FASHION WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine NolanMercedes-Benz Fashion Week is the most widely recognized fashion week in the world and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York is the catalyst for a series of fashion weeks across the globe.
Most recently, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Kiev kicked off in Russia from October 25-October 28, 2012, bringing Spring/Summer 2013 to the International runway. During this four-day event, in addition to the debut of Spring/Summer 2013 collections, there were a host of other activities taking place.
Alessandro Buzzi, stylist of Vogue Italia, held a master class for stylists with the collection of Ukrainian designers and presented Vogue Italia’s professional approach to fashion shootings. There was the unique opportunity to catch up on seminars and lectures given by experts in the industry which encompassed the latest trends, fashion PR in the social media era and the significance of performance in fashion just to name a few of the provocative topics.
As with many of the other fashion weeks, this was an avenue for emerging Ukrainian designers to showcase their blossoming talents. Sasha Kanevski is one such example of a promising designer headed for the top. He began as the stylist for the band Esthetic Education. He was victorious in the competition Bazaar Fashion Forward in 2009 and visited New York City where he presented sketches of his newest collection in the main office of Harper’s Bazaar. His most recent fashions were futuristic and he used his creativity with the fabric. He worked with neutral tones but added a fanciful edge with ruffles.
Ksenia Schnaider is new on the fashion scene but left a big impression nonetheless. The clothes had a gothic feel to them with a far-reaching appeal.
A designer combining a feminine classic style with modern sophistication is Yasya Minochkina. Yashya molds the dress to the woman with Hollywood elegance from the 50’s. Fabrics are rich as velvet and brocade and silk seemed to show a dominance.
The name Jean-Pierre Braganza is well-known for creating versatile fashions that are top sellers from New York City to Shanghai. A hint of the menswear influence was masterful and color-blocking works amazingly well with his fashions.
Far off in another part of the world, Haiti began celebrating their first Fashion Week in Port-au-Prince last week from November 8-11, 2012. This was a major milestone met for a country that has been ravaged by destruction from storms and is fighting its way out of poverty. They are driven to show that their nation is on the way to recovery. More than three dozen designers brought their latest collections to the runway and drew crowds from all over the world.
A huge advocate of the event and a designer who debuted his 2013 collection of resort wear for men and women was David Andre. David really wants to make this event an annual tradition. The fashion event was organized by the Haitian Support Centre for the Promotion of Enterprise, the Haitian Network of Designers and the Ministry of Culture.
This was a different side of Haiti that was shining through the clouds and teaching attendees that Haiti is very diversified in the world of fashion and cultural arts.
Haitian singers, Emeline Michel and James Germain gave memorable performances during the event.
This time of year also brings Jakarta Fashion Week. This marked the sixth year of this event of exquisite style. It took place earlier this month. Emerging Indonesian designers displayed their personalities through their original designs. Talent was overflowing with names such as Yosafat Dwi Kuniawan, Jeffrey Tan, Barli Asmara and Albert Yanvar all part of a group of designers on the brink of what could only be called international sensation.
One success story is Ardistia, a designer who started her label when she was based in New York City but branched out into the Indonesian fashion world with a clean and urban look to her collections. She has shown in the United States, Canada and France.
This area may not be as highly visible as some of the other areas that hold Fashion Week but it is beginning to take hold with fashions that reflect loads of culture and class. The amount of intricate detail that goes into each collection will astound you.
Whether it be New York City, Paris, London, Madrid, Haiti, Kiev, Jakarta or any other glamorous location, the message is very clear, “Fashion Rules the World!”
PHOTO CREDITS: Image net, Reuters, MBKievFashionDays.com, A/P
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