More than 140 fashion and accessory designers, photographers, models, make-up artists, hair and fashion stylists, and other professionals in the fashion industry are convening at The Park at Fourteenth on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 7:00pm for their monthly meeting to network and exchange ideas, organize events and promote the growth of fashion-related business in the District.

Local designers and businesses to be featured in the show include: LoveRocksBoutique.com, Lily Lily Boutique, L-Shandi, Verdette, CG Originals, Evelyn Brooks Designs, MooJoo Ken and YoSoy Fashion. Hair and makeup is provided by PR at Partners – Metro Center.

“This presentation is a spring fashion preview. It's important for all of us to know what is going on in the fashion world, not just in DC. The apparel and accessories designers, boutique owners, models, makeup artists, hair and fashion stylists are all DC Fashionista Group members. We are proud to have a little bit of everything in our group,” stated Bonnie-Love, Owner/Buyer of LoveRocksBoutique.com.

Founded August 2, 2006 by Abigail de Casanova, Jewelry Designer and Wardrobe Stylist, this fashion-forward group has grown to more than 980 members in just two years. The group serves as a forum and networking opportunity for those who would like to become involved in the industry to work in photo shoots, runway shows and other fashion events in DC. A highly diverse group of professionals, DC Fashionistas are talented, friendly and supportive. The environment they create caters to achieving common goals in the world of fashion. To join the DC Fashionista Group, please visit http://fashionista.meetup.com/95/.

Photo: Victor C., D.C. Fashionistas

What does a girl who grew up with jeweler as a father and metal sculptor for a brother become when she grows up? A jewelry designer of course. I met Evelyn Brooks, the craftswoman behind the ingenious Fashion Fights Poverty charm at a recent DC Fashionistas event at The Part at 14th. Immediately drawn to her enthusiasm and welcoming demeanor, I asked for the opportunity to feature her work on District In. We convened at the ever charming Le Madeleine in Old Town Alexandria for a stroll down memory lane, conversing about her self-effacing beginnings as an aspiring jewelry designer and how certain illusive life events set in motion her tireless impulsion for achievement.

The date was September 10, 2001, while on a United Airlines flight to Pennsylvania Evelyn had no idea that the exact airplane she was aboard would be the very subject of immense tragedy the next day. Working as a flight attendant, bustling in and out of cities and countries was business as usual; but what happened the following day was anything but. Fast forward three weeks and Evelyn found herself back in her native country, Peru reluctantly taking lessons from her father about setting precious stones.

“After 9-11, on October 2, I was laid off from my job with the airline and sent back to Peru. While I was there, my dad gave me a box of rubies, emeralds and sapphires and asked me to put together a design. I would always say that I would never design jewelry; but I’ve [since] learned to never say never.”

It was that exact day, October 2, six years later that Evelyn reversed the roles and laid off her employer to take on the Evelyn Brooks Design venture with full gusto.

“[Evelyn Brooks Designs] did so well that summer, selling out of the cuff links for the men’s collection in the first week. Also, I knew that with Fashion Fights Poverty coming up, things were going to [in a good way] get really crazy. I knew that if I had to give up my comfort and eat beans and rice to live, I was willing to do that.”

Evelyn emphatically praises Empowering Women International’s Training for Success program for aiding her in focusing her ideas and providing guidance for putting together her first portfolio. Margo Fripp, President of Empowering Women International was so impressed with Evelyn’s progression that she awarded Evelyn the outstanding Artist Achievement Award November 2007. Acclaimed designer Donna Karan also took notice of Evelyn’s work, sited and photographed wearing her designs at Fashion Fights Poverty, New York.

“Being an immigrant, it feels so good to be on the same level, given the same opportunities, and have the same level of professionalism as everyone else. I credit the Empowering Women International organization for helping me to develop my confidence and point of view as a designer.”

Evelyn’s aesthetic is modern and contemporary with tribal influences that can be linked to the Incan lineage of the Peruvian culture. The current collection, Kon-Tiki, is a reverential ode to the Sun God of ancient Incan civilization, which stood for strength and wisdom, bringing light and beauty to the world.

Evelyn's jewelry designs make stunning and unique Valentine's Day gifts.  Featuring both men's and women's collections, you're sure to find a gift favorite for everyone on your list. 

Photos: www.ebrooksdesigns.com

Shown (top to bottom): Sodalite Necklace, Men's Bullet Charm, Citrine Bracelet (Editor's Pick)

By Katherine Limon, My Signature Look

When D.C. lost über-cool Unsung Designers last December to New York City, the fashion community was heartbroken. The boutique's claim on emerging designers introduced local fashionistas to a world of hip culture and couture. It was a refuge for bold, funky, and edgy styles that attracted even the shiest of characters. Thankfully, online sales are still possible but if a shopping excursion to New York is not in your future, then where does that leave the designers? The departure may have left L.A.-based designers Stephanie Verrières and Kimi Sako of Verrières-Sako without a second home, but the duo wants to ensure D.C. fashionistas are well stocked with their film noir-inspired collection of pencil skirts and cocktail dresses.

"We fell in love with D.C. and were sad to learn that the store was closing," Verrières said recently from her California design studio. "We would really like to be in the D.C. [retail] market."

