NEW YORK, NY (August 2012) – Back for its annual Fresh Faces in Fashion programs in New York and Los Angeles, GenArt is delighted to announce the designer line-up for New York Fashion Week 2012. The event will be held at 5:00pm on Sunday, September 9 at RUNWAY @ Pier 57 (25 11th Avenue) in Manhattan. GenArt’s Fresh Faces in Fashion will be celebrating its 14th year in New York City and is the largest and most recognized fashion event of its kind.
The 2012 Fresh Faces in Fashion program in New York will feature Spring 2013 collections from women’s and men’s ready-to-wear Anne Sofie Madsen, Amanda Lew Kee, Chloe Comme Parris, COMEFORBREAKFAST, Gretchen Jones and A-morir. This year’s Fresh Faces will also feature designer Katungulu Mwendwa from Kenya selected from this year’s GenArt Global program that launched in May.
The Fresh Faces program is a catalyst for emerging designers in the industry, and over the years, many notable designers, such as Rodarte, Vena Cava, Zac Posen and Phillip Lim have participated in the program for their very first runway fashion shows. Several GenArt alumni have also gone on to win the coveted Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) emerging designer award and the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award after their GenArt debut.
Moroccanoil will present the upcoming 2012 GenArt Fresh Faces in Fashion show in New York and Los Angeles. As the exclusive partner, Moroccanoil will work closely with the designers to create their runway hairstyle looks with special emphasis on hair trends for Spring/Summer 2013.
“We’ve made a lot of changes to GenArt this season and the way we are presenting the show,” says GenArt CEO Marc Lotenberg. “It’s going to have a lot of energy – we’re making it more of an event than a simple runway presentation. Our title sponsor Moroccanoil has been really supportive of us, and the designers we’re bringing to the table. On top of showcasing great clothing, we’re also going to put more of an emphasis on beauty trends for Spring, a lot of people don’t realize that these trends begin on the runway.”
This year, GenArt furthered its reach through new social media integrations and creative initiatives, launching an online contest for designer submissions. Aurora James, curator for Fresh Faces in Fashion for the last five years, worked with GenArt to again select this year’s featured designers that were chosen based on design caliber, experience, industry buzz and other specified criteria.
GenArt is proud to present an innovative and talented group for Fresh Faces in Fashion at New York Fashion Week 2012:
Anne Sofie Madsen
Born and raised in Denmark, Anne Sofie Madsen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Design. Anne Sofie Madsen trained under John Galliano for Dior in Paris and worked for acclaimed trend forecasters Peclers, before moving to London to work for Alexander McQueen as Junior Designer. With an impressive resume Anne Sofie Madsen debuted with her couture-inspired collection during London Fashion Week in 2010, announced by the Vauxhall Fashion Scout as a new rising talent. Anne Sofie Madsen launched her eponymous label followed by the debut of her SS12 capsule collection during Copenhagen Fashion Week in August 2011 which was described by American Vogue as being “(…) an impressive runway debut for a designer whose work experiences chez Galliano and McQueen have clearly paid dividends.” – Hamish Bowles, American Vogue
Amanda Lew Kee
Amanda Lew Kee began working towards her goal of lifestyle-curation while studying at Toronto’s Ryerson University School of Fashion, with the inception of her brand in third year at the age of 19. Over the next few years she developed her design philosophy and received her BofDesign in 2010, she was invited by the Fashion Design Council of Canada to debut at Toronto’s World Mastercard Fashion Week. Lew Kee works closely with the entertainment industry, designing signature looks for HBO’s True Blood, and custom pieces for Shenae Grimes, Deadmaus, and Miss Piggy. Amanda Lew Kee’s design of versatile ease, progressive material combination, and throw-on-and-go aesthetic offers a unique experience to the modern metropolitan woman.
Chloe Comme Parris
Chloé comme Parris is a Toronto-based contemporary fashion and accessories brand. The brand was conceived in 2009 from a passion for products that are unique, luxurious, and engaging. Sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon explore historical and old-worldly ideas of adornment, with a focus on transforming that aesthetic into a modern, wearable context. A Chloé comme Parris piece embraces a unique unity between masculine and feminine, soft and hard, while always remaining effortless and chic. The brand produces seasonal ready-to-wear and accessories collections that aim to challenge the status quo, offering a unique and fresh perspective on contemporary fashion.
