Meet the artists and designers behind this year’s edition of FashionART, SantaCruz’s most outrageous fashion show
Now in its ninth year, FashionART has already become one of Santa Cruz’s cultural crown jewels—and fashion must-sees. From feathers to metals, forks to needles, saran-wrap to LED lights, the show has transformed from a parking-lot party to a blending of fashion and art that sells out the Civic Auditorium. GT spoke with the event’s designer coordinator Tina Brown, and artist coordinator Rose Sellery, who gave us a sneak peek of this year’s show, as well as insight into how 10 of this year’s returning designers are pushing the conceptual boundaries of fashion and art.
Mariclare McKnight
Anyone who was in Santa Cruz last summer may very well have seen Mariclare McKnight’s stunning saran wrap creation; a flowing, somewhat mer- maid-esque gown that paired perfectly with the model’s wispy hair. McKnight—who oversees Cadette, her own line of leather accessories, bags and under- garments—works in her studio overlooking the sea, where she uses her background in fine art and printmaking to cast simple silhouettes into fascinating materials. At last year’s show, the saran wrap was “luminous; it caught the light on stage, it was just perfect, gorgeous, brilliantly lit material,” says Sellery.
For this year’s show, Sellery says that McKnight is creating something that looks like hard candy—“this great big, luscious candy-colored dress.”
Kathleen Crocetti
People know Kathleen Crocetti as an art teacher at Mission Hill Middle School, and the founder of FashionTEENS. She’s known for making art with a message, and she walks the walk—like in 2010, when she and her husband attempted a trip to Gaza to install a mural she had designed. Her 2013 FashionART entry was a play on the modern balance of power through a post-revolutionary lens. “I sometimes wonder if we look as out of touch to the rest of the world as Marie [Antoinette] did to the French, and when will they revolt?” she wrote for her 2013 program description. The skirt itself was made with pages from a dictionary, structured with resin and cardboard, and then laminated with paper pieces between them, says Sellery.
Aspen Schwind
At 16, Aspen Schwind has already made a name for herself within the Santa Cruz fashion design community. Last year, she created this ’20s-inspired recycled-material dress by cutting out individual bubbles from packing wrap to emulate dripping pearls. Brown says that as soon as they saw Schwind’s work at Mission Hill, the committee simply had to have her in the show. “She was the first teen we ever invited to be in our show when she showed at Mission Hill, before it became FashionTEENS,” says Brown. “She’s got a phenomenal piece in theshowthisyear,too—she’squite the artist.”
Rose Sellery
Made from toy railroad tracks, old light reflectors, steel wool for the hair caps, and forks for the epaulettes, the “Man of Steel” and “Iron Maiden” are what Brown describes as “tongue in cheek,” but with a definite message. Sellery had been thinking about playing on the gender reversal of the two images—meant as a kind of joke as to who is really the stronger of the pair, with each wearing the outfit traditionally expected of the other gender. For her piece in this year’s show, Sellery said she was inspired by something more uncom- fortable. “My foot was falling asleep kind of consistently for a while, and I was thinking about that pins-and-needles feeling,” she says, agreeing that her designs for 2014 certainly aren’t nap-friendly, as they feature thousands of safety pins, needles, hypodermic syringes and knitting needles.
Angelo Grova
Angelo Grova is no stranger to the fashion world. He’s been at it for years, and perfected an exquisite style of refashioned industrial materials that are eye-catching and gorgeous. An established artistic force within Santa Cruz, Grova is a former faculty member at the UCSC Art Department, owner of the Michaelangelo Gallery, and founder of FashionART. After completing his graduate work on the East Coast, Grova moved to Santa Cruz, where his first job was at an Eastside hardware store—sparking his love for the interesting materials used for home repair and construction, which he peruses every year for inspiration. “Last year, I was using a copper screening material for ro- dent deterrent. I was just excited about the visual because it’s really shiny and stands out,” he says.
Ellen Brook
When Brown goes through her list of applicants for FashionART, she looks for designers who have a comprehensive runway lineup, she says. Some might come to her with beautiful single pieces, in which case Brown might tell them to expand and reapply the following year with a bigger collection—as she did in Ellen Brook’s case. For Brook, the guid- ance moved her hand-painted silk scarves into a completely different di- rection; “It really inspired her to take her art a step further,” says Brown. And now, Brook’s soft palate of Eastern-inspired silk apparel creates a semblance of earth-toned fluidity that floats down the runway.
I.B. Bayo
Born in Nigeria, I.B. Bayo has fashion running through his veins. Belonging to the ninth generation of a traditional weaving family, Bayo learned to sew from his father, who made clothing for the Nigerian royal family. With hand-dyed, woven and embroidered fabrics—made by his family members in Nigeria—Bayo uses his quilting and reverse appliqué methods to forge jackets and vests that are bold and colorful; a mix of modern and home. “For him, I think it’s about incorporating modern dress with his ethnic roots,” says Brown of the individually cut pieces of fabric in the ankle-length black-and-white coat, trimmed with enor- mous black feathers, which closed last year’s show.
Kiki Barrett
A former Roller Derby girl, Kiki Barrett designs pieces that have a ro- mantic ’40s-era feel, with a dash of leather-infused sass. This year, her work is again taking on a bit of the vintage with some modern twists. “The zazou movement was how some people expressed their rebellion with their clothes, a lot of the loud, garish prints,” explains Brown. “She mixes that with a little bit of that ’80s-plaid edge to it.” Brown says this year’s FashionART attendees can expect some similarities to last year’s line, but with a slightly grittier feel.
Miguel Marte
Inspired by crisp architectural lines, Miguel Marte is coming back to Fash- ionART with a different take on the ’80s—more of an early punk and British rock vibe with some faux fur and tweeds. Born in the Dominican Republic, Marte is on the up and up within the Northern California fashion scene, hav- ing recently been awarded a scholarship to the Academy of Art. His inspira- tion is clearly visible in his designs. “Last year there were a lot of cutouts and geometric prints, not super close to the body, but very simple—it was all very sleek,” Brown says.
Rachel Riot
Juxtaposing clean, feminine silhouettes with simple details reminiscent of a more edgy, militant style is what Rachel Riot does best. Her ’20s-inspired collection for last year’s show was inspired by heavy metal, but not in the harsh visual way you might expect. Subtle lines and grey tones ran through her line—which, besides looking wearable and elegant, were subtly badass (with that last name, how could they not be?).
Good Times Winner Jade Hickey
As the youngest artist in this year’s show, 14-year-old Jade Hickey is already making a splash in this beach town’s design community. “I just like being able to create something and show it to people,” she says. Practically beaming across the table at Lulu Carpenter’s, Hickey and her mother, Lily Hudson, describe how she was first drawn to design with an initiation of Barbie-wear and first-grade apparel. While juggling high school extra-curricular activities, Hickey still found time to create the cup-dress that won this year’s GT online contest. Hickey says she was generally inspired by a material—last year’s FashionTEENS pick was made of crushed soda cans—and took the design from there. The young talent pool in Santa Cruz is inspiring—Hickey’s artwork in particular. “She’s incredible,” says Sellery. “We’re hoping that she just keeps coming back year after year.”
