Hot off the press!

Dose of Prose

If you’ve been following me on social media, you know that a couple months ago I had the opportunity to experience LA Fashion Week as a representative (writer, aka “press”) of BASIC magazine, one of the media sponsors for LA Fashion Week (LAFW)! I was able to interview the designers, learn about the inspo behind their brand and gain insight regarding the social impact and cultural influence in their fashion designs overall. I’ve attended LAFW before, but not like this. I had access to backstage with priority, front row, VIP seating at all of the shows! From sound check to hair/makeup to overall logistics, it truly takes a village to set everything up and ensure the show runs smoothly. It was so cool to see this process of how LAFW is put together from start to finish. This experience was truly incredible and invaluable for me and I just had to share it with you! I would have posted about it earlier, but I wanted to wait until my article was published in the magazine…and that day has finally arrived. Below is the link to my recap of LAFW Day 3, Fall/Winter ‘19 season in BASIC magazine. When you click the link, scroll down and you’ll see my article at the very end.

King Design x Jessica King and Stories of Arabia

Recap the Night

Although I’ve linked the article above, I’m going to post it here as well because…why not? Haha.

Post interview picture with designer Jessica King!

LA Fashion week saved the best for last on day 3 of the Fall/Winter ‘19 season. Based on the presentations that night, it is clear that LAFW showcases more than just fashion – LAFW aims to send a deeper message that focuses on the social and cultural impacts on fashion design. The first show of the night featured King Design created by Jessica King. Her presentation made a bold statement that encouraged female empowerment. When describing the inspiration behind her brand, she said, “The brand is all about embodying the confident, independent unapologetic, overall badass woman.”

In addition to the underlying theme of female empowerment, King’s collection was heavily pleather and hardware focused with snakeskin prints and hologram patterns. “I always lean towards a pleather or hardware kind of feel, but I tried to add a little color this time. My tradition is to stick to all black. My aim was to focus on nature and dark colors,” she said when discussing the textiles and colors of her design. Her line incorporated shades of green and was inspired by her obsession with dominatrix outfits. “I like how it [dominatrix] makes a woman look. It makes her look strong and confident, so I like to bring that into a more wearable type of aspect,” she said.

With the rise of the body positivity movement, King Design is definitely making a social impact on the fashion world by breaking society’s beauty standards, encouraging acceptance and instilling confidence in women all over the world. “I know that fashion is a business. But at the end of the day, a woman is not going to go for a brand that doesn’t stand for making a woman feel confident. If a brand doesn’t stand for women that aren’t your traditional runway beauty, then I don’t think fashion should be a business for you,” she said.

King’s initial interest in fashion design was driven by her passion for empowering and uplifting women. According to King, “I was always an artist in the sense that I always drew, painted, sketched, etc., but one day I started paying more attention to my clothes and how I dressed. I realized how pretty and confident I would feel in a dress or garment and I thought, ‘Wow I really want to bring this [feeling] to other women.’ I wanted to be able to create my own designs.”

Ultimately, the goal of Kings’ brand is to bridge the gap between design and female empowerment. The King Design motto: “I don’t aim to dress women to make them feel just pretty or elegant. I aim to make them feel confident, like an emotion, rather than just a physical type of feel,” she said.

The night transitioned from couture to culture, as the following shows, entitled Stories from Arabia, featured designs heavily influenced from Moroccan and Dubai culture. The second show showcased elegant and embellished designs created by Gianni Ricci, who brought the style, colors and jewelry of Morocco and the Sahara Dessert, to Los Angeles with her own modern twist. The collection displayed gowns and robes with gold, sequin and floral embellishments.

Ricci further details the inspiration behind her line: “Pour cette collection de la Fashion Week LA, j’ai fais un voyage au fin fond du Maroc pour trouver la perle rare et la touche antique spécialement marocaine fine et immortelle et vraiment j’étais comblée de voir la richesse du savoir faire des marocains. Je me suis inspiré de tout cela et j’ai fait cette magnifique collection que j’ai nommé reine de Sahara.”

Translation: “For this collection of LA Fashion week, I took a trip to the depths of Morocco [the Moroccan villages] to find the rare pearls and be in touch with the fine and immortal Moroccan antiques and really I was fulfilled to see the wealth of know-how of the Moroccans. I was inspired by all of this and I made the beautiful collection that I call, Queen of the Sahara.”

The last show of the night emphasized Dubai culture, as the collection featured modest looks made with satin, silk, and tulle materials. Beautifully embroidered Caftans, Hijab garments, pantsuits and gowns were displayed on the runway. These designs, created by Hessa Al Hemel, were inspired by the warm tones of the sunsets in the Middle East as well as the architecture of Arabic houses.

A key detail that her collection displayed was the Arabic word “حب,” which means love. This embroidery stemmed from one of Al Hemel’s favorite quotes, “.هناك دائما حب وراء الأبواب” which translates to, “There is always love behind doors.” According to Al Hemel, “This means a lot to me because where there is love, there is life.”

Al Hemel further describes Arabic culture and the characteristics of Arabic women: “In Arabic culture, the woman loves what she wears, respects what she wears and knows how to show off the pieces she wears,” she said.

Al Hemel created her line to be worn for every occasion, even in the comfort of your home. Although she does not have a background in fashion, she has a strong passion for the field. “I didn’t study fashion, but this [fashion] is my talent. This is what I love,” she said.

Day 3 of LAFW was a night of captivating collections that brought social impact and cultural influence to design. The fantastic patterns, show stopping designs and bold statements truly were inspiring and a perfect way to close out the week. The Fall/Winter ‘19 season is one that you don’t want to miss.

I had so much fun writing this article and I hope that you enjoy it! Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. My hope is that from my article, you were able to visualize the shows and experience it in the way that I did. It was definitely a night to remember. Once I checked into the venue, I was escorted to the press room, where I was given backstage and press passes. From there, I was able to walk around backstage where the models were getting prepped for rehearsal and the show. While watching the shows, I took notes on the designs and how they were presented. In between each show, during intermission, I went to a separate room to interview the designers with other press representatives. I took lots of videos both backstage and during the show. If you want to see those, check out my IG highlights under ‘Fashion Shows’ and/or my IG post about the experience HERE.

What I wore

I was given a dress code, which made things simple because I had some guidelines to follow when it came to styling my look. The dress code was fashion-forward professional and black was strongly encouraged. I decided to go with a classic, black jumpsuit and paired it with an asymmetric black blazer and black heels. I kept my accessories simple with gold accents and added a pop of color with my pink-purple snakeskin bag. I’m a huge advocate for investing in staple, versatile pieces – trust me, they will come in handy and won’t collect dust in your closet. Although this blazer and jumpsuit combination was simple, I found it to be timeless and fitting for the occasion!

Get the Look

I couldn’t find the exact blazer, purse or shoes I wore because they were either sold out or the style isn’t made anymore. Nevertheless, I hope the examples I provided give you some idea of the price range and style of each piece.

I hope you enjoyed this inside look into LA Fashion Week! How do you feel about the incorporation of social and cultural issues into fashion? Let’s chat about it. I’ll catch you in my next post.

-Kaamilah