On February 6, 2003, USA International Fashion Shows introduced four fashion designers to the New York City market. The runway shows of Clive Rundle, Jorge Isaac, Fabrizio Celleri and Lourdes Atencio took place at the luxurious Manhattan Penthouse on Fifth Avenue before an audience of fashion buyers, a select group of VIPs and members of the international press representing publications from Japan, Argentina, Netherlands, Dominican Republic and many other countries. As a direct result of their participation in the event, two of the designers are already in negotiation with one of the USA’s largest retailers. Photos, videos and slide presentations showcasing the fashion collections are now available to member of the press and buyers not present at the event.
A high level of cooperation was in evidence among the staff, designers, models, volunteers and producer of the shows. “At one point,” according to Andres Aquino, producer of the event, “it seemed that everyone -- including the designers -- were working with everyone else to make the shows a complete success. There is an incredibly high energy level,” Mr. Aquino noted. A number of members of the press expressed their enthusiasm about the shows. As one editor put it, “The USA International Fashion Shows are needed in New York to bring out fresh talent from other countries… it compliments the existing shows that we see during fashion week.”
Marilyn Kirschner was for 22 years a senior fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar. In fact, she was senior to Anna Wintour when the future Vogue editor worked at Bazaar also. And according to NY photo journalist and fashion historian Bill Cunningham, Marilyn is one of very few editors
"who really gets what fashion is all about". Bill puts her on the same level with Anna Wintour and French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld. No faint praise from one of the most respected names in the business.
The February show was just a taste of what will be the beginning of an international event of great magnitude in the fashion industry in the USA. A number of designers have already signed up for the September 2003 shows that promises to be the first truly international runway fashion event in New York City with the participation of designers from around the world.
The designers presented:
JORGE ISAAC. A native of Ecuador, this talented fashion designer was inspired early on by the natural beauty and color palette surrounding him. In 1991, Jorge moved to New York City to follow his dream of becoming a successful fashion designer. His premiere collection for Fall 2003 is a product of Jorge’s fashion sensibility and creativity in a mélange of pieces designed to complement a woman’s natural sensuality. “I believe that beauty lies within... Just give it a nudge to bring it forth...”
FABRIZIO CELLERI. A well-established, award-winning designer in his native Ecuador, Fabrizio Celleri is a former fashion consultant for TC Television and Ecuavisa. He opened his first boutique in Guayaquil in 1997. In 1998, Fabrizio was invited by the French consulate to present his collection along with students of the Ecole Bercole in Paris. He has presented his collections throughout South America, France and the United States. Fabrizio Celleri’s designs are sold at Oxygen and Nuriel in Miami, as well as through his New York showroom.
CLIVE RUNDLE. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Africa, Clive Rundle is an established South African designer. Drawn to fashion early in life, Clive studied his craft in Johannesburg. In 1986, he was invited to show a small collection at the Coer Des Beaux Arts in France with other young designers. Soon after, his label was hanging in more than 50 stores in South Africa and Clive decided to launch his own boutique. Clive Rundle’s collection is sponsored in part by world-renowned Swarovski crystals.
Clive attributes his primary influences to beauty, nature, complexity of construction, fabric, color, composition, art, sculpture and music. The essence of his designs is a complicated garment structure, which is an extension of his entire thought process. The language of form, line, color and texture is his means of communication.
LOURDES ATENCIO. A native of the Dominican Republic, Lourdes Atencio is a visionary designer with a sophisticated taste for fashion and the fine arts. Lourdes’s designs are progressive yet elegant, appealing to glamorous women of all ages. In 1991, Lourdes launched the Avant-Elite design label that caters to an exclusive clientele including top models, media personnel and socialites. Her designs have been featured on the Despierta America and Primer Impacto television programs. Aero Mar and Falcon Airlines have commissioned Lourdes to design their work and leisure uniforms.
Since 1995, Lourdes’s designs have been featured in numerous beauty pageants and fashion shows. Prestigious London publisher Co & Bear recently featured some of Lourdes’s stunning designs in the hefty coffee table book I Do: 100 Years of Wedding Fashion. Selected for their exquisite workmanship and innovative spin on traditional form, photos of Lourdes’s wedding gowns appear in the book along with those of top designers including Christian Dior, Betsey Johnson, Yves Saint Laurent and many others. For the new millennium, Lourdes Atencio (Avant-Elite Designs) and Peter of London Salons and Spa have entered into a strategic alliance to launch new designs for the woman of the new era: independent, progressive, educated and highly sophisticated.
The next series of shows are scheduled for September 7-10, 2003 in New York City. For the September 2003 event, USA International Fashion Shows will present the first International Fashion Designer Award to an established fashion designer who is distinguished by his/her creativity, accomplishments and contributions to social and business endeavors.
Negotiations are currently underway with a number of prominent companies in a variety of fields regarding sponsorship of the event. Many businesses are recognizing the valuable marketing potential of the event for their respective products and services, including travel-related services, cosmetics and hair care products, print publications, liquor and soft drinks, and fashion-related companies such as fabric, notion, jewelry and accessories businesses.
The event is an Andres Aquino production sponsored by Fashion Syndicate Press. Fashion Syndicate Press photographers have covered designer runway shows in South America, Canada, New York, South Africa and Europe since 1997, with fashion photography and articles appearing in hundreds of magazines, newspapers and books worldwide. The company owns over 25 web sites, one of which -- fashionshowroom.com -- receives some 5 million hits per month making it one of the most visited fashion web sites. This formidable Internet presence greatly helps in marketing the designers participating in the USA International Fashion Shows. The background of producer Andres Aquino includes over 20 years in international business, fashion photography and event production.
Shoes for Jorge Isaac and Lourdes Atencio by Carlos Molina. Jewelry for Jorge Isaac by Mangini Design. Jewelry for Fabrizio Celleri by Maja Schulz New York. Jewelry for Lourdes Atencio by Maja Schulz New York and Mangini Design. Accessories and hats for Lourdes Atencio by Lourdes Atencio. Jewelry, accessories and shoes for Clive
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