<br />
Janay, also<br />
known as<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Window<br />
Lady”, is a<br />
true master<br />
of her craft, and<br />
acquired her title<br />
during her 19 year<br />
career as a window<br />
dresser around the<br />
Bay Area. She hand<br />
crafted eye catching<br />
displays for local<br />
shops including<br />
Mar’s in Berkley,<br />
Sparky’s Trading Co.,<br />
Held Over, and all<br />
the Wasteland stores<br />
in Los Angeles and San Francisco. No two windows were ever<br />
the same, and because she never incorporated text to explain<br />
her vision, it was up to the curious onlookers to interpret<br />
the scene. Her windows were notable for their historical<br />
and social influences, subtle humor, and the unique use and<br />
re-use of props and mannequins to ensure a completely<br />
different visual story each time. Her artistic process as a<br />
window dresser has gracefully spilled over in to the creation<br />
of her clothing line. Over the last 12 years, she has been hand<br />
crafting one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories, and just like<br />
her windows, no two garments are ever the same. Each piece<br />
is beautifully hand tailored and detailed to perfection with<br />
echoes of inspiration from vintage eras of costume.<br />
As a strong advocate for recycling, the only new<br />
material Janay uses to create each piece is the thread! She<br />
upcycles and repurposes vintage clothing, antique quilts,<br />
handmade lace, neckties, doilies, and pretty much anything<br />
you can think of. She sincerely finds the treasure in what<br />
society has labeled as trash. Her idea of tidying up her<br />
sewing room is to tediously stitch every tiny scrap of fabric<br />
on the floor together to create one of her signature and<br />
very intricate patchwork dresses! She has built such a strong<br />
following among the community, that many of her clients<br />
and fellow artists donate fabric and old clothing to her.<br />
“People bring me materials all the time for free or<br />
trade. <strong>The</strong>y have<br />
seen what I can<br />
do with a pile of<br />
scrap and send<br />
wonderful things<br />
my way! I feel<br />
very lucky.”<br />
Even<br />
her eccentric<br />
workspace<br />
illustrates her<br />
dedication to<br />
repurposing<br />
and recycling<br />
used items. She<br />
bounces back and<br />
forth between<br />
a whimsical<br />
workspace that acts as a sanctuary to her homemade<br />
boat, travelling shop, and extensive collection of gorgeous<br />
antiques, and her relaxing home tucked away in the woods.<br />
Her world is a beautiful place in which nothing ever goes to<br />
waste! I was fortunate enough to have a chance to explore<br />
the amazing travelling shop she created inside an old school<br />
bus, and get a glimpse in to her incredible kingdom of<br />
upcycled treasures. All of the furniture and fixtures that I<br />
“People bring me materials all<br />
the time for free or trade. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
have seen what I can do with a<br />
pile of scrap and send wonderful<br />
things my way! I feel very lucky.”<br />
could see were antiques, and on the rare occasion that an<br />
item happened to be store bought, it was a vintage item.<br />
Since we live in a society that worships fast, cheap,<br />
mass produced fashion, Janay’s price point is often brushed<br />
away as “too expensive”, but her pricing is extremely<br />
reasonable considering the tedious and intricate work that<br />
goes in to hand crafting each garment. Her hats, collars, and<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 47
vests are her quicker items, and average about an hour each to cut and sew, however, these pieces are still extremely unique<br />
and unlike anything you’ll ever find in a store. Her more elaborate clothing pieces can take up to a week of sewing 10 hours<br />
a day. <strong>The</strong> most extravagant dress she ever made took a week and a half to finish, and sold for $950.00. That seems like a<br />
lot of money until you look at the price range of the not-so-handmade and definitely not one-of-a-kind designer fashion<br />
that decorates the streets of New York and L.A. Janay is very passionate about her work, and wants her wearable art to be<br />
affordable for the average person.<br />
“It’s a labor of love,” she explains, “sometimes I just have to put the beautiful garments out into the world no matter<br />
what hourly wage I end up making.”<br />
Whether you are young or old, goths, bohemians, punks or nerds, Janay welcomes people from all different walks of<br />
life to rock her designs! She sees her style as a state of mind, and does not pin point a specific demographic. She creates her<br />
clothing for people who will love and appreciate it no matter what their age or background is. Her inspiration branches from<br />
her experience working in costumes and the unique materials she finds. She purposely avoids fashion trends on TV or in<br />
magazines and believes in creating what she loves rather than what’s popular. Due to the historical influence of her clothing,<br />
her line is usually mistakenly labeled as “Steampunk”, but in a sea of mass produced and overdone mainstream Steampunk<br />
trends, she prefers to separate her work with the much more appropriate description of “<strong>Avant</strong>e <strong>Garde</strong>”. Her pieces are hardly<br />
ever sewn from patterns, and she strives to stay open minded and spontaneous while she designs unless she has a very<br />
specific vision of the garment she’s creating. Her line truly offers something for everyone, and she even styles a lot of her<br />
pieces to be androgynous to welcome and celebrate even more diversity among her patrons.<br />
Janay lives by a beautiful and simple way of life that should be adopted by the whole world.<br />
“Whatever comes is a blessing and my mind is open.” She stated, and went on to explain that even though she<br />
may not “make it big” as a designer, the value of hand crafting and keeping a personal connection with each of her pieces<br />
outweighs the possibility of fame. “My hands sew each piece, and each one is one-of-a-kind.”<br />
She keeps the expectations of herself and her business low, and rather than setting her future plans in stone, she<br />
appreciates every blessing the universe sends her way equally and goes with the flow. One thing she is absolutely sure of<br />
is that she will never stop sewing. As a child she often dreamt about<br />
creating beautiful theme room motels like the famous Madonna Inn, and<br />
hopes to obtain that goal by age 70. If you’ve seen the genius of what<br />
this extraordinary woman can create with the confined space of a shop<br />
window or a jumbled pile of discarded scraps, it’s hard to not get overly<br />
excited about the magnificent and endless possibilities she’ll have with<br />
an entire motel!<br />
Janay inspires the world with her artistry and her sustainable<br />
way of life. While others carelessly toss everyday items into the trash,<br />
she is rapidly thinking up different ways to breathe new life into each<br />
discarded pile and create something beautiful and useful with it. Her<br />
humble soul shines through each of her creations. She appreciates the<br />
world just as it is, and surrounds herself with nature to infuse her artwork<br />
with organic elements. Every tiny scrap of fabric that she pieces together<br />
represents her philosophy that all of life’s little moments will fall in to<br />
place, and that everything happens for a reason. Each one-of-a-kind<br />
piece she sews illustrates the way she takes her time to enjoy every life<br />
experience to the fullest. If humanity spent even a fraction of the time<br />
and energy that Janay spends recycling and repurposing the trash of the<br />
world, waste would virtually be a thing of the past!<br />
To see more of Janay’s stunning work, visit her Facebook page at<br />
www.facebook.com/<strong>The</strong>WindowLady and shop her Etsy store at www.<br />
etsy.com/shop/thewindowlady. She can also be found at many Bay Area<br />
events including the flea market she hosts every first Saturday of the<br />
month at her awesome workspace at the 5th Avenue Marina located<br />
at 499 Embarcadero Street in Oakland. Handmade couture fashion is a<br />
