Article | Behind-the-Scenes Documentary by Model on Fashion's Darker Side

Behind-the-scenes documentary by US model shines a light on fashion's darker side
By: JENNY BARCHFIELD

PARIS — Discovered at age 14 outside her Manhattan school, Sara Ziff was quickly swept up into the high-glamour whirlwind of the fashion industry, jetting to Paris and Milan for shoots and shows and getting paychecks with an astonishing number of zeros.

She and her boyfriend, a film school graduate, started taking home videos backstage on a lark, but the couple's hobby bloomed into something bigger — an inside peek behind the industry's high-gloss facade into its darker side of body image problems, drugs and even sexual abuse.

Ziff, a blue-eyed blond who walked for luxury supernovas including Louis Vuitton and Chanel, says the couple's documentary, "Picture Me," shows an industry sometimes out of control.

"It's sort of the 'Wild West,' with people feeling the rules don't apply in fashion, for some reason. I'd like to be a part of making some sort of changes in that way," Ziff, 28, told The Associated Press.

She and her boyfriend and co-director, Ole Schell, were in Paris Monday to promote the movie among the fashion glitteratti, who are flocking to the city for the spring-summer 2011 ready-to-wear show, which begins Tuesday. The movie, which is currently playing in Los Angeles, is scheduled to be released in Paris next month.

Shot over a period of five years by Ziff, Schell and their model friends, "Picture Me" makes a convincing case for the need for some sort of regulation in an industry where girls begin their careers at age 14 or even as young as 12.

Ziff waited until after high school to pursue her career in earnest. Soon, she was gracing mammoth billboards in her native New York and out-earning her father, a neuro-biologist and professor at New York University.

In the film, we see Ziff evolve from a wide-eyed ingenue into a harried and emotionally strung-out young woman.

She's often in tears, reeling from the sheer exhaustion of the brutal monthlong fashion show calendar, or upset about a tactless comment from one of the professionals backstage. Ziff says the industry tends to see models as objects to be poked, prodded and painted, rather than as sensitive young women.

The movie also prods what Ziff calls the "sordid and salacious" underbelly of fashion, with her and her friends talking on camera about the taboo subjects of cocaine use backstage, bulemia-clogged toilets and photographers' unwanted sexual advances.

Ziff, and Schell, 35, insist they hadn't initially set out to make a tell-all documentary.

"I started by just innocently shooting for fun," said Schell, adding it was his journalist father who convinced the pair to make a film. "So we took all this home video footage, about two years of home video footage, and then interviewed a bunch of Sara's friends, other models, and photographers and fashion designers."

In an industry that Schell describes as "all literally about the image, the final image, (and) all the money and effort that goes into that," it wasn't easy to get such explosive revelations on tape, the pair said.

"It's not always considered so cool to analyze things in the fashion industry," said Schell, who also directed "Win in China," a documentary about capitalism in the Asian giant. "When you peel back the layers and start to examine the machinations behind the scenes, not everyone is interested in participating in that."

Ziff said her modeling agency was not aware of the couple's project. After "Picture Me" debuted on the film festival circuit she changed agencies, she said.

Still, the movie is not all negative. It showcases the camaraderie and the close bonds that develop between models as they turn to one another for support, and it often focuses on the lighthearted and happy moments they share.

"Picture Me" also underscores the way modeling allows teenage girls, often from small towns in Eastern Europe or Latin American, to lift their entire families out of grinding poverty.

At the end of the movie, Ziff is looking for a way out of modeling and gets accepted at Columbia University. Having paid her way through the Ivy League college on her income from modeling, Ziff is to graduate with a degree in political science in December.

In addition to making the movie, Ziff also worked on Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo's campaign for New York governor and said she was surprised about the amount of crossover between fashion and politics.

"In the end, they're both about image," she said.

Jezebel Reports: Fashion Week Diversity By The Numbers

Jezebel Reports:
Fashion Week Diversity By The Numbers
By Jenna Sauers

In September of 2007, it was reported that of all the 101 shows that took place during New York fashion week, one third employed zero models of color. Since then, we've tried to track diversity on the runway every season.

