When one hears the phrase “fashion week” all thoughts turn to big name designers, paparazzi, and flashing lights. Images of couture designs sauntering down the runways on celebrities such as Heidi Klum, Chanel Iman, and Tyson Beckford instantly arrest the brain. However, most never imagine the phrase “fashion week” and Virginia being used in the same sentence. Until now that it is. You heard correctly, Virginia indeed has a fashion week, bringing professional runway presentations to the masses in the state of lovers.
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| Ann Lesiter and her daughter Jenny |
Virginia Fashion Week is the brainchild of entrepreneur, Ann Leister, owner and director of Splash Model Management. Since it’s opening in 2005, Splash Model Management has become a leading boutique management company in the Hampton Roads area, featuring professional modeling and acting talent to clients nationwide. The segment of the company, Splash Productions, is in charge of event and fashion show production, not only providing models for shows but also aiding in the overall production by coordinating music, staging, stylists, photographers, and more. With Ann having attended fashion events in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami, the idea for Virginia Fashion Week stemmed from one main train of thought, to increase the visibility of fashion in Virginia. She knew she would need a team of supporters to help her in achieving her dream, so she enlisted fashion professionals like Ron Cooke, stylist and runway director, Chris Wilmer, style editor of V Magazine, and marketing director and event producer Patrick Mamou along with many others in her journey to bring professional runway presentations to the public of Virginia.
The sun outside the Carytown Starbucks window shone through brightly as I sat tucked away inside with the busy entrepreneur. “We need some place (for fashion) between New York and Miami, and I think Virginia is a good place to do it!” stated Ann as she took a sip of her Starbucks coffee. The first Virginia Fashion week hit the scene in fall of 2007, and since then has become an annual event showcasing top designers and vendors from Virginia as well as nationwide. Ann’s light blonde hair lay slightly tousled around her shoulders as she spoke with conviction about the possibility of growth in the arts and culture of Virginia statewide, “We’re not just a blue collar vacation spot. We can be a destination for arts, fashion, and culture...By establishing something like Virginia Fashion Week it could be good for all the businesses in this area.” Virginia Fashion Week 2010, scheduled to take place November 7-12, will be the third installment to grace the state of VA, featuring a week of events around the State to be concluded by 2 days of events in Hampton Roads.
This year’s fashion week will center on an overall theme reminiscent of the South of France, invoking classic vintage beauty. The designer mix contains local, national, and international designers with Virginia’s premier designers including L.A. transplant Lilli Forest, who’s celebrity clientele has included the likes of Beyonce, Cher and Paris Hilton; as well as Richmond’s own Michael Taylor, who has an extensive background in fashion and has served as an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Virginia Commonwealth University. National design talent includes New York stylist and designer Mikasa La’Charles and couture gown designer Mathew Cashe while international design talent includes Cecilia Perez of Columbia and Yulia McClamrock of Russia.
While this year’s installment is expected to be the most polished, Splash Productions has not seen its desired growth since their beginning year. For the first Virginia Fashion Week, in addition to showcasing the top designers from Virginia, Ann and her production team were able to attract two Project Runway contestants, Jonathan Kayne and Zulema Griffin. However, the second year’s show suffered a bit due to the economic downturn, and it seems the biggest obstacle in the way of growth now is funding. “We’re limited as to what we can do based on our budget. It’s hard getting people to believe in it enough,” Ann relented, squinting slightly as the sun shined a bit too brightly in her eyes. “We need people to donate sets and volunteer their time. Paying for the most basic things such as the venue, security, and insurance is expensive. Plus there the things that make it look good, like lighting and DJs.” When you take into account all the costs that go into making a fashion show exciting, it’s not hard to understand the hindrance a lack of money can have on major productions such as this.
However, despite the looming obstacles, Ann continues to work towards giving back to the community. Virginia Fashion Week 2010 will host a silent auction on Thursday, November 13th to benefit “Virginians for Haiti,” a faith based organization invested in improving the lives of those devastated by the earthquake in January of 2010. And in the pursuit of aiding local designers and businesses, Virginia Fashion Week will also host a designer competition for emerging designers on November 14th. At the Waterside Festival Marketplace in Norfolk, designers will compete for the chance to win a full show in next year’s Virginia Fashion Week along with free web design for their own website. A catwalk competition will also be held for the models in which the prizes include a trip to New York, photo shoot, and more.
The kick off event will take place right here in the Capital City on November 7th with the opening designer shows while other events are scheduled to take place all over Virginia throughout the week. Join Ann in her dream to elevate Virginia tourism, business, and entertainment! For tickets and more information about Virginia Fashion Week 2010 you can visit: http://www.vafashionweek.net/
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