Several designers, hair and make-up artists, models and photographers got together to celebrate the start of Sacramento Fashion Week. A Launch Party that officially kicked off Sac Fashion Week was held Thursday night at the Lounge on 20. Magnum Opus is the producer of this event.
After months of preparation the Emerging Designer Showcase will feature the works of Aubrey Jade, Brenda Vie, Faatui Toele, Kira Martinson, Maisha Bahati, Nkaujer Jules Thor and Noognuv Thao. The fashion show, featuring local designers, will take place at the Elks Tower Ballroom.
The Finale Designer Showcase will take the stage on Saturday evening. The event will also take place at the Elks Tower Ballroom. Sacramento’s established designers will showcase their latest styles and fashion. The designers for the Finale are Ceazar Cabreros, Eshonna Trice, Love by Janelle Cardenas, Linzel Couture, Melissa Kay, Nelly Salogub and Tiana Vega.
At the Launch Party I sat and talked to Dave Icarangal one of the producers for Sacramento Fashion Week. I asked Dave what his role in the show would be and he responded by saying “I’m actually one of the producers of Sacramento Fashion Week and Tiana Vega (his partner) is going to have her show on the Finale Designer Showcase which is Saturday”. Dave and Tiana Vega have been involved in the Sacramento fashion scene for a while now.
I last saw them at the Designing Dreams fashion show at the Memorial Auditorium and asked him if they would be having another event. Dave said, “Tiana and I will be doing Designing Dreams again. Last year was a success so we’re definitely going to keep it going. In the mean time I’ve been focusing on Sacramento Fashion Week. In the past it used to be a one or two day event until Mykah brought me on for this year. He brought me in as a partner and we decided to extend the event to 4 days and we’re making it more like a full week as opposed to just a couple of days.
On the first day of the show several student designers will participate in the Emerging Designer Showcase. Saturday event will showcase the seasoned designers who have been involved in the Sacramento scene for a while. A full team of make-up and hairstylists will also be on hand working behind the scenes working their glamour magic on the many models who participate in the event.
As Sacramento’s fashion scene continues to grow I wondered what the future may bring. I asked Dave Icarangal to tell me a bit more about his thoughts specifically about Designing Dreams and if it would be held at the Memorial. “You really can’t beat a 92 foot runway it was amazing. Last year we anticipated about 1200 to 1500 guests but we only had about 800. This year we definitely aim to go bigger. I think after last year everyone got to see our potential so I don’t really think we’ll have a problem making that number. Reaching 1500 attendees is our goal, I’d just like to share fashion with the rest of Sacramento. I want everyone to know there is a fashion community here.”
I asked Dave about a final thought and he said, “I always wanted to give back to the community and my goal is to always tie everything I do to a charity. That’s my way of giving back to the community. Teaming up with a local charity is actually one of my main goals. It makes it easier for me to do what I love to do and also give back to the community at the same time.
Eshonna Trice who will be a featured designer on the Finale Showcase was also on hand at the Launch event. She’s been designing for a while and is also a full time student at the International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT). When asked how she got involved in fashion week she said, “I heard about it, submitted my designs and I got picked!” Her designs wooed the Sacramento Fashion Week team and I can’t wait to see her designs. Eshonna Trice will also be working on a charity event that will be held in April downtown library.
Faatui (Tui) Toele’s designs are part of the Emerging Designer Showcase. I asked him about his work and said “I’ve been designing for about a year and a half. I was involved with styling before. I attended IADT which is a fashion school then I started gaining knowledge from there. I never had any experience before this.” He was very enthusiastic about the event and continued, “My goal is to participate in every show I can get myself into. I’m trying to get myself into Chic Fashion Week which is in San Francisco. Hopefully I can get myself in some way somehow.” Born in Hawaii Tui was raised and makes his home in Sacramento.
Shows like this take a lot of coordination, time and volunteers to make it successful. Maria Serquen, a student at Sacramento State and also Intern Coordinator and Stage Manager for Fashion Week attended the Launch Party and I asked her a couple of questions as well.
When asked how she became involved she said, “I got involved in this process through a fashion show that happened at the capitol last year. I met Mykha there and he brought me on as an intern coordinator and then I started basically helping him out. I started helping him here and there and basically now I’m doing backstage planning. My participation evolved from friendship and because I was very determined in what I did. For last year’s Eco-Fashion Show I was the coordinator for that and it was an event that took place through the Jewish Heritage Federation at the capitol.”
Maria indicated that she will be graduating at the end of this semester. Her major is in Marketing and International Business and she’s also taken some fashion courses. Maria is also involved with Sac State’s Student Fashion Association.
When asked what advice she may give to young people who want to be involved in this industry she said. “I would say to go out there and get your name known. Basically work, work, work, it’s all about dedication and passion for what you do. You have to love what you do and then network. Always network, be casual about it but give a good presentation It’s all about how people see you. Be very eminent in what you do.”
Janelle Cardenas, designer, will be participating in the Finale Showcase. Love by Janelle Cardenas is her line of designs. Asked about her background in the fashion industry Janelle stated, “This is my first time showcasing for Sacramento Fashion Week. I’m an event planner for a living so I’ve done local fashion shows, nightclubs and such.”
Working with Janelle and by her side was hairstylist Sui Mike Crusett. He’s currently with Allure Salon and said, “I’ve been doing hair for three years going on four in Sacramento now.” I asked if he was from Sacramento he said, “No I’m originally from Thailand and I’ve been in Sacramento since 1996. I’ve done some photo shoots with Janelle Cardenas before and a video shoot and actually this will be my first time with the salon doing the hair for this show. Allure is my hub and I’m a firm believer in supporting local artists and enjoy doing shows like this.”
The Launch Party was a great beginning for Sac Fashion Week. Many people from the fashion industry were there for the event as well as other patrons who dropped in. Sacramento Fashion Week, a Magnum Opus production, will also benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Sacramento and Northeastern California. Mykha Ram is the producer and has assembled a great team to help make Sacramento Fashion Week a success.
