FIDM hosts the first fashion show for eight emerging designers – Sourcing Journal

Los Angeles fashion design graduates channeled their personal experiences and cultural influences to create their first collections.

The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Downtown, LA hosted the inaugural runway show on August 18 for eight graduates from the Graduate Fashion Design Program. Shot in preparation for release at Cooper Design Space. Eight graduates created the capsule in collaboration with teachers, researching innovations and analyzing the market.

“My collection is womenswear with a little bit of streetwear,” says 2022 graduate Sasha Swedlund. Inspired by black hair and braids, Swedlund suggested “Bantu knots… twisted weaves, braids, different hair cells with lots of volume” as the basis for her costume image. She also features a-line dresses and outerwear using technical athletic and utility fabrics.

Joel Elliott’s line promotes the ethos that “clothes shouldn’t be sexual.”

“One of the things that drew me to fashion is that I feel that the gendered masculinity I see in stores serves me, so my collection is gender agnostic,” says the designer. “There are so many pieces that can be worn by anyone, no matter their body type, gender expression or whatever… I want to give people the freedom to play around with what they expect from their clothing.”

Calling his range a “wacky, colorful show of patterns”, Ethan Martin wanted to recreate the experience of “a drag show on the runway”. Meanwhile, Suzanne Lizotte’s ethereal women’s designs are made from semi-transparent fabrics. “The organza is hand-dyed, because it’s my favorite way to relieve stress,” she said. Cole Moscard’s structured menswear collection drew inspiration from World War II uniforms, while Yubin Min used painting, hand stitching, appliqués and fabric manipulation to create a floral aesthetic.

“I’ve been through a lot to be here as a Cameroonian-African-American,” Thierry Kepgang Nana said of his autobiographical collection. “This collection is personal to me—it’s also about my life and my future. Organza represents fragility, luxurious brocade represents strength, he said.

“I created my collection to show that even broken things can make something beautiful when stitched together,” says Esther Gore about the influence of geometric patchwork in men’s and women’s designs.

The fashion collection opens the door

Downtown LA is home to a new hotbed of minority-owned fashion brands, and graduates of the city’s design school could be among those in the spotlight.

Fashion Summit has launched an office and warehouse solution for start-up labels and emerging BIPOC designers in a versatile co-working space in the Arts District. The 16,000 square foot space will provide community engagement, office and design functions, as well as the logistics infrastructure needed by creators looking to grow their businesses.

The fashion conference said the facility will house the growing number of fashion and beauty products produced by small-scale designers and entrepreneurs. These small businesses can sign short-term leases to rent spaces ranging from 100 to 2,500 square feet.

Founders Brian Pearson, a franchise development broker, and Ange Collins, a former celebrity entertainment promoter, came up with the idea while facing their own challenges during the pandemic. “Our mission is to help our members grow their businesses and provide their best customers around the world with the operational resources and expertise they need,” said Pearson.

Fashion Summit’s warehouse, production and office spaces are housed in one building, and team members can help entrepreneurs grow their businesses within this dynamic infrastructure. “There is strength in numbers,” Pearson said. “As a result, Fashion Summit gives our members the space and support they need to compete with the big boys.” This includes helping to create processes for order management, fulfillment, marketing and public relations.

Collins said the facility offers flexible, month-to-month membership plans. The facility includes high-speed Internet, concierge services for guests, common areas for networking, collaboration and community events, meeting rooms, showrooms and a photography studio. Step-level doors allow for easy warehouse access, and members can use on-site equipment as well as shipping and receiving capabilities.

Pearson and Collins want the institute to help underrepresented demographics in the beauty and fashion space. “There are many challenges when starting a brand created by a person of color,” Collins said. “We started with our living room, a storage room and two industrial spaces and outgrew them all, so I understand how difficult and expensive it is to run an e-commerce business.”