Fashion Week Alabama 2014

In July 2012, I walked in the door of Manuel American Designs in Nashville, TN, and began my career as a fashion designer interning/apprenticing under Manuel.  To make a long story short, a year and a half later Glenn Wiggins of Fashion Week Alabama knocks on my door and invites me to headline for their 2014 show! I could not have been more ecstatic!

Let me start the story with the intense road leading up to the show. I agreed that I would be able to provide a minimum of 12 looks without really considering how much work would be for me. Due to the inability to find quality sewing skills, I had no help in garment construction up until about 2 weeks before the night of the show.  They were all late nights and early mornings...I will admit that I was a bit slow at times working as a tailor for Manuel, my current day job, for which I do feel terrible.

I have never been afraid of hard work especially when witnessing the creation of something beautiful and well-made from start to finish. Seeing things grow, whether a tree, a child, or a jacket, has always intrigued me. The long days and sleepless nights were more captivating than anything else.

My girlfriend Rachael and I traveled down Friday afternoon from Nashville to Huntsville, a short drive of about 2 hours. We went to the wrong hotel once, got lost, and ended up in a retirement community, whoops! Upon arrival in downtown Huntsville, we changed and made our way to the Friday night VIP fashion show/party.  The scene didn't look too inviting when we finally entered and I was contemplating getting out of there. As we were leaving we ran into a beautiful local designer, Josie Wachi, who insisted on taking us out after the fashion show.

We stayed and the event was very nice. I was able to connect with world-renowned hair and make-up artist/designer Troy Nixon, Head of FWA/designer Ellena LeJeune, and Project Runway's/FWA official emcee Victoria Hensley, among many others. Later we met Josie and my personal assistant Rachael Ragland out for drinks at The Bottle, a classy restaurant downtown, and eventually moseyed over to a live music venue, Humphries, next door. It was nice to experience a bit of the nightlife and downtown Huntsville.

Enough blabbing...I'll get on to the Fashion show. As this was my first real fashion show, I must share all the details because everything was new to me! Saturday was hellish and heavenly at the same time. The models didn't show up for the out-of-town fitting slot at 10 am so I was unable to create a buyer sheet for my looks. Around 4 o'clock the models began to file in one by one. When I removed the garments from their bags, they started drooling! At one point I thought they were going to fight over a few different pieces. This was very flattering.

There were nine models and I had 16 looks ready. Some received 2 looks to model. The show started at 7 and I, being the headliner waited till the last show to present. The models, Rachael, and I were tired and surely hadn't had anything to eat since lunch. A last-minute pep talk right before the show brightened their spirits. I told them how "sexy" they all looked and encouraged them to put their personality into the walks and feel the music. They walked to The Weeknd's "Heaven or Las Vegas" which, I believe, paired perfectly with the looks, the brand, and the mood of the night. As the outfit change came, the madness reached its climax and I felt as if my body was moving a thousand miles an hour.

Overall the show was a success! I made SO MANY new friends, fell in love with the city of Huntsville, and received tons of encouragement and positive feedback. I never would have expected my first show to be the headlining act for a Fashion Week so I must add that I feel blessed to the fullest!

I hope that you enjoyed my accounts and photo narration of the show and I must add many thanks to my photographer, Connie Chornuk, who, despite her illness, traveled to Huntsville to document the insanity. Many thanks to Fashion Week Alabama, especially Ellena LeJeune and Glenn Wiggins, who dealt with my procrastination like champions. I must mention my assistant Rachael because I could not have done this without her. Finally, I want to say thanks to my girlfriend, Troy Nixon, Josie Wachi, all of the models, and the city of Huntsville for their profound hospitality. I think it is truly altruistic to dedicate so much time and money towards the promotion of emerging artists like myself.

Here is a video shot by Fredro Star on the night of my Fashion Week Alabama show. Please click on the link below to view it on Youtube. This was very exciting for me to see since it was my first show and I was in the mix backstage. Good stuff, I hope you like it! Much love...spread it.