dying art! Visit Janay to support local and independent design, and also<br />
to experience seeing her breathtaking pieces up close and personal!<br />
Janay Rose - the window lady hooded capelet made<br />
from 1840's overshot coverlet blanket from 1840's,<br />
1940's Japanese indigo denim and recycled rabbit<br />
fur. <strong>The</strong> window lady one of a kind hand stitched all<br />
recycled doily dress (worn under skirt). $360 Hat by<br />
Jaco Drift Stitcher by Jaco<br />
48 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine<br />
Creative Director, Ivanna Woods<br />
Hair, Timberly Gwan Kerby<br />
Makeup, Naomi Azure
“It’s a labor of love,”<br />
she explains, “sometimes<br />
I just have to put<br />
the beautiful garments<br />
out into the world no<br />
matter what hourly<br />
wage I end up making.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> window lady bustle:<br />
made out of recycled<br />
neckties, crochet doilies, fur<br />
bits. One of a kind design<br />
worn like a belt. All sewn by<br />
the hands of Janay Rose<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 49
ONE OF A KIND COUTURE<br />
Photography by Robert Silver<br />
Make Up by Adrianna Reloba<br />
Hair by Timberly Kerby<br />
50 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Christina Morgan Cree - "Plastic<br />
Lace"- Gown of recycled plastic<br />
soda can rings. Choker, bracelet and<br />
earrings of recycled metal can tabs.<br />
www.cmcdesignsco.com<br />
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Christina Morgan Cree<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Paillette Dress”<br />
www.cmcdesignsco.com<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 53
About A Woman<br />
Anastasia Bachykala<br />
Anastasia Bachykala, originally from Belarus, identifies herself as a<br />
fashion illustrator and designer with a fine art background. Based on<br />
her work and her background, I’d say, she is fashion, she is art and<br />
she most definitely is a force to be reckoned with.<br />
by Christina Mitchell-Lesser | Art Illustration by Anastasia Bachykala<br />
54 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine<br />
Art by Anastasia Bachykala entitled, “Wild”
She IS FASHION<br />
SHE IS ART<br />
<strong>The</strong> first thing that comes to mind with<br />
Anastasia and her artwork is timeless<br />
beauty. With innovative drawings that<br />
provoke thought and an appreciation<br />
for detail. “Plus, in art there is no formula<br />
of success to teach, one plus one can be<br />
anything but two,” Anastasia said. You see, not<br />
only is her work beautiful but some would say<br />
her views on art run deeper than the average<br />
mind can conceive. She really just takes you<br />
there. When asked how Anastasia got started in<br />
Fashion Illustration, here’s what she said, “Since<br />
early childhood, I was addicted to watching<br />
and collecting fashion images. At the age of 14 I<br />
modeled for the first time. By the time I was 21 I<br />
started doing art direction by producing fashion<br />
photo and video shoots. In 2014 I became more<br />
interested in fashion illustration because it goes<br />
beyond realism of photography and unlimited<br />
possibilities.” This is quite the resume for Ms.<br />
Anastasia and it’s only the tip of the iceberg.<br />
Although, Anastasia had not previously<br />
drawn before, her creations would leave you<br />
thinking she had been drawing for years. But,<br />
she felt something was missing, so she spoke<br />
with her mentor, art director (who she deems<br />
her “art father”), Roland Young, teacher at the<br />
Academy of Art University in San Francisco.<br />
Roland recommended that she draw from live<br />
models and learn anatomy. “That was it. Since<br />
September of 2014, I took a charcoal in my hand<br />
and a whole new world opened up for me. I<br />
found a whole new meaning to life,” Anastasia<br />
said. From then on, she studied graphic design,<br />
typography, photography, advertising, fashion<br />
and eventually drawing. How inspiring is this?!<br />
It just goes to show you that putting your mind,<br />
body and soul into your craft can create a space<br />
where you live out your dreams! Simply, untouchable!<br />
Currently, Anastasia studies at City<br />
College of San Francisco and in bay area studios.<br />
Anastasia said, “I also study a lot on my own. I<br />
believe that self-education is the only way to<br />
absorb knowledge in any field, even while<br />
Art by Anastasia Bachykala entitled, “Line”<br />
attending school. And, when you’re out there in the real world, all clients<br />
really care about is your work and style.” I’d say that’s pretty real<br />
and to the point, don’t you think? This is my kind of girl! It’s like saying,<br />
I know my craft inside and out, I have amazing work ethic and my<br />
style will keep you coming back for more! When asked, what things or<br />
people give her inspiration, Anastasia shared that she is most definitely<br />
inspired by her mentor and “art father,” Roland Young, who can<br />
make any artwork look its best. For fine art work, she is equally influenced<br />
by fine artists, photographers and some illustrators. Her fashion<br />
illustration influencers are: Albers, Picasso, Matisse and Giacometti.<br />
Irving Penn and Richard Avedon are her favorite photographers. For<br />
fashion illustrators, she is inspired by Rene Bouche, Rene Gruau and<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 55
Art by Anastasia Bachykala entitled, “Makeup”<br />
David Downton. And, it was no surprise that Anastasia, a<br />
deep rooted artist, attends museums, art exhibits, events<br />
and dance performances to inspire her in her craft – Fashion<br />
Illustration and beyond!<br />
To add to Anastasia’s view and love of all things<br />
art, she says, she wants to marry fashion and fine art in<br />
her work. She breaks free of tradition and boundaries by<br />
creating art that has a history yet speaks to a modern crowd<br />
of innovators. Anastasia feels that people are so used to<br />
graphics and commercial illustrations without ever going to<br />
places like a museum to incorporate their art vision. “In my<br />
work, I try to deal with complex human form simply and directly<br />
so I can complete all the thinking, and the viewer can<br />
just feel the essence of the subject,” Anastasia said. Anastasia<br />
offers the following advice to anyone who is an aspiring<br />
fashion illustrator trying to break into the industry:“Remove<br />
average understanding, don’t join the crowd, don’t hide<br />
what you like and cancel weekends,” she said.<br />
In 2015, those in the fashion industry and the likes<br />
can look forward to Anastasia putting on events where<br />
guest of the evening can get their portrait drawn, fashion<br />
illustration style. She is also excited to be doing art direction<br />
for fashion photo shoots, possibly teaching workshops<br />
and producing short films. Collaborations are in place with<br />
Buro247, a popular fashion and art news website by fashion<br />
leader, Mira Duma. Both are planning to expand their work,<br />
together.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are lots of exciting things happening in the<br />
fashion industry. I like to say, it’s like a huge staircase - you<br />
sometimes have difficulty climbing, but you climb it anyway.<br />
Because fashion and design is always changing and<br />
so is your style, and your style is your way of expression.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, fashion for many, is freedom!<br />
Art by Anastasia Bachykala entitled, “Khrystyana” & “Trust” (lower right)<br />
56 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
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Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 57
plague:<br />
best<br />
emerging<br />
designer<br />
Maricella<br />
Olague<br />
Her petite frame is clad in a minimal head-to-toe black ensemble,<br />
clothing designed to take a backseat to the eye-catching drama<br />
of the assorted accessories. A chin-length bright green bob with<br />
blunt-cut bangs is topped with an oversized black velvet bowadorned<br />
headband featuring an oversized silver skull. Colorful<br />