We do this here at Jezebel because what we see on the runway — and who wears it — influences the faces we will go on to see in magazine editorials, advertising campaigns, and all the other images the fashion industry will create over the coming season. The models who walk in the shows are working with the stylists who matter, and being seen by the top editors. Those stylists are thinking of the campaigns, editorials, and other jobs they'll be consulting on over the coming months; the editors are thinking of their feature wells and the garments and stories and faces that might fill them. The industry at large is watching these shows and thinking: Who has buzz? Who's that new face? Who do we have to have? The runway is like a hopper that feeds the fashion industry's image-making machine. And the fact is that those images overwhelmingly feature white faces; this, we believe, perpetuates the cycle of marginalization and racism experienced by people of color.

Even if, come spring, you don't buy any of the overpriced designer clothes fashion week notionally exists to unveil, and even if you are not a habitual reader of the hard-core fashion magazines, chances are you'll still be bombarded with the perfume ads, the Gap campaigns, and the Maybelline billboards — not to mention the garden variety ladymag editorials — that will stem from this season and its casting.


This fashion week, there were 128 New York shows and presentations that were covered by Style.com. (We've always used Style.com as the basis for our data because it publishes look-by-look slideshows, often with models' names included, for a comprehensive swath of New York's shows.) Those 128 shows together presented 4,170 runway looks. That means 4,170 opportunities to choose a woman or girl to model that outfit.


3,410 of those opportunities, or 81.8%, went to white models. That means of course that 760, or 18.2%, went to models who were non-white. Non-white Latina models were used 95 times in all of fashion week, or around 2.3% of the time, and Asian models were used 296 times, or 7.1% of the time. Black models were used 353 times, or 8.4% of the time. Models of other races, like the Moroccan Hind Sahli and the Canadian model Tara Gill, who has Native American heritage, were used 16 times, or 0.4% of the time.

Since Jezebel has been been tracking the relative diversity of New York fashion week for so many seasons, I thought I'd try and chart the last few seasons and their numbers. (We did not generate data for Spring/Summer 2009, or Spring/Summer 2010.) You will notice that this season presents a small improvement on six months ago, in terms of its diversity, but that essentially New York fashion week is right back where it was 18 months ago.


Lots of people within fashion will tell you that casting models is an extraordinarily complex, creative pursuit, one that requires balancing multiple subjective qualities (does this model give me the right feeling?) with more objective ones (does this model fit the clothes, and can she walk?). Some people always say that choosing a cast that suits a designer's creative vision is more important than taking even the most basic steps to insure that cast isn't all-white. (At least, the apologists for the status quo prefer to talk about designers and "creative visions" rather than about casting notices that say "No Ethnic Girls" and black models who say they work less than their white friends.) But why is it considered acceptable for a designer's creative vision to not include people of color? Do those designers not want any black or Latino customers either?

This season, there were six shows and presentations that included no models of color at all. These included Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti — which is cast by the highly influential casting director Russell Marsh, who also casts for Prada and Miu Miu — as well as Mulberry, Reem Acra, and Doo.Ri. Prada, you will recall, is the Italian global luxury brand that went more than a decade without casting even a single black model in any of its shows. (This season, Prada had two black models — Jourdan Dunn and Melodie Monrose — present one look apiece in its 41-look collection.)

There were also plenty of shows that had all-white casts but for one or two models. Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Jeremy Scott, Jill Stuart, Narciso Rodriguez, Rodarte, Diesel Black Gold, and Thakoon are among them. What's worrisome is that that list is thick with some of the most influential and prestigious labels in all of fashion. And they don't seem to see any use for more than a couple token models of color. Mass-market powerhouse Max Azria, via his brands Hervé Leger by Max Azria, Max Azria, and BCBG Max Azria, booked his customary nearly all-white casts, all while telling us he was the "king of diversity in fashion."

Who were the designers who did things better? 3.1 Phillip Lim, who hired nine models of color, and Sophie Théallet, who showed 13 of her 32 looks on models of color, were among the buzzed-about younger designers had very diverse casts. Among the old guard, Carolina Herrera (11/52), Oscar de la Renta (13/60), and Diane von Furstenberg (17/50), had the most diverse casts. Rachel Comey, Betsey Johnson, Costello Tagliapietra, Tara Subkoff's relaunched Imitation line, Jason Wu, Christian Siriano, Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. line, both Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Richard Chai were also among those labels that valued diversity in their casting.

