Fashion weeks are a rage all over the world as they showcase not just the world’s best designs but are also symbolic of the powers of creativity and directive of the trends of the day. From journalists to bloggers and from photographers to fashion buffs, fashion weeks pique the interest of people from a wide array of different fields altogether. Never to be missed, each Fashion week has its own distinct history, on which, it sets the trends for tomorrow. One such, much touted, fashion week is the fabulous Harlem Fashion week.
A burst of culture and colors, Harlem Fashion Week mixes together the oomph of the downtown New York and the style of uptown for a vibrant and indulging community experience. The events are focused at showcasing the latest from the local fashion industry and create umpteen business opportunities and experimentation avenues for the local designers. The week is also a cultural platform and a superb opportunity too for designers to grow business and have a whole lot of paparazzi follow them.
The fashion week was created three years ago by the mother daughter duo of Tandra Birkett and Yvonne Jewnell, who are also the owners of Yvonne Jewnell New York LLC. Yvonne is a graduate in fashion design from Parsons while her mother studied business at NYU and Colombia Business School.
Created to show the people of Harlem a fresh era of fashion culture inspired by the rich heritage of the place, this year’s the show took place at the Museum of the city of New York.
Designs of Daniel Mozzes, Jamia Jordan, Hatchers by Tatiana Hatcher, The Brownstone by Princess Jenkins, Next Level World, Queen E. Collection, Marvin Williams, Tracy Lall Daas, Shiffon Wiggons, HFW’s Producer Collection, Simply Ma’am, D Mochelle Fashions and Yvonne Jewnell NYC were displayed at the show. The show management also provided the models who sported ethnic body art patterns, to the designers.
The show also featured the internet famous teen Kyemah McEntre who went viral in 2015 with her African print prom dress that got her featured in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Essence. McEntre featured her first ever collection for the NYFW at the show in Harlem. Describing her collection, she said that it was all about being an African in America and what does it mean to be born in NJ but knowing that her ancestors were from Africa.
McEntre showed the elements of African Fashion in her design like braids, canvas fabric, hand painting and African prints. She also shared her passion of representing the African diaspora and revealed her vision to take these designs to a global platform.
The event also held an emerging designer competition where a panel of celebrity judges which included Jonathan Bodrick and Brandon Hood of B.O.R.N to Style, which is a reality show that ran on FYI network. The winning emerging designer was boBETTE elZA who showcased unique and eye catching accessories that included handbags and clutches.
The Harlem Fashion Week, in just three years, was able to get high ended recognition from Yahoo Style, Vogue Italia, Bella NYC, Fashion Week Online, Black Girl Blog and Harlem World Magazine amongst others.
One of the prominent collections at the show was by Daniel Mozzes who elaborated that his designs define his crazy personality. His collection featured quirky dresses and gowns for women which set his models at the top of the fashion game and a typography patterned super sleek suit for men. The designer also went beyond the norm and brought his own models at the show.
As intended by the organizing mother daughter duo, the show was definitely a great melting pot of cultures and a showcase for upcoming and virgin designers of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. The creater Yvonne Jewnell also showcased her line which was themed around black history and the civil rights movement. She represented black militants of the 60s who played a great role in the civil rights movement into the collection but also highlighted black culture through combining the militant camouflage with African prints.
Another talent from the emerging designers who stood out was Jamia Jordan who showcased her suits of crop tops and skirts in deep and beautiful colors like ochre, navy, rust, olive and neutrals. Her prints had an eclectic and cultural vibe.
Designer Shiffon Wiggins played with cuts showing pants, jackets, off shoulder dresses, crop tops, skirts, pant suits and capes. Another collection called the Brown Stone By Princess Jenkins opened with a bold turquoise skirt, jacket and hat number with a contrasting yellow blouse. The color mix of yellow and black, and super cool hats seemed to be a striking theme that the designer chose for her showcase.
Designers at the show received good reviews from the judges and the audience and the event was successful in achieving its goal of presenting emerging fashion talents to a wider audience. A portion of the show’s ticket sales go to institutions and children’s causes in Senegal, West Africa.
We’re looking forward to what’s offered in 2018.
By Carla Adams. A passionate fashion, tech and health blogger & a featured contributor. Via Source
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