sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Move over Milan, New York City and Paris, the hottest new fashion destination just might be sa国际传媒官网网页入口. And it鈥檚 got a style all its own.

On Saturday, July 26, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Fashion Week will present 鈥淣ight Aquatic,鈥� an evening of fashion, food and fun with underwater-themed runway collections by the city鈥檚 up-and-coming designers.

Madison Van Der Lingen, co-founder of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Fashion Week, is the runway coordinator for 鈥淣ight Aquatic.鈥� She worked with a board of local fashion industry professionals to select 13 designers from the 30 who applied. Her own brand, MadVan Design, is headlining the evening with what she calls 鈥渟ome nutty outfits.鈥�

Although many of the designers鈥� looks are playful and fun, reflecting sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 flair for offbeat aesthetics, Van Der Lingen said guests should be aware that 鈥淣ight Aquatic鈥� is still 鈥渁n evening of evening wear,鈥� not a costume party, and 鈥渄ress codes will be strictly enforced.鈥�

鈥淭hink cocktail hour or evening wear attire,鈥� Van Der Lingen said. 鈥淲ith a hint of 鈥榓quatic,鈥� if you want to get creative, but you don鈥檛 have to be aquatic.鈥�

鈥淏ut there will be mermaids there,鈥� she added, 鈥渟o dress to impress the mermaids.鈥�

Van Der Lingen was born and raised in Taos, which she described as sartorially conservative.

鈥淲hen I dressed up as a teenager, I had drinks thrown at me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a small-town mentality. But here in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, I can dress as weird as I want on Central, and I鈥檓 fine.鈥�

鈥淣ight Aquatic鈥� will take place at the Oasis Event Center, formerly Salt Yard West, a venue that鈥檚 been reinvented by local investors Laura and Eliot Goldstein.

鈥淚 knew them (the Goldsteins) from a show they did called 鈥楴ot Your Mother鈥檚 Bridal Show.鈥� It was a bridal event where you could find all your vendors for your wedding, but with a more alternative style, like for the goth girls,鈥� Van Der Lingen said.

Given the Goldsteins鈥� enthusiasm for alternative fashion, a collaboration with sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Fashion Week made sense. And Oasis had everything Van Der Lingen was looking for in a venue, including a courtyard big enough to accommodate outdoor dining under a canopy and a bevy of boutique fashion vendors.

The evening will begin with performances by Emariposaa, whom Van Der Lingen describes as a 鈥渓ocal pop star,鈥� and Paris Jaramillo, an experimental acrobatic performer.

鈥淭hen, starting off the runway shows, we have Radioactive Neon Noir by Jhen茅 Chase.鈥� Van Der Lingen said. 鈥淔or her collection, she鈥檚 doing a lot of neon, like bioluminescent sea creatures.鈥�

鈥淚 see myself as a storyteller,鈥� Chase said. 鈥淲hether that鈥檚 through clothing or an installation art project or a film script, telling stories is at the basis of all of it.鈥�

One of Chase鈥檚 new looks is inspired by a vampire squid. 鈥淎 dominatrix of the deep,鈥� she quipped.

Other looks in Chase鈥檚 collection are inspired by Portuguese man o鈥� wars, jellyfish and decorator crabs.

鈥淒ecorator crabs are crabs that tear off pieces of other creatures, like anemones, and then they use those stinging cells on their own bodies,鈥� Chase explained. 鈥淪o, they look like they鈥檙e covered in rainbow flora.鈥�

Another young designer, Robbie Zanotti, is showcasing his second runway collection at 鈥淣ight Aquatic.鈥� His first was for Pink Pony Circus at Studio 303 in March.

鈥淶anotti is a budding designer,鈥� Van Der Lingen said. 鈥淲e are interested in seeing his work, because it comes from a theatrical point of view.鈥�

Like several of the 鈥淣ight Aquatic鈥� designers, Zanotti came to couture from the world of costume design.