Melodie Monrose, with 19 shows including Tory Burch and Rag & Bone, was fashion week's top black model. Shena Moulton and Joan Smalls, who booked 13 apiece, were second. Moulton was the only black model at Calvin Klein, and Smalls walked for Alexander Wang, Derek Lam, and Michael Kors, among others. The top Asian model at New York fashion week was again Liu Wen, who walked in 18 shows. Fei Fei Sun and Shu Pei Qin had 16 each. Among non-white Latina models, Simone Carvalho booked nine shows, while Juana Burga had a respectable eight. The only models of other ethnic backgrounds to speak of were Hind Sahli, who worked six shows, and Tara Gill, who booked three.

Why doesn't fashion — especially multi-national brands whose profitability rests on convincing the largest number of consumers possible to purchase their perfumes, underwear, and diffusion lines, like Calvin Klein — have more consideration for the beauty and worth of people who aren't white? Is New York fashion week plateauing at around 82% white, no matter how much advocacy or consciousness-raising gets done, or how many trend pieces get written about this issue? Will it ever become unacceptable to put on a fashion show in a thoroughly multi-racial city like New York and not hire a single model of color? Will it ever become unacceptable to blame that choice on an alleged "creative vision"? As long as these questions remain, we'll continue to ask them, time and time again, and look for answers in seasons to come.

Article | Designer from Parshall shows her talents at Wyoming show

Designer from Parshall shows her talents at Wyoming show
By ELOISE OGDEN, Minot Daily News
September 2010

Darlene Perkins was seriously ill last year and couldn't show her leather and quillwork clothing designs at a prestigious Western design event in Wyoming.

This year she took part in the Western Design Conference & Art Show in Jackson Hole.

"This was kind of a coming out this year," said Perkins, who has been working with leather, quills and other natural items for designs for a number of years.

The conference, which brings together crafters, scholars, collectors, interior designers, architects and fashion designers with an interest in the West, is a signature event of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival.

The fashion show portion of the conference has collections from up-and-coming and established fashion designers. The art show is a one-of-a-kind show for museum-quality functional art, according to the conference Web site. Western-influenced designers and artists from across the country take part in the art show.

"I guess one word is 'awesome,' "Perkins said, describing the conference held Sept. 9-12.

"It was very tedious a lot of rehearsals," said Perkins of helping her models get ready for the fashion show and "to give them a certain look." Up to the last minute she said she was working on a necklace one of the models would wear.

Perkins' models included Jasmin Big Crow and Eudora Hall, both of New Town, and Mariah Watchman, Lawrence, Kan., formerly of New Town who is an international model. All are members of the Three Affiliated Tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Perkins also is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes.

Another female and two male models also showed Perkins' clothing.

"Models were provided but I wanted our native people to have the experience," she said. She said she also wanted her designs to be shown by them.

The females wore dresses, including a buckskin wedding dress, and pants and skirt outfits most with quillwork. The men modeled Perkins' designed vests with quillwork or elk teeth and bear claw necklaces.

Perkins also displayed in the art show a traditional Native American saddle made of brain tanned smoked elk hide stuffed with buffalo hair, and a beaded medicine wheel with horse hair added to it.

She said some of her clothing designs were sold at the show. Perkins normally sells her designs through vendors.

Just to be in the show "was an experience in itself," Perkins said.

More Maori | Hand-woven Tawhiao collection features at NZFW

(Te Whiri is Shona Tawhiao’s debut range of military-inspired apparel)


Hand-woven Tawhiao collection features at NZFW
Fri, 17 Sep 2010
By 3News.co.nz staff


The world’s first hand woven haute couture collection will feature at New Zealand Fashion Week.

Te Whiri is Shona Tawhiao’s debut range of military-inspired apparel, under her eponymous label Tawhiao.

"Samurai, Roman, the Masai, and Maori of course. It's totally military warrior woman meets marching girl."

Tawhiao has introduced the plant to haute couture by literally weaving a groundbreaking mix of high fashion that can be nothing but Maori.

Of Ngaiterangi descent from the Bay of Plenty, Tawhiao was among an initial flock of Unitec graduates who helped revitalize the indigenous art form and then turn it into a contemporary practice. Like a true soldier, there are no short cuts to manifesting Tawhiao's concepts.

Harakeke is a Lilly specimen commonly referred to as native flax because of its resourceful fibres.

Before each individual blade of flax fibre is weaved by Tawhiao's hand with military precision, the flax must be grown, harvested and individually prepared.

Tawhiao's decision to merge harakeke with haute couture has fuelled her passion to construct visionary designs that look beyond these shores.

