Photo by Jedidiah Gant and David Millsaps
These are some highlights from this year’s show. This is the 5th year for fashionSPARK and my 3rd year working with fashionSPARK as the talent coordinator. It is always a pleasure to work with area’s most talented designers and seeing it all come together. Local clothing and jewelry designers are juried in and are part of an amazing fashion show and showcase of spectacular designs. fashionSPARK is part of SPARKcon, an annual creative showcase and conference that combines first class talent, ideas and creativity. This year’s conference took place September 16-19th. SPARKcon was founded in 2006 by Beth and Aly Khalifa of Design Box located here in Raleigh, NC.
DRC Apeparel / Photo by Jedidiah Gant and David Millsaps
Fall fashion trends for 2010 will remind you that indeed everything old is new and fabulous again. Local designers that participated in this year’s annual fashionSPARK 2010 fashion show showcased what is in the season by revealing very familiar styles and themes. Pleats are back. Cropped pants are back and bold vibrant prints are bountiful. Veteran fashionSPARK designers DRC Apeparel were evidence of that. As always, DRC keeps it uber stylish and socially concious. There’s also the return of the infamous shoulder pad but with a modern twist. Picture Joan Collins meets the starship enterprise. Jewelry is bold colorful and will get you noticed. For the 5th year in a row fashionSPARK has showcased the amazing talents of North Carolina designers. This year’s show took place September, 17th in Raleigh at City Center Plaza. Twenty local designers and 5 local jewelry designers took part in the annual fashion show that has become the biggest in the Triangle area. This year’s show also featured 8 “green” designers that used eco friendly, recycled or organic materials. Jewelry designer Elisa Smith of Soulcialite Studios remixes vintage jewelry creating wearable art. She designs beautiful one of a kind pieces that are bursting with color and individuality. Nico Morrison of Redo Reuse uses organic fabrics to not design beautiful clothing but to teach sustainability by recycling old shirts into hot new fashions. Designers Victor Lytvinenko and Sarah Yarborough of Raleigh Denim are always a crowd favorite with their ultra stylish denim line that’s sold in Barney’s stores nationwide. They keep things local by using materials only from North Carolina. Everything is also sewn by hand and in house. Designer Andre Thornton of Street Mode Twenty2 brought class back to streetwear with sexy cosmopolitan styles shown on models that set the runway afire with a “mean ass” walk. As always Fysh brought mad energy to the show combining great choreography, hip- hop and tons of personality. Reminding us to “stay fresh daily”. Breathtaking designs from Jess Pati (Jessica Palmer and Patrizia Ferreira) fused haute couture with prêt-a porter and made the crowd feel as if they had stepped into the streets of Paris. Each designer dazzled the crowd of over 2000 people by unveiling amazing fashions that will set the trend for not only fall and winter 2010 but for many seasons to come.
Jess Pati / photos by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com
Jess Pati / photos by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com
Raleigh Denim / Photos by Jedidiah Gant and David Millsaps
Raleigh Denim / Photos by Jedidiah Gant and David Millsaps
Street Mode 22 / photos by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com
Fysh Clothing Co. / photo by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com
Fysh / photos by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com
fashionSPARK 2010 designers:
Raleigh Denim (Sarah & Victor Lytvinenko)
Street Mode 22 (Andre Thornton)
REDO REUSE / Peligrosa Knits (Nicole Morrison Sidell)
Payton-Alexis Bridal (Payton-Alexis Brown)
DRC Apeparel (Tony Mercer& Roderick Vakala)
Kristen Danielle(Kristen Martinez)
White Gazelle (Rima L’Amir)
Bookie Designs (Crystal Pickard)
Jess Pati (Jessica Palmer & Patrizia Ferreira)
Zac Schell Designs (Zac Schell)
Good Girls Studio, Inc. (Johanna Ely)
Jaclyn Anthony Designs (Jaclyn Anthony)
Jewelry Designers:
Emily Claire Designs (Claire Jacobs)
Soulcialite Studios (Elisa Smith)
Zass Design (Zulay & Stephanie Smith)
