It's all over. Our first annual Fashion For Freedom event is done and what an event it was. Thank you to all our attending guests, sponsors, designers, models, volunteers, and donors. With your help, we were able to raise $7473.60 that goes straight to The A21 Campaign: an organization that aims to abolish human trafficking in the 21st century. Thank you to everyone who made the night such a success. If you couldn't make it out, let me tell you a bit about the evening's activities and make sure you check out the full gallery of photos here, all taken by Brittany Paige Photography.
//Guests were greeted in the lobby by strange looking hosts in pale skin and black lipstick, where they could grab a drink and some appetizers as they mingled with other guests, shopped at the merchandise booths, and bid on an array of silent auction items. Car parts hung from the ceiling and mannequins dressed in anything-but-fabric adorned the room. Then it was show time. People took a seat in the theatre and the lights went down. A video began that highlighted the topic of discussion for the evening. "Human trafficking is a modern day holocaust" were the first words on the screen, sending chills down your arms, arousing a sense of unrest, and a passion for change. The video played on to inform that there are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe.
As the screen started to play a music video, the lights faded up and dancers appeared with a moving performance of loss, grief, fight, and hope. Then the beautiful and magnetic Candice Fiorentino, who emceed the evening, appeared on stage to kick off the main event - the fashion show. Music played by DJ Derrick Johnson began as the models fiercely walked the runway in innovative designs made with coffee filters, silk flowers, mylar, and confetti. Nothing was conventional.
Jessica Corbeil took to the stage, to fulfill the true intent of this event, and enlightened the room about The A21 Campaign and the many victims of human trafficking. She talked about the horrors that most of us have never heard about, and also the power we all have in us to help. Jeremy Blackwood sang an original song, "She's Loved," that he wrote specifically for Fashion For Freedom. The song was melodically beautiful, yet the content was heavy with a victim's dark story of abuse, loss, and terror. The presentations came to a close and it was time for door prizes and to announce the winning designer. Tessa Stamp won a flight for 2 anywhere in North America for her incredible hat and coat design made from Atlas pages. Congratulations, Tessa! And so the event ended, and the support and donations received far surpassed our expectations, truly conveying the eagerness of the community to congregate around a worthy cause. We can’t wait to do it again next year.//
Please visit our FFF 2013 page on our website for all the information on our first annual event, as well as our FFF 2014 page for updates on next year's Fashion For Freedom. There is a full gallery of the night's activities, as well as all the designs. We'd like to give a special thank you to J Crew who provided all the jewelry and accessories for each model, Volume Salons for providing hair styling, MC College for providing Make-Up artistry, City Life for the perfect venue, and Kosmos Restaurant and Lounge for the delicious food. Below are just a taste of the photos from the event. All photos by Brittany Paige Photography.
-B
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We are one week away from our much anticipated event, Fashion For Freedom! The girls and I have accomplished many different tasks while planning this event: hiring a caterer, finding entertainment, volunteers, a venue, media coverage, equipment rental... this list goes on and on. The evening will be filled with tons of great people, delicious food, fun beverages, silent auction items, merchandise for sale, and the main event: the fashion show! If you don't already know, we've asked 20 local Edmonton and area artists to create two pieces of raw couture each using anything-but-fabric. (I.E. paper, plastic, metal, tape...) We are expecting some very creative pieces and, from the few we've seen so far, the audience will not be disappointed. To add to the fashion show fun there will be dancers, singers, speakers, and a beautiful short film. (Check out a teaser of the film made by Joses Martin on our Facebook Page.) The most important part of this night is that all proceeds go to The A21 Campaign, an organization that exists to abolish injustice in the 21st Century. They help rescue and provide the victims of human trafficking with a safe and comforting environment, with access to medical and psychological care, vocational training, secondary education assistance, counseling and access to legal assistance. What is so heart-warming is how many people have come forward with generous offers to help, donate and volunteer. We've received emails from strangers who, having planned similar events, offer us advice. We've had companies donate exciting silent auction prizes such as an iPad, Chanel Sunglasses, Handmade Jewelry, and a flight for two anywhere in North America. I'd like to give a special shout out to Poiema Gal, Candice Fiorentino, who is the heart and soul of this project. She has been planning to throw an event of this grandeur for years now and it has finally come to fruition. She has worked extremely hard in every aspect of planning this event and I believe she is a big part of why so many people want to be involved. Fashion For Freedom will take place Saturday, April 27th. Doors open at 6:30pm. Check out www.fashionforfreedom.ca for more information and how you can get tickets. We hope to see you there! -B You may have caught the behind-the-scenes photos of our Fashion For Freedom shoot a short while ago that were posted on our Poiemagals instagram page by Poiema Gal Melissa. Here's a deeper look into the hard work and behind-the-scenes fun that went into making this shoot a success. For this special project, we recruited Brittany from Brittany Paige Photography with her mom, Marj Balser, to take our photos to a whole other level. I decided to take some photos of the details that brought this whole day together, from the hair and make-up (done by the wonderful Erin Clemmer), to the lights, to the social networking. Our location was a beautiful home built in 1914 that was being renovated at the time of the shoot. A big thank you to Lydia Lawrence, Nadia Candido, and Claire Brandenbarg for being our fabulous models, and to Howard and Carmen Lawrence for sharing their home with us. You can check out Brittany's professional photos on our Fashion For Freedom pages, the official Fashion For Freedom website, and on all the promotional materials for this exciting event. The photos in this post are by yours truly.
-B Fashion For Freedom is an event in support of the A21 Campaign that aims to abolish human trafficking. Saturday, April 27th. For tickets or to find out how you can be involved, visit www.fashionforfreedom.ca. |
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