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Story by Alexandra Rosario
Photos by QPhotoNYC
“Smile! We want to see a smile on your face! Hands on your waist! Ok, stop and....pose! That's perfect, now go back,” coached Gina Traveras to a group of young girls, each getting ready to make their runway debut at the fashion event in Highbridge Park, as organized by uptown fashionista Gina Costanza of the House of Glam and co-sponsored by Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez.
The fashion show showcased 11 designers from around the world promoting their new eco-friendly fashion lines. The event also included a clothing swap, artists, beauty demonstrations, and a live fashion demonstration, and was well-attended by fashion-forward style devotees and curious passerby alike.
The designer's fashions ranged from Born Again Vintage creations featuring clothing made from vintage clothing, recyclable clothing and recyclable fabric from designer Bridget Artisse to fun and flirty hair accessories modeled by the young girls from Marlissa Macario. The other designers were Lajuanda Moody, Myriam Guerrero, Lissy Gomez, Wendel Johnston, Tom Sohung Tong, Ana Segura, Karina Fernandez, Sandra Baquero and Bronx-born amparo3 designer Illiana Quander. Each of the designer's new collections utilized environmentally-friendly fabrics and reused pieces, such as a men's vest made entirely out of colorful ties.
Designer Karina Fernandez is just ten years old, and already dressing girls her age in flashy and fun clothes that are also environmentally friendly.
“My dream is to be a fashion designer! I get inspiration from nature, like trees, gardens, and flower patterns,” she said.
One of the biggest crowd pleasers of the day was a young girl modeling one of Fernandez's creations, a sky-blue tulle skirt and matching hair accessory. With her mischievous smile and a show stopping strut, the little girl captured the audience’s attention. Another stand-out was the very last piece out on the runway. As created by designer Ana Segura, the piece featured a flowing floor-length sheer gold robe with a feathered neck piece. The dramatic effect was met with gasps from the audience and flashes from cameras.
The few male models on the runway elicited laughs and excitement as they strutted down the runway in suspenders and glasses, humorously spinning in circles and dancing on the spot.
Costanza's niece, 17-year-old Angie Garcia, headed up the clothing swap program, of which she is a veteran. Garcia routinely helps her aunt with the clothing swap portion of her events and loves to be part of it. “You know that saying, one man's trash is another man's treasure? This coat is in great condition, someone might come and love it,” she said, pointing to the outerwear garment. “I'm a green person, I live here, I don't want to be breath dirty air or live on a dirty street. We have to take care of our home.”
Artist Sarah Bach helped guests create “Trash Couture,” part of Art for Progress. The two trash couture fashions featured included the likes of old cereal boxes, shredded plastic grocery bags, plastic forks and knives, and old styrofoam. The effect was colorful, and thought-provoking.
“We have paper versus plastic here, because of the paper and plastic debate. Anyone who wants to can add to them, it's truly eco-friendly fashion,” said Bach.
Right next to Trash Couture, local Washington Heights artist Marthalicia Matarrita painted a portrait filled with hues of greens, browns, and yellows to reflect the environmental message of the day. “Artists like myself also have the capacity for design as well,” she said.
During the course of the fashion show, fashion designer Trudy Miller demonstrated how to use one of her pieces, the Kimono Dragon dress, to create nearly 20 different looks.
“I'm here partially as a designer, and partially as a solutionista,” she said. “This one piece has so many designs and about six to 20 different looks from just one garment. There are so many ways to incorporate eco-living into your life.”
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