crystals decorate her forehead, catching the overhead lights as she<br />
moves. Bold, sweeping black liquid liner gives her large, luminous<br />
eyes an intriguing feline quality. Crimson lips stretch into a smile<br />
as she raises the palm-sized, rectangular Best Emerging Designer<br />
award while the crowd goes wild around her.<br />
BY CAITY SHREVE<br />
58 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
PHOTO BY PETE HOPKINS<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 59
This was the scene at the recent San Francisco Fashion<br />
Awards as Maricella Olague took home the coveted<br />
new-designer-on-the-block honor. Getting to this point<br />
wasn’t an easy or straight path for the designer though, and<br />
like any milestone worth achieving, this award was earned<br />
through hard work, dedication, and serious creative drive.<br />
After realizing her desire to pursue a career in fashion,<br />
Maricella left UCSC and moved to San Francisco to study first<br />
at FIDM, and then at the Academy of Art University, from<br />
where she’ll graduate with a second degree in Spring 2016.<br />
I’ve had the honor of watching Maricella’s creative<br />
development from the sidelines since San Francisco Fashion<br />
Week in September 2013 where she sent feathers,<br />
leather, and lace down the runway. <strong>The</strong>re was a high-collared<br />
feathered cape with a black satin bow closure that sent me<br />
straight backstage to introduce myself as soon as the show’s<br />
final model disappeared behind the curtain.<br />
Dresses and outerwear have made up the bulk of the recent<br />
Olague collections, though the S/S 2015 collection, entitled<br />
Plague, which she showed at the San Francisco Fashion<br />
Awards ceremony in January, featured headwear as well.<br />
Plague, as its name aptly suggests, is a dark, deeply<br />
dramatic collection of pieces that truly showcases the<br />
designer’s ability to combine materials and fabrics with<br />
outstanding results. Black leather fringe decorated cropped<br />
capes and high-necked bodycon dresses done in swirling<br />
blue and purple prints. A particularly memorable dress<br />
was wrought in a close-cropped shimmery green metallic<br />
fabric that brought to mind a futuristic aquatic deity as the<br />
golden-tressed model slunk down the catwalk. Broad, flattopped<br />
black fringed hats straight from a Renaissance minstrel’s<br />
ballad were the perfect punctuation, simultaneously<br />
highlighting and grounding the intensity of the fearless<br />
designs.<br />
After the celebration of her win, Fashion Xchange sat down<br />
with the optimistic and cheerful designer to chat about her<br />
future in the fashion industry, personal style, and her<br />
signature beauty look.<br />
FX: You recently won the Best Emerging Designer award<br />
at the San Francisco Fashion Awards and showcased your<br />
new<br />
collection – What was the best part of the evening for<br />
you?<br />
O: Being at the awards show was an awesome reunion to<br />
wrap up the year. Between showcasing my S/S 2015 Plague<br />
collection and hanging out with friends & supporters,<br />
winning Best Emerging Designer came as a huge surprise! It<br />
was unbelievable. I remember frantically trying to get all my<br />
models dressed for the lineup and then all of a sudden<br />
hearing my name being called. I had no clue I even had a<br />
chance with all of the other talents in the running. It was<br />
a humbling experience, and the amount of love I got was<br />
something that made the night absolutely perfect. Thank<br />
you to everyone who came out and those who voted!<br />
FX: 2014 was a big year for the Olague brand – What is<br />
your top goal for 2015?<br />
Photo of model Nicole Bonifacio wearing a cape &<br />
dress designed by Maricella Olague taken by Robert<br />
Silver; hair & makeup by Nicolette LaFranchi<br />
O: I'm stoked for 2015. My main goal is to OFFICIALLY launch<br />
my label, Olague, by the end of the year, and build it here<br />
in San Francisco before moving my business to New York<br />
in 2016 when I finish school. This coming August I'll be in<br />
Tokyo, mostly for pleasure, but I’m planning to make time to<br />
meet with local manufacturers as well.<br />
FX: What runway shows and events are you hoping to<br />
participate in during 2015?<br />
O: I've been approached to showcase at Mercedes Benz<br />
Fashion Week in New York this Fall which would be a dream<br />
come true. I've also been asked to show at Mercedes Benz<br />
60 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Runway Photos by Robert Silver<br />
Fashion Week in Houston, and if I can secure the necessary<br />
financing, I’d love to participate in both! 2015 is<br />
going to be my year of travel so I'm hoping to be all over<br />
the place while also doing what I love.<br />
FX: Your collections have featured everything from<br />
vintage fabrics to dramatic colors to eye-catching<br />
fringe & textures. If you had to describe your brand’s<br />
aesthetic in five words, what would they be?<br />
O: Exotic. <strong>Avant</strong>-garde. Utilitarian. Bold. Powerful.<br />
FX: Who is the Olague the woman?<br />
FX: Always on par with your fashion game is your<br />
beauty game – What are you favorite brands? Any<br />
beauty<br />
products that you can’t live without?<br />
O: Alexander McQueen forever. Pretty lip shades and<br />
waterproof liquid eyeliner are my staples.<br />
We here at Fashion Xchange are excited to introduce this<br />
new talent to our amazing readers and can’t wait to see<br />
what comes next for this creative powerhouse. Stay tuned<br />
for our Fashion Week coverage in 2015 and maybe you’ll<br />
see more Olague!<br />
O: She is part feline, and part woman. A warrior. A fierce<br />
thing to behold. She dresses with a purpose - To be<br />
confident in her own skin.<br />
FX: Your personal style has become a San Francisco<br />
institution. Between your boldly colored hair, whimsical<br />
ears, headbands, hats & hair accessories, and killer<br />
make-up, you always make an entrance. How has<br />
your personal style evolved over the years? Have you<br />
always been one to stand out from the crowd?<br />
O: Play dress up. Play with makeup. Crank-up that music<br />
and take selfies. I do this all the time and did it all the time<br />
when I was young. I have a deep love for drama, theater,<br />
and people. I am always inspired by people.<br />
I don't try to dress to impress, instead I choose to be<br />
happy and confident and comfortable at all times. If<br />
that means dressing up pretty and chic or shaggy and<br />
comfortable then so be it. I don't like to try hard to meet<br />
someone else’s status quo. I like to have my freedom in<br />
dress.<br />
Maricella Wins 2014 Best Emerging Designer, San<br />
Fracnisco Fashion Awards<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 61
ONCE<br />
UPON<br />
A<br />
RUNWAY<br />
62 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine<br />
WITH<br />
PARISHARRIS<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DERRICK RODGERS
Reyanne Densing wearing<br />
Paris Harris White Cage Corset $950<br />
(opposite page)<br />
Nicholas McInerny wearing Paris<br />
Harris Black Bird Cage Top $708<br />
Black Phonetic Mail Knight outfit<br />
$777<br />
makeup ALEX DEJDAROVA<br />
hair KENNY BOHORQUEZ<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 63
wearing Paris Harris<br />
Black Bird Cage Top $708<br />
makeup ALEX DEJDAROVA<br />
hair KENNY BOHORQUEZ<br />
64 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Hamed Roshan wearing<br />
Paris Harris<br />
Bird cage shorts $5000<br />
makeup ALEX DEJDAROVA<br />
hair KENNY BOHORQUEZ<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 65
wearing Red London<br />
Scream Jacket $670<br />
makeup ALEX DEJDAROVA<br />
hair KENNY BOHORQUEZ<br />
66 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Reyanne Densing wearing <strong>The</strong> Wait<br />
A Minutes Black and White What<br />
Spike dress $751<br />
makeup ALEX DEJDAROVA<br />
hair KENNY BOHORQUEZ<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 67
DORK<br />
DOZIER<br />
Letting His Inner Dork Shine<br />
Written by Ivanna Woods<br />
Photos by Charles Sedghi<br />
David Norris "Dork" Dozier,<br />
primarily known as Dork Dozier<br />