And there is plenty of room. The designers' skill for manipulating fabric to create dramatic lines as demonstrated in the double collar blouse or signature defined waist dress appeals to the femme fatale gone glam. The organza dress coats worn over a sultry little cream dress would be the perfect attire for a night at the Kennedy Center. The collection's palette of neutral hues and quality fabrics, which includes bamboo, invokes elegance and sophistication – a perfect description of the modern D.C. woman.

In the months to come, Verrières-Sako plans to return to D.C. to participate in trunk shows. In the meantime, My Signature Look, a local wardrobe consulting company, has acquired items from the collection for private viewings. My Signature Look held the first viewing last week to rave reviews by clients and colleagues.

The District's recent expansion of boutiques and couture living appears ripe for an Unsung Designer replacement, if not the answer to emerging designers east-coast hub.

Contact My Signature Look at 202-445-0590 or katherine@mysignaturelook.com to schedule an appointment to view the collection. Offer is available through the month of February 2008.

There is much talk about pop culture’s influences on mainstream fashion; but seldom, beyond grossly oversized clothing and gaudy jewelry, does hip hop culture bear the acknowledgement of influencing sportswear fashion trends. At every turn there is a rap star releasing a new clothing line that is supposed to be representative of their personal style (often it’s anything but); but aside from Diddy's Sean Jean collection and Kimora Lee Simmon’s Baby Phat line (which technically did not descend from a rap artist) how many other urban sportswear clothing lines do you recall consistently seeing on the runways of New York, Paris, or Milan? Conversely, the market for high fashion apparel typically isn’t that of urban sportswear; which mainly appeals to teenagers and young adults in their late teens to early to mid 20s – unquestionably the most elusive, yet lucrative market segment to attract and establish brand loyalty.

Mainstream design houses like Tommy Hilfiger and POLO by Ralph Lauren managed to inadvertently corner the urban sportswear market in the 90s when their yuppie country club collections were profoundly embraced by urban hip hop communities for their bright colors, simplicity, and implied status. In today’s overcrowded market of better brands, success translates into understanding how the end consumer converts a designer’s point of view into a perception they want associated with their lifestyle.

Maryland based urban sportswear designer Daniel Olatunde of Xzuberance believes that the key to reaching this market is developing a brand via involvement. Hence Xzuberance’s activity based marketing schematic that involves campus runway shows, sports competitions, and programs designed to involve the target buyer on a level that allows them to personally identify and connect with the Xzuberance name; evoking a feeling that they somehow have a role in the progress and success of the brand.

“Xzuberance is about taking the creative energy of our youth and channeling it into something positive, says Olatunde.”

This spring, the company will host the "Xzuberance College Pool Tournament,” a pool contest between several schools that will award winners with college assistance stipends.

The style is identifiable - the simple concept of a polo shirt. The X factor is the communal effort to create a brand image that transcends merely selling a shirt. What Xzuberance vends is youthful optimism; using fashion to promote education and positivity – two things that hip hop culture typically fails miserably at endorsing.

Photos: www.xzuberance.com

What would it take to bring a fashion trade event, the caliber of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, to Washington D.C.? This is a challenge that is way too complex to be answered in a single article, yet compelling enough to explore in lieu of its illusiveness. In observing this cool, somewhat fish bowl of a district, one can’t help but notice that the D.C. fashion scene is ripening and preparing to be picked and placed among the elite. At every turn, there are cynics who will bash any potential this city has to hold its own among the ranks of New York or L.A. style status; but the truth is, neither of these cities achieved their position instantaneously. Many names and hours of innovative and progressive philosophies account for the “big city of dreams” perception these metropolis flaunt virtually innately. What we see today is the result of decades of groundwork set forth by the designers, media, and movers and shakers of yesteryear who represent today’s fashion icons and exalted annotators. Forty years from now, who will be among the visionaries responsible for stitching Washington D.C. into the coverlet of the elite fashion world?

The newly established Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce (GWFCC) ventures to baste the initial thread by pioneering an effort to shoulder the district’s fashion focused businesses, organizations, designers, and boutiques. Bill 17-0173, established by Christine Brooks-Cropper, President of GWFCC, was passed December 2007 and is filled with exhilarating and promising objectives. Among them are:

• Promoting the District as a location for holding major fashion events
• Implementing school programs in the field of fashion design and merchandising
• Offering scholarships and internships to students pursuing careers in the beauty and fashion industries to help them in transitioning into their careers
• Building a Fashion Retail Corridor that will serve as a centralized shopping destination featuring local, national and international fashion designers and boutiques in the District of Columbia;
• Supporting and marketing the District’s unique retailers and fashion designing talent through coordinated citywide events
• Creating partnerships between the fashion and business communities that will stimulate economic activity and reposition the District as a fashion destination.

2008 promises to be a big year for the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce. From hosting fabulous soirees to aggressively lobbying on behalf of those who impel the style of the district, the GWFCC is on the move, unabashed of rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty in the name of building D.C.’s fashion empire.

To learn more about the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce or to become a member, click here.

Photos: www.gwfcc.org