On Saturday April 19 I ventured out to The Bluestone with my future roommate, Aariann, to attend the 2014 Drauma show held during the Alternative Fashion Week. Drauma embodies fabulous with drag queens, 20 fashion designers, 45+ models as well as entertainment between line presentations. These designers do not just present clothing to the audience, they're communicating a message. As soon as the first line was presented, it was apparent that one of these messages was body acceptance. I was in awe at the variety of women walking in rope bikinis, walking down a cat walk in lights that illuminated their every feature and seemingly unconcerned with not looking "like a bikini model". They believed they were beautiful, so we did. Every presentation of clothes and performances were consistent with this theme of love: when you love yourself, others do too. It's not hard to see why the events held through Alternative Fashion Week are attracting audiences of at least 100+ when the organizations involved embody the Alternative Fashion Mob's motto, to embrace yourself and do what you love.
Both of the designers that I have personally spoken to, Kelli Martin and Brianne Jeanette, were both fantastic women! Each has a different style and specialty but have the same friendly energy; an openness to anyone who is interested or eager to learn about the organization. After speaking to Jeanette shortly after the show, I inquired what inspires her about the Alternative Fashion Mob as an owner of a synthetic hair salon. Brianne's response was unanimous with what I had previously heard about the reception of presenting as a designer at Alternative Fashion Mob, "I was recently given the ability to show off some enormous hairpieces for Crys Darling's collection at Drauma, and was showered with thoughtful comments, excitement, and bewilderment from fellow industry members. Ever since, I have felt rather special! It's just further proof that Columbus harbors some of the most talented, and kindhearted people, but more importantly, it harbors many who wish to see others shine." The amount of passion I found in Brianne and Kelli is exactly why I personally love the Columbus area, it's definitely not just a college town, there is such a marketplace for fashion, art and creative projects because of the variety of people. From the Short North to the Arena District; there's something for every type of person. Alternative Fashion Mob is a great organization with 20+ designers, countless models, and many supporters. If you happen to be in the Columbus area in early June, check out their Couture Cuisine event in which chefs create food based on the fashion! Check out my editorial on Kelli at: http://www.thewomensbook.com/In-Her-Business/April-2014/Shine-the-Spotlight-Kelli-Martin-on-how-Alternative-Fashion-is-Broadening-Columbus/ For more information on Brianne Jeanette: http://syntheticrebellion.com/ ***Look for her on Instagram at: britardtastico and syntheticrebellion |
Kaitlin BradleySenior at OSU studying Strategic Communication and Professional Writing. Clairee Belcher and Tina Fey are my spirit animals. Archives
January 2016
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