By Jordan Mclain
As someone who isn’t naturally “obsessed” with fashion, last weekend definitely exposed me to more of the fashion scene and community. Earlier this semester, I joined the fashion journalism club, located at ASU in the downtown Phoenix campus. Thankfully the president of the club, Lauren Lippert, was able to secure press passes for us club members to attend Tempe Fashion Week (TFW) at Sun Devil Stadium. With this being my first fashion show, I definitely did not know what to expect and just hoped for the best when it came to my overall experience and participation at the show.
Photo by David Ulloa Jr.
Each club member was given a certain task, with mine being to interview people involved within the show. Not having much experience interviewing people, I was a little nervous but it was important for me to go outside of my comfort zone to prove to myself that it was something I could do. And nonetheless I was able to do it. Before the show started, fellow club members and I arrived hours early in order to interview those who were involved in the show. Not to mention, we were one of the few groups in consolidation with ASU with media passes to cover the event!
One of the first interviews I did was with creative directors Quidia Lee and Dylan Orona. I talked with them about their featured collection for their newly started brand at TFW. Lee and Orona are the creative directors of their newly anticipated brand “Sacred Hearts,” in which their collection they showcased featured fully handmade (couture) pieces. After asking what can be expected of their collection, they explained “workwear” as to what was their overall theme/vibe. They elaborated that workwear includes a lot of pockets, different complex cuts, suited clothing, etc. Surprisingly, the duo found out their collection was confirmed for the show a couple of months after other designers were notified, so they had less time to prepare pieces. However, that fortunately didn’t stop them from making their custom couture pieces, as they emphasized they “grinded” and worked hard to get as many pieces as they could on display.
Photo by David Ulloa Jr.
Photo by David Ulloa Jr.
Another interview I did shortly after was with stylist, Colleen Quinn . I was interested in asking her questions, as I assume that models and designers are the main ones who get asked questions by the press at these sorts of events. Sitting down with her, Quinn explained to me that as a stylist, she works with the designer who creates the pieces by themselves, then matches the pieces and stylizes them in order to create a look that best represents the designer. She got involved with TFW overall through connections and seemed really passionate and knowledgeable about styling for events like these. Quinn had the opportunity to style for Water Vixen Swim, which is a swim line that featured luxury women’s swimsuits.
Photo by David Ulloa Jr.
Photo by David Ulloa Jr.
Photo by David Ulloa Jr.
One of the last people I talked to was Shannon Love, who was the model director for TFW. Love has been involved with several big productions in addition to this fashion week, so she stated that this isn’t her first “rodeo.” As the model director, Love explained she’s in charge of training the models in addition to rehearsal and communication. When asked about what can be expected at TFW, I was intrigued by what I was told.
Photo by David Ulloa Jr.
“For us, we’re looking for diversity, inclusion,” Love said. “You will see all of those things.”
Love praised “supreme confidence” and believes we should be exposed to “real people” in order for us to see models who we can actually relate to.
What was your favorite look from Tempe Fashion Week? Let us know on Instagram and Twitter or leave a comment!
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