"Everything Japanese is inspirational to me. How an indigenous culture creates a subculture, I think is really cool. Maori don't have that yet."

Tawhiao is one of seven designers to show at NZFW 2010 thanks this year's Miromoda Fashion Design Awards.

Although Te Whiri is Tawhiao's first-ever haute couture collection to be exhibited at an international trade fair, the designer already has an accomplished portfolio of woven work that adorns art galleries, film and television, family homes, schools, meeting houses and hotel lobbies.

She is also a past winner of the Villa Maria Cult-Couture Award and has a garment in the World of Wearable Arts museum.

Tawhiao brings a cultural component to Fashion Week that she says New Zealand has struggled to muster, making the name of her premiere collection – Te Whiri – most fitting.

"Te Whiri is Maori for plait. It's the joining of everything really. I feel very lucky. This is a culmination of all my work that I love so it's pretty exciting."

Ashish's Cowboys and Indians: A Hot Kitschy Mess

Good gracious, just shoot me with a bow and arrow.

London-based fashion designer Ashish's latest collection, named Rodeo Drive, brought a hyperbolic hybrid of cowboys and Indians to London's fashion week. And the whole kitschy mess was covered in sequins.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love me some sparkle, but London, please bring your sense of class back.

Vivienne Westwood's collection is Inspired by Leonard Peltier

So I'm busy reviewing the latest New York Fashion Week collections - and I got side-tracked by London's Fashion Week, which is going on now, and I came across this:

Vivienne Westwood's collection is inspired by Leonard Peltier.

Now this is interesting.

As you probably know, Westwood has long been inspired by 'the Native' - she has incorporated Indigenous design motifs into her punk asthetic since she launched her Savage Collection in 1982.

Now, nearly 20 years later, Westwood seeks to put her noteriety to use and support certain causes: she proclaims (in her collection booklet) that Peltier, a long-jailed American Indian activist, is innocent (and, for this show, she also promotes the legal organization Reprieve, which works on behalf of prisoners at Guantánamo and on death row).

I personally have always enjoyed Westwood's rebellious nature and I like the fact that she seeks to support the people who inspire her. More designers should follow her lead.

Reviewers of her show enjoyed her military-meets-Native style (some calling it Navajo-inspired, which is interesting considering that Peltier is not Navajo, but is actually from my tribe, Turtle Mountain Chippewa).

Some of her models even wore headbands emblazoned with the word "BRANDED" - I could spend days analyzing this collection and her statements about labeling groups of people, stigmatizing a person, or the 'branding' of Indigenous cultures in fashion.

Yet, even though she has supported Peltier in the past (for example, showing special VIP screenings of the documentary 'Incident at Oglala' - which, if you haven't seen, you simply must because it tells an important story in American history) some of her front row attendants still asked, "Who's Leonard Peltier?"

Video | New Zealand Maori Fashion

Alright! So I had a great time looking into New Zealand Maori fashion designers, and I came across this video coverage of the 2009 Westfield Style Pasifika’s fashion show - New Zealand's premier Fashion Awards. It shows the garments of some of the designers I featured this past week, including Amber Bridgman, Charmaine Love, and others (and I must say, Amber Bridgman rocks it out in just about every category). Right now, New Zealand Fashion Week is in full swing, and I look forward to seeing what the Maori designer collective fashion show Miromoda has to offer.

The video below, of a 2009 fashion show, is just a lot of fun to watch. You can watch one of the segments below, but there’s a total of 6 parts that you can view at your own convenience (it’s a total of 60 mins – and totally worth watching the whole thing).

The event website explains that the Awards show is recognized for launching some of New Zealand’s finest fashion design and performance talent, and showcasing its raw and Indigenous style. The show is a mixture of traditional and contemporary fashion, as well as music and dance featuring the country's most exciting Pacific entertainers.

“As always the event attracts a dynamic range of designs from throughout New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. Each year it never fails to astound with the diversity in backgrounds, ages and nationalities of designers that enter the competition - from young design students through to those with established labels, high schools students through to grandmothers. The show truly is all-inclusive and provides designers with an invaluable platform to showcase their talent.”

