Tag - Crustacean

It was another successful LAFW for Ally Maize and the Green Youth Movement. They held their regular “Green Humanitarian Fashion Show” at the Sunset-Gower Studios during LA Fashion Weekend and featured: Kristinit, Jonano, KeoK jay, and Emily Factor.Before the show, guests were able to take a test-drive in the new Chevy Volt and feasted on delectable (my mouth is watering at even mentioning them) “AN’s Famous Garlic Noodles” by the renowned Beverly Hills restaurant- Crustacean.

I’ve known Kristinit’s designer Kristina Lenss for awhile. You can read about my first event with Kristina here. Her Spring 2011 collection was inspired by nature and women. She used only the best vintage silks, organic linens and African Wax Prints in the various dresses, skirts, tops and pants. My favorite piece was the “Goddess Dress”, made out of Matelasse Silk that has been hand dyed using low impact methods. I loved its simplicity and that it could be worn at work and then dressed up for a night on the town. The dress retails for about $365. For more information, check out the website. The next collection to grace the runway was the Cambodian brand, KeoK’jay. ‘KeoK’jay means ‘bright green’ or ‘fresh’ in Khmer-the Cambodian language. Their mission- ‘to provide jobs for and empower women with HIV in Phnom Penh, Cambodia through the production of uniquely designed, environmentally friendly clothing, thereby measurably advancing the emotional and physical health of our constituents, and the quality of life for themselves, their families and their extended communities.‘ Designer Rachel Faller was inspired by traffic. According to Faller, “[Traffic] is a central aspect of life that would stick out to anyone traveling to Cambodia…I wanted to represent the chaos and color of the scene that you are greeted by every day when you walk out of your house. At the same time, there’s still bits of country that clash and meld with the city life here.” For each season, they try to find an aspect of Cambodian life for inspiration. Their clothing retails for $12-28 for accessories, $32 for tees, $62-86 for pants/jackets and $64-130 for dresses. This show was their first launch in the U.S. market. They currently sell at six international boutiques and have two shops in Cambodia. The third designer was the Pittsburgh brand- Jonano. Always inspired by nature, designer-Bonnie Siefers uses Peace Silk, hemp, bamboo for her collections. Check out their site for more information. The last design to show was Emily Factor. Her collection was themed, “Sacred Spring” and was inspired by the coastal mountains in the Spring. According to Factor, “The abundance of wildflowers and native plants emits an offering of color and texture, which I translated into pattern. The rolling lines of the hillsides inspired silhouettes, lines and layers.” All the prints are her original artwork and produced digitally by inkjet or airdyed. The solid colors are either hand-dyed or natural shades of peace silk. The jewelry that accompanied the clothing were designed by Alex and Lee. They are all one-of-a-kind hand knotted necklaces, bracelets and belts with crystals and stones embedded in them. I loved her flowy dresses and the high-waisted pants with pleated detail. Check out Emily Factor’s website here.

Special Thanks: J, Mikey Koffman and Gallery LA, the designers, models, Chevy, Crustacean, the staff and volunteers, Andrea Hanks and the red carpet photographers, fellow TwoPointOhLA bloggers: Nikki Brucato and Joan Russell and many thanks to Laura Medina for helping me get a spot on the media riser.