COMEFORBREAKFAST
Comeforbreakfast is an independent label created in 2009 by Antonio Romano and Francesco Alagna. Romano is the fashion designer, graduated at Polimoda in Florence, giving the brand its true spirit and creating the original prints that, since the beginning, profoundly defined the main features of the brand. Alagna, on the other hand, after a degree in Industrial Design and a Master in Fashion Buying at Marangoni in Milan, started collaborating with prime international companies to get the needed skills to develop the brand on a commercial level. From the debut collection, the design of each garment has steadily evolved until growing to a full look: printed top wear with original patterns – Comeforbreakfast signature item – was followed by fleece, pants and streamline dresses. Comeforbreakfast esthetic codes translate into a minimalist and apparently simple mood: in every item the research is tireless, aimed to reach a contemporary modern fit, through a delicate balance among fabrics, shapes and details into a new concept of Made in Italy.
Gretchen Jones
Although Gretchen Jones now calls Brooklyn, New York home, she has never lost touch with her rural, Western roots. At her collection’s core is a respect for nature and a social and environmental consciousness. Through her work she maintains a connection with the rustic and artisanal, by working primarily with natural materials, such as leather, silk, wool, linen, bamboo, and organic cotton. The collection is entirely produced domestically, and aligned with the Save the Garment Center, a New York City based organization that supports local craftspeople and ethical business practices. Jones focuses on the symbiotic relationships between fashion, art, music, literature, architecture and nature, while the American South West touches and colors all her work. Her collections infuse an earthy Americana with a lingering 1970’s romanticism through subtle color and print combinations and silhouettes.
Katungulu Mwendwa
Katungulu Mwendwa is a young, enthusiastic, upcoming fashion designer born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Taking fashion as wearable art, her passion for design enables her to incorporate other art forms that she loves, such as music, writing, handcrafts, and drawing in the development of garments. The design approach she adopts is an extension of her eclectic personality as inspired by what she experiences on a day to day basis; be it a news headline or a building she walked by. Ultimately, her deep seated inspiration comes from those traditional cultures, both in Kenya as well the rest of Africa, that are barely touched by modernity. She combines these experiences and inspiration to create an unusual mix that is new and exciting. While she holds that fashion should be practical, she is keen to push the boundaries by experimenting with materials, silhouettes and shapes.
A-Morir
A-Morir, the hand embellished eyewear line created by designer Kerin Rose Weinberg, has become a much publicized favorite among fashion’s biggest trendsetters. Drawing inspiration from her time spent studying classical music as a child combined with her lifelong love of rock and roll she sets herself apart with her rebellious designs executed with an impeccably refined craftsmanship. A-Morir has been commissioned and loved most notably by Rihanna, Lady GaGa, Beyonce’, Katy Perry, Grace Jones, Debbie Harry, Nicki Minaj, Will.I.Am, Snoop Dogg, Fergie, Estelle, Solange and Mariah Carey. A-Morir’s Spring/Summer 12 collection was recognized as a ‘New Talent’ by Vogue Italia and honored in their SS2012 showcase. Nina Garcia and Anna Dello Russo have both been spotted in A-Morir, pieces have been worn by fashion supserstars Karlie Kloss, Carmen Cass, Crystal Renn, and Andre Pejic and have photographed in countless Vogue editorials.
ABOUT GENART
GenArt is a national organization dedicated to showcasing and elevating emerging talent in film, fashion, music and visual arts. GenArt hosts an array of signature events including the GenArt Film Festival, Summer Screening Series, and Fresh Faces in Fashion. GenArt has a 16-year history cultivating an extensive following of loyal consumers who view them as arbiters of emerging talent. With an expertise in experiential and event marketing that aligns brands with talent and entertainment industries, GenArt creates dynamic integrations that ensure audience engagement is both immersive and organic while supporting and maintaining the integrity of the artist’s work. GenArt has a long history of working with a variety of prominent brands.
About Moroccanoil®:
Moroccanoil offers innovative, easy-to-use, performance-driven formulas that dramatically transform all hair types resulting in beautiful, healthy, natural-looking hair. As the pioneer of an all-new oil treatment hair care category, Moroccanoil® has quickly become a runaway hit among fashion and beauty insiders and has generated a cult following among top stylists and their A-list celebrity clients. Launched six years ago, Moroccanoil products are now available in 40 countries around the globe. Famed for their weightless, residue-free quality, Moroccanoil’s extensive line of luxury hair care products addresses the needs of all hair types and features a proprietary advanced blend of the finest ingredients to deliver optimal performance and dramatic results.
Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.