The 10 categories of the award show include:
(Segment 1): Urban Pasifika Streetwear, and Asia Pasifika,
(Segment 2): Painted Body Art, and Pasifika 3-Piece Collection,
(Segment 3): Traditionally Inspired, and Pasifika Hero,
(Segment 4): Pasifika Menswear, and Pasifika Evening Wear,
(Segment 5): Parent and Child, and Pasifika Bridal

Two new categories were introduced in 2003 - Asia Pasifika which reflects the Asian Pacific influences in New Zealand; and the Pasifika Hero category - a broader celebration and acknowledgement of the ‘3rd gender’ so common in the pacific and a part of New Zealand’s gay community.

The third segment was my favorite, so I’ve pasted it below. But I must say that they are all worth checking out:



Watch all six segments by clicking here.

Designer Profile | Amber Bridgman

Earlier this week, I decided to branch out and feature four Maori designers – their work is truly amazing and aesthetically inspiring. This is the last profile, though I hope to feature more in the future. Amber Bridgman is the head designer and director of Kahuwai, a fashion company that produces clothing for all age groups. In fact, it was her adorable baby bibs that made me want to feature her on this site.

Designer Profile | Amber Bridgman
Kahuwai is a fashion label that is Māori owned and operated in the South Island of Aotearoa. Kahuwai provides a blend of unique pieces of Māori inspired clothing and textiles for babies, toddlers, children, women and men.

Head designer Amber Bridgman comes from a diverse and creative background.

Article | Ready to Rendezvous - Cody High Style

Calgary Stampede Rodeo princess Kirstie Rougeau (from left), queen Katie Rochan and princess Janelle Phillips rehearse Tuesday night for the Cody High Style Fashion Shows on Wednesday night in the BBHC foyer.


Ready to ‘Rendezvous’
By RICHARD REEDER

With national reports declaring an end to the recession - and on the heels of a busy summer season - Rendezvous Royale week is bursting at the seams this week.

The three premier events are sold out, or close to being at capacity.

The 29th annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale has sold 650 tickets and had to cut off requests last week.

The auction begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the party tent outside the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

"I'm excited to say we are sold out - we have 65 tables with 10 seats all full," director Kathy Thompson said. "We could have added more but had to give the caterer the food order last week.

"We're still getting calls and we're really excited," she added. "We have many new buyers because the show is getting better every year."

Thompson said the show has many loyal artists who love coming to Cody and 12 artists are new to this year's show.

She said the show is growing with many new patrons because the quality of the art continues to improve.

Another aspect of the show's success is the amount of work volunteers do during the weeks leading up to the event.

"Our volunteers contribute an unbelievable amount of hours," Thompson said. "The whole town really gets behind Royale week.

"It's also about Cody's Western hospitality - it draws people from around the world," she added. "And people hear about it from someone else who has been here."

Honored co-chairs Anne Young and Jim Nielson will be feted during the art show.

Thompson said one of the art show judges told her they don't know of another show of this size and quality done in such a small community.

This year's live auction will feature 112 pieces of art to be sold, including the main piece by Honored Artist Donna Howell-Sickles of Texas.

There are also 62 items in the silent auction. Forty-two artists will participate in the Quick Draw at 9 a.m. Sunday in the Robbie Powwow Garden.

"We sell more tickets for the Quick Draw than we do for the auction," Thompson said. "It's more affordable and people love watching the work being created."

Thompson says there are 25 events revolving around the Royale and it's a tremendous boost to the Cody economy.

"Economically, this is the single biggest week of the year in town," she said. "And we try and use as many local vendors as we can.

"We also try and give back by hosting children's art classes through the Park County Arts Council," she added.

The 34th annual Patrons Ball also is sold out. The black-tie event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the BBHC.

Committee member Paul Brock and Public Relations director Lee Haines said there were 550 tickets sold.

"We had to put a cap on it and stop the sales," Brock said. "We've had a great response and it's exceeded our expectations. We're tremendously pleased and excited about the ball."

The silent auction this year includes a wild mustang from the McCullough Peaks herd, art work, furniture and jewelry.

There is also a chance drawing in which people buy a box of chocolates.

If the box contains a golden ticket, the person's name is entered in a drawing to win a pair of diamond earrings.

"One of the silent auction items is a night in the museum," Haines said. "The winner will have dinner and spend the night and have a special program with one of the curators."

The fifth annual Cody High Style Fashion Show is close to being sold out.

Organizer Jill Osiecki Gleich said a few tickets remain for the two shows Wednesday. Performances are at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the BBHC foyer.

