Sacramento Fashion Week (SACFW) kicks off on Sunday Feb. 16 with a Launch Party at the Mix. A fashion forum along with workshops dedicated to runway, social media, hair and makeup will take place during Sacramento Fashion Week. A boutique and designer showcases will then take over during the last three days of fashion week at the California Auto Museum.
Sacramento Fashion Week has been preparing for the event for the past few months. Over a dozen Sacramento and northern California designers were selected to showcase their designs. Designers were able to select models for their wear as several castings were setup in Sacramento and the Bay Area.
A Sacramento Fashion Week Press Party was held at the Vanguard 1415 on 14th and L Street on Jan. 30 to introduce some of the designers and their work. Each designer who attended showed one of their designs.
Designers scheduled to participate for the Spring/Summer Showcase will be Neide Hall, Sacha Laurin, Rebecca Cahua, Jesus Medrano, Eshonna Trice, Ryan Douglas and Lena Trotsko. Their showcase is scheduled to show on Friday night.
On Saturday night the Fall/Winter Showcases will include the work of Yennie Zhou, Anastasia Kryukova, Rachel Lewis, Janelle Cardenas, Maisha Bahati, Michael Kouri and Mimi Tran. Many designers have already graced the Sacramento Fashion Week runway before.
During the event, Sacramento Fashion Week Producer and Executive Director, Duane Ram welcomed guests to the event and introduced two new co-producers for Sacramento Fashion Week 2014.
One of the co-producers is Missy O’Daniel, SACFW Lead Hair Stylist and Owner/Hairstylist at Allure Salon & Spa. “Thank you guys for coming out on a Thursday night. It’s exciting to see what Sacramento Fashion Week is doing every year and every year we’re trying to make it bigger and better and be more community based,” said O’Daniel.
The Junior League of Sacramento will be a benefactor of SACFW and O’Daniel encouraged guests to spread the word.
The other co-producer is Karri Grant, SACFW Production Stylist, Image & Wardrobe Consulting at Karri Grant Personal Stylist.
“I just want to say thank you guys for coming out tonight. This truly is going to be an amazing event this year. We worked really hard and we have a dedicated group of professional designers, models and production team. Without all these people we could not make this work so to all of you who helped us thank you so much and definitely take the word out there to help this event because as Missy said it does benefit the Junior League of Sacramento,” said Grant.
Featured designers at the venue brought one of their designs to the Vanguard lounge for fans to preview. This was the first public viewing showcasing their designs.
Having most of the designers on hand I was able to ask Kryukova and Medrano to share their thoughts about participating in SACFW. Although most designers have already shown at SACFW this is the first time that these two designers will participate.
Anastasia Kryukova
David Alvarez: Where are you from?
Anastasia Kryukova: I am from Russia and I have been here almost eight years. I was born in Siberia. I spent most of my life in central Russia pretty close to the capital.
DA: How long have you been a designer?
AK: I actually started during my first year in college when I studied fashion design 16 years ago.
DA: Where did you attend school?
AK: Back in Russia.
DA: When you were a little kid did you want to be a designer? Can you recall your first thoughts about designing?
AK: That’s the only thing that I wanted to be because of my mom. She went to college for fashion design, but after my parents got divorced when I was a little kid she had to give up her dreams to raise me. So for me, that was the only profession I was thinking about because that’s what my mom always wanted to be.
DA: Do you have anything coming up after SACFW?
AK: I have one more event that I will be participating in San Francisco on March 27. It’s a breast awareness charity show that includes a fashion show.
DA: What do you like most about designing?
AK: I love that you can be creative of course and you can express yourself the way you want. It’s like being an artist where you can be as creative as you want.
DA: How many designs will you be showing for SACFW?
AK: For Fashion Week I have 12 total.
DA: Do you have a name for your line?
AK: Actually I do, it’s called Summer Memories. My collection is fall/winter at Sacramento Fashion Week and I wanted to show something in this collection not just cold colors. That’s why I’m using a lot of bright colors and at the same time I want to use warm designs. I wanted to use bright colors that bring back summer memories through the fall and winter.
DA: Do you go back to Russia at all?
AK: Yes I went back last year for two months. A few weeks is not enough time to spend there you need a couple of months.
DA: How did you acquire your fashion experience?
AK: I finished college studying fashion design. I learned about fabrics, using patterns and how to sew. I also had a degree as an art teacher in elementary school. As an art teacher they taught us how to paint and sculpture which taught me how to mix art with fashion.
DA: What has brought you to this point and what keeps you going?
AK: I think the only thing I ever wanted was to be was a designer. I worked on this and I wanted to try as hard as I could to attain this goal. I would not forgive myself if I didn’t try. You know, I’ve always wanted to be a designer even if I failed it didn’t matter. I believe that the only way to fail is to give up on your dreams.
Jesus Medrano
David Alvarez: How many outfits will you be showcasing?
Jesus Medrano: I’m showcasing 12 looks.
DA: Can you share how you became interested in designing?
JM: I always wanted to do design. I’ve been wanting to do design as far as I can remember. I always thought it would be hard to start. When I was in L.A. I met a working designer and he told me I didn’t really need to pay a lot of money to attend school and get training. I always wanted to be a trained designer and I didn’t want to be self taught. That pretty much inspired me right off the bat I signed up for school and then I started my career so I’ve been doing it for a while.
DA: Where did you attend school?
JM: I attended American River College and I just recently graduated with an AA in Fashion Design.
DA: Have you always wanted to be a designer?
JM: I think that I’ve always wanted to be a designer. I remember some of my first memories when it comes to fashion. I remember my mom would dress up quite stylish all the time. I distinctly remember her gowns and I was really inspired and impressed by that when I was little. I think she wanted to be a designer as well and I remember her drawing some designs. She was always very fashionable.
DA: Have you shown your designs anywhere else?
JM: Yes but this is pretty much my first major showing. I’ve shown before but I’ve really done only small events.
DA: Have you shown for the ARC fashion show?
JM: I did that in 2008 and 2009 back then you could do it twice.
DA: How close are you to finishing up your designs for SACFW?
JM: I’m going to be honest, I’m half way done but I’ve realized that the other designers are there as well. So I was feeling bad but I talked to them today and one of them hasn’t really started. So I guess I feel better, but I think that’s the designer’s way. I think I have to feel the pressure since I work better under pressure. It works out for me.
DA: Do you have anything going on after SACFW?
JM: I eventually want to open my own website showing and selling my designs. What I want to do is a spring collection to start and I would want to make the clothes available right after a show. I hope I can actually do that so that’s my main objective; to create a spring/summer collection to start with and take it from there.
DA: How long of a process is is to get into SACFW?
JM: I did have to submit my portfolio and fulfill other requirements. I don’t know if it’s different for other designers but I’ve know the producer and he knew my work. Every year he’d ask me to enter the show. For the past two years I didn’t do much and now I feel inspired.
DA: If you could think of one thing that you would suggest to other designers wanting to be in SACFW what would it be?
JM: What would I suggest? I don’t know perhaps start your work early.
DA: Do you have anything else you’d like to add?
JM: Well one question that everybody asks is what’s the inspiration for my Sac Fashion Week collection? I have to say that my inspiration is pop culture and more specific the female villain in every movie. You know, I think of the antihero girl that steals the scene. I would want to dress the female villain in every movie. So that’s what inspired my collection and I like to watch a lot of movies but I’d like to dress that fierce girl.
To learn more about the featured designers and their work, visit the Sacramento Fashion Week website at www.sacfashionweek.com. Tickets are still on sale but are expected to sell out soon.
More photos from the SACFW Press Party can be found here.