is renaissance man of many<br />
talents. He is an artist, a musician,<br />
a dreamer, and a fashion<br />
innovator. From designing his own label at<br />
an early age to working as Will.I.Am’s Creative<br />
Consultant, Dozier is without a doubt<br />
the man to watch. “Fashion is my lifestyle<br />
and music is my therapy. I was born and<br />
raised in South Central Los Angeles where<br />
I learned to love my creative being and<br />
exercise all of my creative gifts. I went to<br />
school for fashion for less than a semester<br />
and basically learned how to thread the<br />
machine and went on with my adventure.<br />
Previous to that, I taught myself how to<br />
sew by hand in high school” he says.<br />
When Mr. Dozier was 16 years young, he<br />
had his first encounter with a bow tie<br />
when vintage shopping. Being from South<br />
Central, he was the only teen in the area<br />
in 2006 wearing bow ties and he loved<br />
setting himself apart. With Dork being the<br />
trailblazer that he is, he sought out unique<br />
bow ties which proved to be very difficult,<br />
leading him to taking one apart and<br />
putting it back together in his own fashion.<br />
He devised his own way of creating bow<br />
ties with his own funky personal style<br />
and eventually started selling them to his<br />
friends. At 19, he started making his own<br />
living from selling bow ties and became known as “Dork, the Bow Tie Guy”.<br />
At 20, he wisened up, got his business registered and started professionally<br />
selling bow ties from a suitcase and his website. For the next two years, Dork<br />
traveled the world with the leader of one of the biggest pop groups <strong>The</strong> Black<br />
Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am as his Creative Consultant and bow tie designer. Now at<br />
25, he’s focusing on joining his fashion and music career as one.<br />
Dozier defines taBB Bow Ties as a ‘niche, high end, unique bespoke<br />
line of many styles. “Whatever you can imagine with a bow, I can make it.<br />
-think a Bit BIGGER” he says. “When I started my journey designing, I wasn’t<br />
thinking about the market and I probably never will think about the market.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will always be room for a line as unique and genuine as my line, or<br />
anything I ever come out with because it will always be timeless and from the<br />
heart.”<br />
68 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
MAN OF<br />
MANY STYLES<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s sort of a renaissance<br />
of menswear present in the<br />
fashion industry that’s long<br />
overdue, and men are taking<br />
grooming and dressing<br />
dapper much more seriously these<br />
days. To this, Dozier says that ‘one of<br />
my goals has always been to get men<br />
to dress like men again. Coming from<br />
South Central LA, I’ve been a part of<br />
and seen it first hand with the trends<br />
of sagging pants and big clothes in the<br />
early 90’s and now men are going into a<br />
tighter fit of clothing. <strong>The</strong> next trend is<br />
to have all men serious about tailoring<br />
their clothes to fit not too big and not<br />
too small but just right. Men have been<br />
searching for a while, but it’s coming<br />
together. It’s done very well in Europe.<br />
Americans are definitely catching on<br />
as we are really the trendsetters of<br />
the world, which is ironic. Dressing up<br />
properly is not about ego and covering<br />
up insecurities with clothing, or about<br />
putting clothes on that just fit or look<br />
good. It’s more of a lifestyle that I’m<br />
poking at. It’s about men focusing on<br />
being Gentlemen, Kings, and representing<br />
what you would imagine a<br />
God under God’s image would dress<br />
like on earth. At the end of the day it’s<br />
all about being more God-like and less<br />
human-like. Leadership wins over all.”<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 69
Some of Dork’s fashion career goals for the<br />
future in a nutshell are, ‘speaking for two<br />
different worlds which is the fairytale,<br />
unrealistic, imaginary fashion and entertainment<br />
world that I love and speaking for the<br />
everyday, realistic, in the box, comfortable, as known<br />
to man life style. Unrealistic is for dreamers that are<br />
known as Weirdos and Dorks. Realistic is for the Consumer<br />
that doesn’t mind taking what life hands them<br />
and lives with it. I just want to push boundaries and<br />
show people the light. I want to inspire people to be<br />
who they want to be with or without money. I want<br />
to show people that you can do what you love and<br />
make a living from doing it if you don’t conform and<br />
if you do conform, be the best supporter to those<br />
that don’t conform as you can be because we all<br />
need each other. Conformers need non-conformers<br />
as entertainment and non-conformers need conformers<br />
as our backbones to support us so we can<br />
continue to entertain.”<br />
As of 2015, Dozier is releasing a project<br />
called “the HOMME Collection”. “<strong>The</strong> HOMME Collection<br />
is a collection of Music, Fashion, and Art all in<br />
one piece. I have a collection of bow ties that I will be<br />
releasing with each song from my HOMME EP and<br />
artwork to go along with it. A full collection of art at<br />
it’s finest. My high end full clothing line “David Norris”<br />
will be debuting in my music video for the first single<br />
“Homme”.<br />
His advice for emerging designers today “BE<br />
YOURSELF AND NEVER LET “NO” BE YOUR QUE OR<br />
SIGN TO “STOP”!!! “NO” means “Go Harder”!!!” - END<br />
Remain in the know about<br />
Dork Dozier and all his work at:<br />
www.tabbshop.com<br />
(bow ties and accessories)<br />
www.DorkDozier.com (music and other)<br />
Social Networks<br />
(Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)<br />
Dork Dozier @dorkdozier<br />
70 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 71
THE<br />
CENTIPEDE<br />
COLLECTION<br />
Available at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
KAYE<br />
72 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
TERRORS ARE UNFORTUNATE<br />
BUT NECESSARY; AND<br />
PERCEPTIONS ARE ALWAYS<br />
ADJUSTED FOR THE SAKE OF<br />
SURVIVAL. TRAUMAS ALWAYS<br />
TILT INTERNAL LENSES,<br />
WHICH ONE CAN USE TO<br />
REVEAL AN AESTHETIC THAT<br />
CRAWLS WITHIN THE PSYCHE’S<br />
UNDERCURRENT.<br />
MORALES<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KEN ALCAZAR<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 73
Available at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
Available for $1,500 at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
74 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Models KIERA SMITH<br />
Hair TRISHA JOANE HOUGHTON<br />
Makeup HENRY RASU<br />
Stylist SEAN PANELLA<br />
Photographer : KEN ALCAZAR<br />
Photographer asst : LEO BAYBAY<br />
In that dark underground, I find the<br />
inspiration to portray the unavoidable<br />
monsters of subsistence. I attempt<br />
to tame these creatures that usually<br />
evoke fear and reveal their inherent<br />
magnificent. Adjusted perceptions, after<br />
all, could summon lovely hope despite<br />
the dread.<br />
From basking in debauchery to the<br />
melancholia thereafter, emerges a<br />
creature that treads the realm of things<br />
terrifyingly beautiful. And this conjured<br />
creature, with a hundred segments<br />
connected, stabilized by a hundred<br />
legs, arouses strength in its nightmarish<br />
design—<br />
A centipede appears like a scar inflicted<br />
with motion. A totem to wounds<br />
redefined into reminders, inscribed with<br />
meaning and lessons for growth.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are my scars, manifested in fabric<br />
and beadwork, patterned to naturally<br />
occurring horrors and made grand.<br />
- words by Kaye Morales<br />
Available for $2,500<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 75
Available for $2,500 at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
76 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Model CONNOR CRAIG<br />
Hair TRISHA JOANE HOUGHTON<br />
Makeup HENRY RASU<br />
Stylist SEAN PANELLA<br />