鈥淐oming from a theater background, you have to make everything big to have people see it from far away. So, I鈥檓 used to having really big designs,鈥� Zanotti said. 鈥淚 like to go overboard and really push the limits.鈥�

Although he didn鈥檛 want to reveal too much about the new collection, he said one of his looks incorporates 鈥渁 real shark jaw.鈥�

Cassidy Kurowski and Christine Mitchell aka 鈥淎pril June鈥� are two other emerging local designers making names for themselves. In addition to presenting their own runway collections at 鈥淣ight Aquatic,鈥� they are co-producing the event in collaboration with Van Der Lingen. Kurowski said she expects 鈥淣ight Aquatic鈥� to attract VIPs from the film and television industries.

鈥淎 lot of our designers have worked as costumers, so they have experience in the film industry,鈥� Kurowski said. 鈥淪ome of our models are SAG (Screen Actors Guild) actors, too. So, it鈥檚 cool to see those worlds meld a bit and come together to support each other.鈥�

In addition to the fashion, 鈥淣ight Aquatic鈥� will feature immersive art installations by veteran Burning Man sculptors, as well as video art by the Video Wizards.

Mitchell said, 鈥溾�楴ight Aquatic鈥� means everything to me. I鈥檓 putting my heart and soul into it.鈥�

鈥淐reating community is one of the biggest elements, just to bring other people into it and support and celebrate each other,鈥� Mitchell said, 鈥渂ecause I wasn鈥檛 able to find that in my life for so long.鈥�

The designers said sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 fashion scene is characterized by its community-oriented, inclusive values 鈥� a marked contrast from the elitism people often associate with haute couture.

鈥淚 was born and raised in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, and I鈥檝e lived here my whole life,鈥� Kurowski said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 great that we still have a sense of community. But it doesn鈥檛 matter who you are or where you grew up. Everyone should be able to create and wear and put on your body whatever makes you happy and what makes you feel confident.鈥�

sa国际传媒官网网页入口 has a strong thrifting culture, as well, which is reflected in many of the designers鈥� work.

鈥淔or my collection, I used almost entirely secondhand materials such as preowned clothing, blankets, fabric napkins, curtains and hand towels,鈥� said Briana Salazar, creator of Salvaged Nostalgia. 鈥淪ustainable fashion is really important to me and something I strive for when I鈥檓 creating.鈥�

鈥淚 never expected to get involved in runway fashion,鈥� Mitchell said, 鈥減robably because I had a stereotype in my head that it鈥檚 kind of toxic and problematic and not inclusive. My concept of how I would be involved with fashion was making recycled or upcycled clothes and maybe taking them to festivals or doing pop-ups.鈥�

Mitchell said she was pleasantly surprised to discover such a vibrant community of designers in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 who are all committed to 鈥渃elebrating diversity and making sure that everyone feels safe and included.鈥�

Several designers also mentioned being inspired by sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 weirdness and grittiness, which gives a unique vitality to its fashion scene.

鈥渟a国际传媒官网网页入口 is definitely a monster town,鈥� Chase said. 鈥渟a国际传媒官网网页入口 loves monsters. We listen to monster music and heavy metal. So, a fashion show like this works here, because the culture finds this kind of stuff fun. In a town that loves Wednesday Addams, a runway show about creatures from the deep is gonna land pretty well.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a contrast to Santa Fe,鈥� Chase continued. 鈥淵ou can go to Santa Fe and hear the opera, and that鈥檚 great. But then you can come to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and see evening wear looks from the deep.鈥�

Van Der Lingen said local fashionistas attending 鈥淣ight Aquatic鈥� should take note of their favorite looks, because they鈥檒l have a chance to shop many of the collections at a trunk show to be held at Thrive Cannabis Lounge in August.

She and the other organizers said they hope events like 鈥淣ight Aquatic鈥� will not only give a much-needed platform for local designers but will also help make fashion fun and accessible for more people.

鈥淥ne of the most exciting things is having people get involved (in fashion) who never thought they would,鈥� Mitchell said.

'Night Aquatic' takes the plunge with underwater-themed couture

Pooling

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