Characterized by a strong entrepreneurial community, female empowerment and audience interaction, the Quad Clothing Company fashion show made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I feel so grateful for being able to attend such event at the last NYFW, and with the next NYFW coming up, this makes the excitement in the air even more noticeable!
Check out the Fall/Winter 2020 NYFW lineup here.
On a side note, it seems the fashion shows I enjoy the most are alternative fashion shows. There was the StylePointe one mixed with dance, the Carter Young presentation with the recreated living room, and now this one by Quad Clothing Company.
Read about the StylePointe fashion show here.
The Quad fashion show was at a different venue than those I had been during that week. Clumsy as I am and not – yet! – super familiar with all the corners of NYC, it took me some time to find the place.
Fashion show advice: Allocate yourself some buffer time to get to the venue. The entrance door might be around the corner, or you might have Googled the wrong venue, or once inside the building, you might want some extra time to find the right door. We never know! And if you’re there early, there is often a little networking that you can do with the industry professionals and fellow passionate individuals 🙂
Which is exactly what I did! I manage to arrive a bit early in the end and waited in line outside as the venue was getting ready. The person waiting right before me was so stylish that I couldn’t stop glancing over – okay, completely staring #oops. I guess I did it so obviously that he started a conversation with me! XD
It was very hot that day so he was wearing loose linen pants with some kind of oversize top. What I liked the most was how he styled the scarf on his head. I don’t know whether there was a religious meaning but he just managed to make it an integral part of his look – it was very relaxing and mesmerizing to see!
We actually talked for over 30 minutes; about our jobs (he’s a NYC stylist, published in famous magazines!), about our lives, about our view of fashion and its role in the modern society. Very interesting – and we now are connected online as well. AKA Learning: be friendly at events and you never know who you’ll meet!
Back to the main point of this article, the fashion show we saw was very energetic, hyper, full of intensity! It was merging the fashion industry with some kind of acting. The first act had an aviation theme. The second act revolved around Mardi Gras. The last act celebrated women entrepreneurship. A much different set up than we are often used to in fashion shows – coming back to the initial idea: it seems I enjoy those alternative fashion show concepts the most!
Read about the Carter Young presentation here.
What really struck me during that event was the great variety of designs that we saw and the empowering feeling I left the place with. The MC shared how she had gotten so many opportunities, as a model and just then as an MC, thanks to the creator of Quad clothing. You could see the sparks and the admiration in her eyes and with just that, the show conquered me. Then, throughout the acts, you could feel the love of the creator by offering so many people the opportunity to be part of this project. People who would not necessarily have had the chance to walk down the runway were part of the show, and their energy and gratefulness highly contributed to the show.
Indeed, you could see people of various shapes, ethnicities, ages and confidence levels! Some were young kids – adorable – who first started shy and then, with the encouragement of the crowd, became confident and even playful 🙂 You could see such evolution in adult models as well; and that demonstrated how the designer had trust in them and valued opportunity over perfection. Such values, for me, really makes me connect with a brand.
Read 6 DIVERSE & INCLUSIVE FASHION AND BEAUTY BRANDS THAT EMPOWER WOMEN
The designs were nice but for me, the quality seemed a bit varying depending on the garment. Some of them totally amazed me, and I could not stop smiling from ear to ear. For example, there was this recurring spiraling fluff design – reinvented over multiple models – that were incredibly well thought off and executed. The way pearls were included in the fabric was also very elegant.
However, some other designs seemed a bit unfinished to my taste – yet I am not a designer myself; maybe I misunderstood some elements? Regardless, the entrepreneurial and joyful spirit made it okay and actually more encouraging of the designer. Quad clothing will for sure grow across the next few years and I can’t wait to see their design expertise develop.
On this note, BRAVO to the team! See you during the next NYFW!
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WithNancy 