Photographer : KEN ALCAZAR<br />
Photographer asst : LEO BAYBAY<br />
Available for $1,000 at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 77
78 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine<br />
Available for $1000 at<br />
www.kayemorales.com
Available for $1,000 at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 79
Available for $1000 at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
Available for $2,500 at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
80 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Both avialable at<br />
www.kayemorales.com<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 81
creating Winning<br />
Photo shoots<br />
by Cindy Rae Mewhorther<br />
82 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine
Whether it's for a<br />
special occasion,<br />
modeling portfolio, or a<br />
publicity shot, there are<br />
ways to have a winning<br />
photoshoot.<br />
With 20+ years of professional<br />
modeling experience<br />
and working as<br />
a modeling and acting<br />
coach, I have helped new<br />
or experienced models and the average<br />
person, to achieve the looks that they<br />
desire for their photo shoot. A photographer<br />
can give you some tips and guide<br />
you through some poses, but these tips<br />
will help you achieve more perfect photographs.<br />
THE MIRROR-<strong>The</strong> mirror is a perfect tool<br />
to show you what the camera sees and to<br />
perfect your poses. Imagine the mirror<br />
as the camera and consider that if your<br />
foot is the closest to the lens, your foot<br />
is going to be the largest thing in the<br />
picture.<br />
BE PREPARED- Look through fashion<br />
magazines and other models’ portfolios<br />
for pose inspiration and to see what<br />
works and what doesn’t.<br />
POSTURE- You must have good posture.<br />
Keep your back straight and shoulders<br />
up but relaxed. Slouching affects the<br />
mood of the photograph and enlarges<br />
the appearance of your stomach.<br />
HANDS- Be aware of your hands. Keep<br />
your hands graceful and soft whether<br />
they are on your hips or hanging at your<br />
sides. Don’t clump your fingers together<br />
or make tight white-knuckle fists. Relax<br />
your hands, or it will look like you have<br />
no fingers or claw hands.<br />
HEAD- No matter how skinny you are,<br />
there is a little bit of flab under the chin.<br />
If you bring your chin forward, which<br />
sounds like the sensible thing to do, it<br />
brings your face up and the camera ends<br />
up shooting up your nostrils. (Not attractive.)<br />
Instead, bring your ears forward.<br />
Don’t stare at the camera head on, turn<br />
your head, and it will show a slimmer<br />
profile. Elongate your neck to simulate<br />
height and poise.<br />
Also, don’t always look at the<br />
camera. It’s okay to look away, but be<br />
careful not to show too much of the<br />
whites of your eyes, or you will have<br />
‘zombie’ eyes. If you want a far off,<br />
dreamy look, follow the line of your nose<br />
to keep your sight central.<br />
SMILE- To add variety to your poses,<br />
try switching up your smile with a cute<br />
smirk, a friendly laugh or an edgy scowl.<br />
A term you my hear is “Smile with your<br />
eyes,” and relax your jaw so your lips are<br />
parted, lift eyes and warm it up into a<br />
smile. Your facial expressions can make<br />
or break your pose.<br />
POSING-When posing, make sure to<br />
differentiate your arms and legs with<br />
asymmetrical poses. If you have one arm<br />
down by your side, make sure the other<br />
arm is bent. If one leg is locked straight,<br />
give the other leg a casual bend. Modeling<br />
is all about positioning your body in<br />
flattering angles and interesting shapes.<br />
Don’t get stuck in the same pose for<br />
more than three seconds. KEEP MOVING.<br />
Slightly tweak your pose by moving your<br />
shoulders, angling your face differently,<br />
repositioning your arms, legs, etc. It<br />
helps to think of modeling as a sort of<br />
dance. Keep moving, keep flowing.<br />
<strong>The</strong> camera adds 10 pounds, so unless<br />
you are a very tiny woman, no woman<br />
looks her best when her shoulders<br />
and hips are straight on to the camera.<br />
Turn so that your hips are at the camera<br />
and then turn shoulders and face back<br />
toward the camera. Do not “jet” your hip<br />
toward the camera or it will look larger,<br />
shift the weight to the back leg.<br />
(Insert photo showing pose)<br />
Own a ‘modeling kit’ and take it on all<br />
shoots. <strong>The</strong>se are things you will need<br />
but may not be directly mentioned in the<br />
pre-shoot communication. <strong>The</strong>y are; basic<br />
makeup (don’t forget powder to get<br />
rid of shine), hair supplies (bobby pins,<br />
hair grips, brush, spray, etc.), shoes (flats<br />
and heels, nude/black), pantyhose (black<br />
and nude), wet wipes, lotion for your<br />
legs, safety pins, hand mirror, water and<br />
a snack, any accessories such as jewelry,<br />
scarves, hats, etc.<br />
It is also important to note what type of<br />
shoot you’re doing- “fashion, commercial,<br />
or glamour.” <strong>The</strong>y call for different kinds<br />
of posing. Fashion modeling usually requires<br />
more angular and dramatic poses,<br />
while commercial modeling tends to<br />
expect more every day, happy and casual<br />
poses. Glamour modeling uses poses<br />
that showcase a girl’s assets, if you know<br />
what I mean. ;)<br />
POSING RECAPS:<br />
1. Look at fashion magazines and<br />
practice posing in a mirror<br />
2. Practice good posture<br />
3. No fingers clumped together or claw<br />
hands<br />
4. Don't always look into the camera<br />
5. Be asymmetrical<br />
6. Move. Don't get stuck in a pose more<br />
that 30 seconds<br />
Prepare - Practice - Pose<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 83
BEHIND THE LENS<br />
Sarah<br />
Brickey<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Interview by Robert Silver<br />
FROM PASSION<br />
TO PROFESSION<br />
I see that that you graduate<br />
this year from Academy of Art<br />
University. What has helped you<br />
along your education path that<br />
has helped enhance your creative<br />
eye?<br />
One of the best classes I took<br />
was called Sacred Geometry. It<br />
really made me think about how I<br />
compose my images.<br />
What is your go-to gear? What<br />
your your favorite len’s to use?<br />
I pretty much always have my Nikon<br />
d800 with me with the Nikkor<br />
85mm 1.4. I almost never take that<br />
lens off of my camera.<br />
Was there a moment or a person<br />
that influenced your decision to<br />
become a photographer?<br />
I hadn't had much knowledge of<br />
photography or how amazing it<br />
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could be before someone put a professional<br />
camera in my hand. After that I fell in love<br />
with making photos and learning new<br />
techniques.<br />
As a photographer I get an itch when I<br />
don’t shoot something after a couple<br />
of days, but my passion is fashion<br />
photography. What genre are your<br />
favorite subjects to capture?<br />
I shoot mostly fashion. I love to stay current<br />
and collaborate with my amazing team on<br />
new and future trends.<br />
What has been some of your favorite<br />
moments as a photographer or favorite<br />
photo shoots you have done? And why?<br />
One of my favorite moments was when I<br />
went on my first menswear fashion shoot.<br />
I had almost no experience with shooting<br />
men, but every shot I took just looked<br />
more amazing than the last. After that I was<br />
hooked.<br />
I enjoyed your conceptual designs of your<br />
portfolio editorials on your website. What<br />
is your thought process when coming up<br />
with the idea to execution?<br />
I usually start with an overall idea or<br />
concept and then go from there finding<br />
model, location, correct styling, hair, and<br />
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makeup. I really like to mix timeless<br />
concepts with current fashion.<br />
What else is in store for Sarah<br />
Brickey Photography after the<br />
student life ends?<br />
I’ll be moving to New York in<br />
July and hopefully assisting a<br />