"Things are going really well and we'll be at capacity, which is 400 per show," Osiecki Gleich said. "We have a great crowd that's a mixture of locals and out of towners from New York, New Jersey and California."

She said those out of town visitors include the 20 people signed up to see cabins in Meeteetse.

The fashion show will feature the designs of 18 fashion designers. Returners include Angela DeMontigny and Montana Dreamwear.

Newcomer Mildred Carpenter and her MILDJ Fashion will travel from Lodge Grass, Mont.

"I'm really excited to see her designs," Osiecki Gleich said. "This is exciting because we've had so many inquiries about her."

(Richard Reeder can be reached at richard@codyenterprise.com.)

Art of Fashion | Patricia Michaels

Check out these behind-the-scenes photos by Michael P. "Martini Mike" D'Arco (shot during the Art of Fashion Reality TV Show filming) of Patricia Michaels' latest fashion designs -




View the full set of photos on D'Arco's flicker account - they are amazing images.

Art of Fashion is a monthly show hosted by Stephen Cuomo and Buzz Networking. It is designed to encourage networking among designers, models, photographers, and other creative individuals in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, but also to bring fashion to local nightlife.

Read more about the past Art of Fashion events by clicking here.

Designer Profile | Tutina Pasene

Continuing my feature on Maori designers, I present a family of creative minds who bring Maori fashion to menswear.

Tutina Pasene is the head designer of a family of designers (including her partner and their two sons) who collectively produce the Tutina Pasene fashion line.

The four members each bring their own unique perspective and design aesthetic to the table, creating fantastic and fashionable menswear.

Designer Profile | Charmaine Love

Today I’m continuing my feature on Maori designers with a profile of Charmaine Love who creates both casual streetwear (her Kia Kaha line) and high-end apparel (her self-titled line).

Love’s couture can be fun and eclectic as well as clean and classic with Maori aesthetic influences. Her garments are worn by celebrities, including singer Fergie of Fergalicious fame.

Designer Profile | Charmaine Love
Ko te kairapu ko ia te kite, “Those who seek shall find” – Charmaine Love

Kia Kaha designer, Charmaine Love first entered the fashion scene in 2004 - winning the coveted Supreme Award at Westfield Style Pasifika in Auckland.

Video | Vickilyn's Closet

Check out this promo vid from Victorialyn McCarthy - Vickilyn's Wedding, featuring her latest garments from her line Vickilyn's Closet (which will be shown during the Phoenix Fashion Week, October 7-9, 2010)

Designer Profile | Suzanne Tamaki

Alright folks – I’m branching out of the US and Canada and crossing the ocean to feature some designers from New Zealand! I was blown away when I saw the work produced by the designers there. This week I plan to feature four Maori designers. The first is Suzanne Tamaki whose Maori-punk aesthetic features graphic designs, plaid kilts, top hats, and feathered cuffs.

Designer Profile | Suzanne Tamaki
Suzanne Tamaki (Maniapoto, Tuhoe, Te Arawa) is an Otaki-based fibre artist with the label Native Sista.

Maori Designers at New Zealand Fashion Week

New Zealand Fashion Week kicks off on September 21st, and eight Maori designers will be showcasing their award-winning designs during the Miromoda show.

Miromoda offers support for designers in the early stages of their careers, including providing opportunities for runway experience and international recognition. Holding a slot during NZFW, Miromoda hopes their featured designers will gain this recognition.

"Miro" is the technical term for twining muka fibres in traditional Māori weaving.
"moda" is Italian for Fashion.

The Indigenous Māori Fashion Apparel Board (IMFAB) was founded in 2008, as a non-profit organisation, instituted to advance the quality status of Māori fashion design and to raise its artistic and professional standards. Miromoda also aims to define a code of ethical practices of mutual benefit in public and trade relations and, to promote appreciation of the fashion arts through leadership in high quality, authenticity and aesthetic discernment.

Miromoda is committed to nurturing the development of the Māori fashion industry’s future designers. Miromoda educational initiatives provide support and strengthen resources for students at secondary, tertiary and post-graduate levels.

The 2010 Miramoda Designers, who will show their work at NZFW, include the following:
Bianca Walford-Collier / Wellington
Blaire Archibald / Auckland
Adrienne Whitewood / Rotorua
Aroha Wikotu / Waikato
Ana Hau / Auckland
Shona Tawhiao / Auckland
Amber Bridgman / Otago
Kereama Taepa / Papamoa

Watch video clips from the Miromoda Fashion Design Competition 2009:

Kim Picard's Designs at Ottawa Fashion Show

Check out the latest fashion designs by First Nations fashion designer Kim Picard for Angie's Showcase from AMTI (Angie's Models & Talent International) at the War Museum of Ottawa, May 29, 2010.

