JaxFuse attendees were transported to the runways of Paris on Saturday, Oct. 10, when the link hosted Fashion Day, a full expression of the couture culture on the First Coast.
Fashion Day was the first of three festival days at the venue in Nocatee celebrating the creative economy, the other dates being: Food, Art and Music Day on Saturday, Oct. 17, and Film Day on Sunday, Oct. 18.
Seven designers or design groups displayed their creations during a traditional runway show, the models strolling with poise befitting the occasion to music from a DJ — and backed by video on a large screen — while photographers captured their presentations and audience members admired the collections from darkened seating areas beyond the bright lights.
Participating designers included: Bella Design, Uniquely Claudia Boutique, Limitless Wolf Co., The Giving Closet Project, Bartram Trail Fashion Academy, HL Liriano Custom Clothier and KobzArina Tailor Shop. The link, a unique facility in the heart of Nocatee, was filled with excitement over the dynamic presentations.
At the conclusion, audience members were asked to vote for their favorites. Making that determination could not have been easy; each of the designers delivered stunning creations.
The winner was Bartram Trail High School’s Fashion Academy, under the direction of instructor Vanessa Ochaita.
“This was amazing,” Ochaita said. “My students fell in love with the whole event.”
Each of her models was a high school sophomore, and the fashions they showed were their own creations. Even more surprising was how little time they had to prepare: one month. But they were held to the highest standards.
“They couldn’t wear anything they did not make,” Ochaita said.
The students drew inspiration from six Character Counts! pillars for St. Johns County (Respect, Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship), as well as the designs of Viktor & Rolf (Amsterdam-based Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren).
In second place was KobzArina Tailor Shop, founded by Arina Kobzar. The shop is in San Marco. Kobzar has a very good eye for custom design. She takes account of the client’s unique body type, coloring and more.
Kobzar designs and creates a variety of garments: gowns, cocktail dresses, men’s suits and much more. She is adept at doing very difficult bridal alterations, and in fact devotes a significant portion of her work to wedding attire — bridal gowns, mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom apparel and more.
The show opened with an astounding performance of David Foster and Carole Bayer Sager’s “The Prayer” by Lindsay Liske and Loreal Liske. The song was famously performed as a duet by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.
The emcee for the event was Dr. Sierra Pollard, a professor of space innovation at the University of Florida and director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. A longtime entrepreneur herself, she founded the Winnovation Agency, which supports two charitable foundations, Women of the Low Country and Women of the First Coast.
“We raise money for local young women to go off to trade schools or college, earn business certifications, stuff like that,” she said.
Pollard’s work dovetails with Fashion Day’s focus on innovation, sustainability and space — as in outer space. As space exploration, and potential tourism, increases, so will the need for adaptation of everyday products. Fashions will have to use sustainable materials and will have to resist radiation.
Sponsors for the show were The Recorder, Sessions Modeling, Sapna Foundation, Radiant Skin & Laser, To The Moon Party Designs and Models & Crowns by Yanina.
Some sponsors and designers had tables onsite. One of these was Lindsay Johnson, chief operating officer of Gold Sponsor Radiant Skin & Laser, who was giving out gift cards.
Radiant Skin & Laser, located at 40 Tavernier Drive, Suite D, Ponte Vedra, is a luxury skin and laser medical spa that offers a wide range of procedures.
“We do not do Botox of filler,” Johnson said. “We believe in healing your skin from the inside out. So, reproducing collagen naturally.”
Radiant Skin & Laser treats both men and women and in fact acquired the first laser in Northeast Florida for hair regrowth.
Learn more at radiantskinandlaserfl.com.