professional fashion photographer<br />
there for a year or two while I<br />
work on my own portfolio and<br />
networking i the industry.<br />
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I get some of my best advice and inspiration comes from hanging around<br />
older more experienced photographers. Who is biggest influence as a<br />
photographer? Are there any famous photographers (present/past) that<br />
you really connected with or admire?<br />
I seem to really connect with Mario Testino’s style of photography. I admire<br />
how hard he works and the consistently amazing work he produces. Every<br />
time I look at his work he inspires me to work harder and keep pursuing my<br />
dreams.<br />
If you had a moment with an aspiring photographer what advice would<br />
you give him/her?<br />
1. Just because someone says “No” to you doesn’t mean you aren’t good at<br />
what you do.<br />
2. Don’t give up.<br />
View more of Sarah Brickey’s photography at www.sarahbrickeyphoto.com<br />
Sarah Brikey | Photo by Gary Ottonello<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 87
Studio<br />
Fashion<br />
Shoots<br />
FASHION<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
MEETUP WORKSHOPS<br />
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Bay Area Studio<br />
Fashion Shoots<br />
hosts an avant<br />
garde makeup<br />
themed shoot<br />
featuring<br />
designs by<br />
Maricella Olague.<br />
AVANT GARDE<br />
MAKEUP WORKSHOP<br />
Studio Fashion Shoots is a monthly fashion<br />
photography workshop. <strong>The</strong> purposee is to<br />
help photographer at all level enhance their<br />
fashion phtoograpjhy experinece by teaching<br />
all the necessary techniques in lighting,<br />
compostion, directing & more in order to<br />
create a fashion editorial - magazine ready<br />
images.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are two branches for any to join to:<br />
LA Studio Fashion Shoots (Los Angeles) &<br />
Bay Area Studio Fashion Shoots (San Francisco,<br />
Bay Area). It’s free to join their groups<br />
at www.meetup.com.<br />
Any questions email Robert Silver (Group<br />
Organizer) at meetup@robertsilverphotography.com<br />
Bay Area - http://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-Studio-Fashion-Shoots/<br />
Los Angeles - http://www.meetup.com/LA-Studio-Fashion-Shoots/<br />
Photos by Michael Moore (opposite<br />
page), Howard Levine (top),<br />
Patricia Gomez (lower left, lower right).<br />
Hair & Makeup by Nicolette LaFranchi<br />
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Events<br />
AMOROUS STYLE<br />
AT LOVESICK<br />
FASHION SHOW<br />
This fashion showcase is the sixth year in continuation and is the<br />
result of von Bromssen’s passion and vision to unify artists together in<br />
hopes of creating a fun night for fashion.<br />
Written by Ivanna Woods | Photos by Robert Silver<br />
In the dark hours of Valentine’s night, much of the San Francisco fashion world arrived in droves to <strong>The</strong> Empire Room in<br />
San Francisco for Alexandria von Bromssen’s LOVESICK, a fashion forward alternative to the burdensome expectations<br />
of the day’s tradition. Completely self funded, von Bromssen's aim is create a professional forum for fashion aficionados.<br />
<strong>The</strong> MC for the evening was Thom Scher, former fashion PR maven and longtime friend of Alexandria’s who delighted<br />
the crowd with foxy humor and positive energy. <strong>The</strong> designer lineup was alluring and diversely balanced. From neonomadic,<br />
modern punk aesthetics to wearable art from salvaged textiles, and swimwear with innovative prints.<br />
Former contestant on Project Runway Season 13 Emily Payne is a unique designer that has an 80’s / space oddity influence.<br />
She showcased print dresses, tie dyed wool draped crops and my personal favorite, mega hoodies. She has two lines,<br />
Devon Rose which is a kids line and Leathertongue, a high end street wear label for fashion forward women who want to<br />
show their femininity with a sharp edge. Designs from Emily can be viewed at www.leathertongue.net<br />
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Voted Best Emerging Designer by the San Francisco Fashion<br />
Awards, Candice Cuoco has showed her House of CCUOCO in<br />
London Fashion Week last year and will present at LFW in 2015<br />
as well. Spohisticatedly provocative. Intellectually fashionable.<br />
Cuoco’s line is couture fashion with a contemporary twist and not<br />
for the faint at heart. You may find her latest couture collections<br />
on www.ccuoco.net<br />
Swimwear designer Austino Tercero executes unifying his love<br />
of prints with adding his own signature touch to each piece.<br />
He showcased some designs that were unconventional yet<br />
approachable.<br />
<strong>The</strong> multi talented Atousa Ghanizadeh can put designer, creator<br />
and producer on her resume. She has worked with artists such as<br />
Boy George, Marilyn Manson, Korn, Gwen Stefani, and sells her<br />
designs at WildFeather on Haight and Heroes and Hairoines in San<br />
Rafel. She also is the creator and producer of Sew Down, a fashion<br />
event that is held during LA Fashion Week.<br />
Longevity is one of the key components to making an indelible<br />
mark in the industry, and artist, designer and stylist Rebecca<br />
Roman has been a part of the San Francisco fashion and art<br />
scene for over ten years. She describes her style as loose, lively<br />
and expressive and her showcase on the runway truly made a<br />
statement. Her fun feathery costume bras are one of a kind and<br />
designed to celebrate the fun side to your personality. Shop her<br />
collection at www.mydirtydishes.com<br />
Miranda Caroligne creates wearable art from salvaged textiles.<br />
I personally loved the fringe detail; very feminine and quickly<br />
catches the eye. With concepts infused with self-expression and<br />
an ethos of ‘neoarchaic’. Visit www.mirandacaroligne.com for more<br />
Ivanna Woods & Alexandira Von Bromssen (L-R)<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 91
information.<br />
Designer and producer of fashion shows, Kate Knuvelder,<br />
winner of the San Francisco Fashion Awards for Best<br />
Jewelry Designer showcased her jewelry collection. www.<br />
kateknuvelder.weebly.com<br />
Alexandria von Bromssen was a former model and<br />
curates for Red Square Boutique that features local<br />
artists and exclusive designs from House of AVB. She was<br />
the first runner up on Season 12 Project Runway and a<br />
contestant on Season 4 Project Runway All Stars. She<br />
holds a unique perspective on neo-nomadic, modern and<br />
punk aesthetics and derives inspiration from her travels.<br />
I loved every look of hers, as they each made their own<br />
characteristic statement. A blend of Euro sophistication<br />
with street edge - understated and functional. From<br />
the hats with detailed lace to the mesh bodysuits, floor<br />
sweeping trench coats and uber cool menswear, Von<br />
Bromssen’s line is truly stand out. On the weekends, you<br />
can find Alexandria at the Camp Couture instructing mini<br />
–couture sessions with children of all ages. Her designs<br />
are available for purchase at www.houseofavb.com<br />
LOVESICK was the very first event held at <strong>The</strong> Empire<br />
Room; a gorgeous creative, social space equipped with<br />
beautiful hardwood floors, gorgeous chandeliers and<br />
elegant vintage furnishings. Fun details of the show<br />
included a trunk show and kissing/photo booth and<br />
handmade crafted cocktails from their mixolology bar.<br />
Co-Producer of LOVESICK, DJ Meikee Magnetic of<br />
Dark Beauty Magazine (Music) spun energetic tunes<br />
throughout the entire runway show, creating incredible<br />
vibes for the models to feed off of. Music by ROOZ<br />
(Deep Blue). Known as one of San Francisco’s premier<br />
and well respected DJ’s, ROOZ is a DJ, promoter, and<br />
major advocate of underground electronic music in<br />
San Francisco. He specializes in underground house,<br />
techno and tech-house. Alessandro, founder of BASE<br />
Italy Underground. Irene Hernandez, founder of Chillin<br />
Productions and owner of Wonderland SF Gallery and<br />
Boutique and Chris Cheezy Macasero.<br />