Angie's Models & Talent International has helped countless young men and women succeed in the world of fashion, theatre and film.

Read more about Kim Picard by clicking here for my Designer Profile post on her.










Photos were taken by Alice Beaudoin, you can see more of her work at: www.beaudoinphotography.ca

Designer Profile | Dustin Martin

Dustin Martin (Navajo) has been making headlines recently as the Columbia University senior majoring in Anthropology who creates Native American streetwear.

Martin reworks clothing from thrift stores – adding silkscreened designs infused with messages that reflect his clothing line S.O.L.O. (Sovereign Original Land Owners).

Is Ethnic Beauty The New 'It' Factor?

Check out this recent article from CNN:

(CNN) -- Women who desire a more "exotic" appearance are looking to the fashion world's growing multi-culturalism for inspiration.

There was a time when the Caucasian girl-next-door looks of Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford and more recently Kate Moss dominated the fashion pages. Then came new fashion icons: Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce - and then Giselle, Kim Kardashian and Shakira.

More voluptuous figures, fuller lips and darker skin, features traditionally associated with women of African, Latin and Asian cultures, are "in." Over the past decade, an appreciation for ethnic beauty has been on the rise, and these natural features are becoming popular among Caucasian women who desire to look more "exotic."

Dr. Nancy Etcoff, a Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist who studies the science behind the brain and beauty, believes that the shift in our perception of beauty is a sign of the times.

"Our standards of beauty are changing and ethnic women are at the forefront today," she said. "It emulates our growing sense of cultural awareness."

Etcoff, who also authored "Survival of the Prettiest," adds: "If you study plastic surgery textbooks, the notions of an ideal feature have changed. In the 50s, the ideal look featured thinner lips, upturned noses, smaller eyes, and paler makeup," Etcoff said. "Now you see broader noses, darker skin, and larger eyelids. All these attributes suggest shifts in demographics and an appeal to a more multicultural look instead of an overly Caucasian appearance."

Read more by clicking here.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Some women desire ethnic features to achieve an "exotic" look,
- Larger bottoms and fuller lips are among the most popular exotic beauty trends,
- As America's population changes, the standards of beauty change experts say,
- Companies earned over $3 billion between 2005 and 2009 in multicultural beauty market .

First Nations Fashion in Cowgirl Magazine

Angela DeMontigny's fashion designs are currently being featured in COWGIRL MAGAZINE. Here's a sample of the latest Fall Fashion Feature:


A RUNWAY SHOW ~ Fall's Important FashionTrends
- Animal Prints
- Black Leather
- Hair-on-Hide Handbags
- Furs & Fringe

You can find Cowgirl Mag at your local Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstores.

Native Peoples: Native Fashion On The Cover

If you haven't caught it yet, jeweler Kenneth Johnson is on the Sept/Oct cover of Native Peoples Magazine, wearing clothes by Cochiti fashion designer Virgil Ortiz.


ON THE COVER
Jeweler Kenneth Johnson (Muscogee/Seminole) is one of a handful of notable contemporary Native jewelers producing cutting-edge rings and other forms of jewelry. See related story p. 32. Photo and styling by Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo), best known for his outstanding works in pottery and fashion (see “Galleries,” this issue). Kenneth is wearing the 2010 VO Signature T-Shirt by Virgil Ortiz. www.virgilortiz.com.

A Beaded Gift for the First Lady

First Lady Michelle Obama's staff bought a purple beaded clutch made by Teri Greeves to give as an official gift to First Lady Margarita Zavala (the wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderón).


For more about Teri Greeves, read my previous designer profile on her.

Victorialyn McCarthy: A Knack for Fashion

Young Navajo designer Victorialyn McCarthy is in the news again!:


Victorialyn McCarthy: A knack for fashion
By Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, Today correspondent
Story Published: Aug 30, 2010


Victorialyn McCarthy grew up wanting to be a police officer like her grandfather but is now making her mark as a fashion designer.

“My grandfather always told me stories about catching the bad guys and all the places he got to travel to. I really wanted to have all the same kinds of adventures.”