Michelle Tezak, Karismia Rodriguez, Nathifa De Andrade,<br />
Conrad Sherby, Logan Martin, Anthony Garay, Nick Fricker,<br />
Dominique Shaw, Chris Jackson, Alyssa Elaine, Neeru Sehgal,<br />
Natalie Rose de Ranieri, Sarah Langrock, Karina La Mar, Bree<br />
Cherise, Haylee Bay, Hazer Ozcan, ShelbyAutumn, Amy Yen,<br />
Kara Emily, Michelle Grey, Kerstyn Inouye, Maritza Reglado,<br />
Vivienne Han, Gloria Taylor, Kimberly Anne, Diana Azalea<br />
Jeanette, Jaclyn McMillian and Dale Sylvae.<br />
Media coverage by L.a. Hernandez / Ultra Flix<br />
Runway lighting by Future Weapons<br />
Industry hosts: Dark Beauty Magazine, Del Geronimo,<br />
Ivanna Woods & Robert Silver, owners of Fashion Xchange<br />
Magazine.<br />
Hair stylists: Courtney Mark, Thomas Hane II, Andrew<br />
Luddeke, Hannah Skelton, Nikki Fox.<br />
Makeup stylists: Aurora Love, Channel Burgos, Rykk<br />
Martinez, Veronica Hernandez, Courtney Mark, Loni Gunn,<br />
Summer Flores, Taylor Klevins, Heroes & Hairoines makeup<br />
team and Anysia Olmedo was the makeup director for<br />
Alexandria von Bromssen.<br />
Models: Gigi D’Amore, Ania Chanelle, Shai White,<br />
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Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 93
Academy<br />
of Art<br />
University<br />
2015 Fall Beauty Trends at<br />
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week<br />
BY JEANIE WALSH<br />
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EXTREMELY<br />
FAST PACED<br />
Victor Cembellin backstage at<br />
Academy of Art University show<br />
aduring NYFW.<br />
FASHIONABLE<br />
DETERMINATION<br />
It was through my internship<br />
with the School of Fashion PR<br />
team that I had the remarkable<br />
opportunity to attend New<br />
York Fashion Week and cover<br />
the beauty trends for the<br />
Academy of Art University Fall<br />
2015 runway show. I am always<br />
scanning magazines and the<br />
web for what’s hot and what’s<br />
not in the fashion industry.<br />
When it comes to makeup, you<br />
could say I am a beauty addict;<br />
I can never get enough MAC<br />
products. <strong>The</strong>ir packaging is<br />
trendy and their ad campaigns<br />
often feature top celebrities<br />
and pop artists, not to mention<br />
their makeup rocks!<br />
MAC has always been<br />
my go-to source for every<br />
event and styling shoot that<br />
I have produced, so I was<br />
thrilled when I found out that<br />
Victor Cembellin (left),senior<br />
makeup artist for MAC, would<br />
be the lead artist for the<br />
Academy of Art University’s<br />
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week<br />
show. With more than 20<br />
years of industry experience,<br />
Cembellin is also a freelance<br />
editorial makeup artist and<br />
an educator at the Academy.<br />
His expertise and know-how<br />
are brilliant assets for Academy<br />
students who wish to further<br />
their career in the beauty<br />
world.<br />
It was all about<br />
transformation at the<br />
Academy of Art University<br />
Fall 2015 Mercedes-<br />
Benz Fashion Week show.<br />
Sculpting and shaping<br />
were the hot beautytrends<br />
being applied to models.<br />
<strong>The</strong> scene backstage at<br />
Lincoln Center the day<br />
of the show—Valentine’s<br />
Day!— was extremely fast<br />
paced yet very organized,<br />
with a huge number of<br />
people working to<br />
complete varied tasks<br />
IT WAS ALL ABOUT<br />
TRANSFORMATION<br />
all within a short span of<br />
time.<br />
Each station<br />
backstage was arranged<br />
in a systematic way for<br />
efficient, speedy work for<br />
this large scale production.<br />
To get every facial feature<br />
covered in the short time<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 95
Backstage a MAC PRO team makeup<br />
artist and hairstylist work on final<br />
touches before show begins.<br />
Victor Cembellin backstage creating<br />
the looks on the models.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was a<br />
focusback to the body<br />
and wearability in Silhouette<br />
allotted, multiple artists worked on each<br />
model simultaneously. One artist worked<br />
on makeup while a hairstylist finalized the<br />
model’s hair.<br />
“This season we are playing with<br />
architecture, we are playing with the shape<br />
of each of the models eyes,” explained<br />
Cembellin.<br />
Cembellin masterfully created<br />
the looks on the models using several key<br />
products, including MAC Cosmetics Studio<br />
Waterweight Foundation, which will be<br />
released in the Fall. <strong>The</strong> MAC Pro team also<br />
used sculpting product Baby Don’t Go along<br />
with a cream-coloredbase called Hush.<br />
Instead of playing with color, the team of<br />
artists experimented more with placement,<br />
shapes and tones.<br />
“This group of designers is focused<br />
on transformation,” said Simon Ungless,<br />
Executive Director of the School of Fashion.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>y are using fabric manipulation and<br />
printing techniques to change the inherent<br />
qualities of textiles to create new textures<br />
and surface qualities. <strong>The</strong>re is a focus back<br />
to the body and wearability in silhouette,<br />
which the designers have utilized advanced<br />
tailoring techniques to achieve.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> focus on transformation was<br />
consistent throughout the collections<br />
and balanced well with the architecturally<br />
sculpted beauty looks created by Cembellin<br />
and the MAC PRO Team. <strong>The</strong> look was a sort<br />
of a tough or moody version of a 1990’s super<br />
model, explained Cembellin.<br />
Complementing the sculpted<br />
makeup look was a sleek, almost wet-looking<br />
hairstyle with a samurai knot dreamed up by<br />
hair guru Jon Reyman and his Aveda team. I<br />
was able to steal a few minutes of Cembellin’s<br />
time to ask him a few questions, these were<br />
his responses:<br />
Jeanie Walsh: How do you start your day?<br />
Victor Cembellin: I enjoy taking my dog, Pinto<br />
Bean, for a walk in the morning, carving out<br />
time for a coffee run, and if I'm good, going<br />
for a quick jog.<br />
JW: How many years now have you been<br />
the makeup artist for the Academy of Art<br />
University shows?<br />
VC: <strong>The</strong> first time I keyed the Academy’s show<br />
was New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter<br />
in 2009. I have been privileged to connect<br />
with Simon Ungless and so many other<br />
wonderful talents. <strong>The</strong>re have even been<br />
lavish editorial spreads, covers of countless<br />
magazines, and the honorable opportunity to<br />
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JW: What are some other shows that you are creating the look<br />
for this season?<br />
VC: MAC Cosmetics is supporting over 70 shows this season in<br />
New York alone. <strong>The</strong>re are a lot of different looks, but at the same<br />
time, a lot of consistency backstage. Personally, I’ll be working on<br />
Carolina Herrera, Rachel Zoe, and Oscar de la Renta. I also designed<br />
the look for the 45 male models at Perry Ellis.<br />
JW: Do you have any runway beauty tips that can be used for<br />
street wear beauty?<br />
VC: One of the biggest beauty buzzwords right now is “reality.” <strong>The</strong><br />
makeup trend is to visibly improve and reveal your best features<br />
without necessarily trying to change your look. This can easily be<br />
achieved with a product like MAC Cosmetics Studio Waterweight<br />
Foundation, which provides coverage that appears virtually invisible<br />
to the naked eye.<br />
Jon Reyman backstage creating<br />
looks for the Academy of Art<br />
University Fashion Show.<br />
become an instructor at the Academy of Art University<br />
itself.<br />
JW: What was the inspiration behind the look for<br />
the Academy of Art University Fall 2015 show?<br />
Where do you draw your inspiration and ideas<br />
from?<br />
VC: It’s the designer’s moment to showcase their<br />
signature collections, so it’s important to create a<br />
look that complements while creating continuity<br />
throughout the show. As a makeup artist, I have<br />
always considered myself a storyteller who draws inspiration<br />
from various sources. This season I wanted<br />
to tell a moody beauty story with a nod to 1990’s supermodels<br />
by using the architecture of each model’s<br />
face as the focal point.<br />
JW: Which products did you use at the Academy<br />
of Art University Fall 2015 show?<br />
VC: <strong>The</strong> star products for the AAU show were MAC<br />
Cosmetics Baby Don’t Go Pro Longwear Blush to<br />
sculpt cheekbones, MAC Cosmetics Coquette Eye<br />
Shadow to define the eyes and create a bit of mood<br />
and androgyny, MAC Cosmetics Hush Cream Colour<br />
Base for natural highlighting of facial contours, and<br />
MAC Cosmetics Studio Waterweight Foundation to<br />
invisibly conceal and neutralize lip tones.<br />
JW: What are the biggest beauty trends right now? What color<br />
palette and products are currently trending?<br />
VC: Last season we celebrated minimal makeup. Bridging into fall,<br />
we’re keeping skin clean and fresh but adding signature statements<br />
like a bold lip or a strong liner. In terms of color, we’re seeing<br />
black liners replaced with graphite, pastels with shots of grey<br />
added to create a unique tonality, and the return of metallics.<br />
JW: What are five things you’re loving right now?<br />
VC:<br />
1. Matte Lips: Watch out for this trend and for the new MAC Cosmetics<br />
Retro Matte Liquid Lipsticks, which are being sported all<br />
over NYFW.<br />
2. Individuality: Fashion and makeup have become so much about<br />
celebrating identity and creativity.<br />
3. Classic novels: Because they force me to put the iPhone down.<br />
4. Food: I’m attempting to become a “foodie” (although it’s a bit<br />
expensive to dine out in San Francisco).<br />
5. Hair: I have purely done makeup for 20 years and I’m now trying<br />
to learn the basics of hair<br />
JW: Was beauty something you were always interested in?<br />
Where do you see yourself headed in the next few years?<br />
VC: I actually discovered beauty while performing in theatre back<br />
in high school. I immediately loved makeup’s transformational<br />
qualities. This was during the time when artists like Madonna<br />
would use fashion, hair, and makeup to redefine their identity for<br />
a brief moment. I knew I had to be a part of that magic. Only time<br />
will tell where I’m headed. It’s so unclear where I may find myself<br />
working or travelling to next, but this marks my 20th year with<br />
MAC Cosmetics. Another role I love is working at the Academy and<br />
lending my experiences to emerging artists who are embarking<br />
on their creative journeys.<br />
ABOUT THE WRITER<br />
By Jeanie Walsh, MFA Fashion Journalism,<br />
Academy of Art University | Backstage photos<br />
by Stacy Murphy Photography<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 97
An Education: Backstage<br />
at the Fall 2015 Academy<br />
of Art University<br />
Collections<br />
Written by Malcolm Thomas<br />
It’s my final night in New York City. <strong>The</strong> last four days have been<br />
electric. I wait in the lobby of the Belvedere Hotel, just a block away<br />
from Times Square, where thirty minutes earlier I was on the phone<br />
trying to get directions. <strong>The</strong> snow fell gently onto the shoulders of my<br />
lambskin leather jacket, peppering it with frozen, white fluff and<br />
condensation. My hands are still red from being outside. I rub them<br />
together in an attempt to warm them up, but I can still feel the sting of<br />
the winter air. Next time, I will bring gloves.<br />
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It’s four o’clock PM. In half an hour my fellow PR intern Jeanie Walsh and I will be called to go to <strong>The</strong> <strong>The</strong>atre at Lincoln<br />
Center. We will be volunteering backstage and reviewing the Academy of Art University Fall 2015 collections at<br />
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. For both of us it will be our first time backstage at a fashion show. For industry veterans<br />
it will be their last time attending fashion shows at Lincoln Center. Previously housed at Bryant Park, New York Fashion<br />
Week’s current residency at Lincoln Center is coming to a close. Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, and known as Mercedes-<br />
Benz Fashion Week since 2009, New York Fashion Week will once again have to find another venue as well as a new<br />
sponsor. For now, though, I am still sitting in the lobby of the Belvedere Hotel waiting for Jeanie to arrive. Finally, her heels<br />
clicking and clacking as she walks down the hall, Jeanie joins me and we hop into a taxi. We’re off.<br />
Five o’clock PM. It’s the day of the Academy of Art University Fall 2015 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show, and all is not<br />
calm before the storm. Two hours before the V.I.P.’s will arrive in their perfectly polished outfits with their million dollar<br />
smiles, there is madness backstage at Lincoln Center’s <strong>The</strong>ater. Models are being made up, packs of photographers are<br />
shoving their way behind vanities and over shoulders to get the perfect shot. Designers are nervously being interviewed<br />
by press and trying to steal a moment here or there to finish steaming their garments, dressers arrive and set about to find<br />
their stations, and those very solemn folks wearing headsets are trying to make sense of it all. For a backstage novice it is a<br />
rush, for a designer it is crunch time, for a student it is a dream.<br />
“In the beginning, I felt nervous. I didn’t know I could go this far, but at this point I feel super excited. It’s my first time being<br />
here. I’ve come a long way,” said Xiaowei Liu, the MFA designer behind an indigo-dyed men’s and womenswear collection<br />
which took her six months to make. Her collaborator, Stella Xingyu Hu, an MFA fashion designer and New York Fashion<br />
Week peer, has constructed Rubik’s Cube inspired rainbow colored sweaters that are equally as labor intensive as they are<br />
impressive.<br />
Six o’clock PM. A bevy of statuesque models stand in a single file line awaiting their cue for the run through. <strong>The</strong> pressure<br />
is on—they only get one rehearsal to iron out all the kinks before seats are filled. I stand in the aisle above the bleachers<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 99
watching models take to the runway in their street clothes and runway<br />
shoes. In the distance, volunteers and front of house crew put out seat<br />
placements and press releases for the esteemed guests who will soon<br />
be arriving.<br />
Seven o’clock PM. <strong>The</strong> crowd descends. Shaun Ross has<br />
arrived. <strong>The</strong> albino model’s blonde, asymmetrical dreadlocks hang<br />
over his shades as he lets out an electric grin for the cameras. Other<br />
photographed faces are here too—Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss<br />
Teen USA, runway coach and America’s Next Top Model personality J.<br />
Alexander, famed journalist Michael Musto, model Karrueche Tran and<br />
Big Time Rush lead singer Kendall Schmidt to name a few. Flashbulbs<br />
are burning. Guests are flooding into <strong>The</strong> <strong>The</strong>atre at Lincoln Center like<br />
waves crashing ashore. More flashbulbs. More poses for the camera.<br />
<strong>The</strong> wearer of a gold sequined dress is being ushered to her seat. It’s Dr.<br />
Elisa Stephens, Academy of Art University president. She greets Lubov<br />
Azria, friend and BCBGMAXAZRIA Chief Creative Officer, who has come<br />
to show her support.<br />
<strong>The</strong> lights dim then brighten. <strong>The</strong> music cues. <strong>The</strong> show has started.<br />
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fresh face<br />
LESLIE<br />
HAWKINS<br />
Photography:<br />
DERRICK RODGERS<br />
Designer: KNOTTYLOOP<br />
CREATIONS BY MONA<br />
MUHAMMAD<br />
(www.knottyloop.com )<br />
Makeup Artist:<br />
JATAWN MOODY<br />
Fashion Xchange Magazine | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | 101
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102 | <strong>Avant</strong> <strong>Garde</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> 2015 | Fashion Xchange Magazine