Fresh Faces in Fashion — GenArt, 30 October 2003
A Los Angeles fashion week record from Thursday, 30 October 2003 — the GenArt Fresh Faces in Fashion showcase, kept as the historical record.
Fresh Faces in Fashion, the GenArt show, took place at the historical Gas Company Building downtown on 30 October 2003, with eight handpicked designers showcasing their runway talents alongside finalists from the Florida Grapefruit 'Sass in a Glass handbag design competition. The report carried below records the highlights — Shay Todd's swimwear, Kristopher Enuke's Oligo Tissew knitwear and the Obedient Songs menswear collaboration — and it is kept complete as the record of the showcase.
Illustrative image created for this guide — an artistic impression, not photographs from these shows.
Eight Handpicked Designers
GenArt, the member-driven emerging-designer organization, supplied the week's future in this showcase. Shay Todd's modern minimalist swimwear was already a Sportswear Illustrated favorite and a must for California It Girls, with a bold color palette, subtle metallics, glamorous bandeau stripes and a luxurious horseshoe ring detail. Oligo Tissew by Oliver Twist, Kristopher Enuke's latest collection, brought long dresses, poorboy knit sweaters and gauzy tunics from a denim sculptor who had been a huge commercial success in his BCBG days.
Menswear, Too
Obedient Songs, a menswear collaboration between designer Swaim Hutson and graphic artist Christopher Ryan, showed seersucker suits with graphic print lining, super-slim stovepipe jeans, rockabilly suits, gold sneakers and preppy-punk tee shirts with graffiti-stenciled graphics — a tribute to bike messengers, trust-fund prepsters, rebel mods and motocross pinups. The showcase's range, from It-Girl swimwear to preppy-punk menswear, is exactly what a newcomer showcase exists to display.
A Showcase With a Paper Trail
Newcomer showcases are usually remembered, if at all, by the names that later became famous. This record earns its keep by documenting the whole bill — including a handbag competition run with the Florida Grapefruit growers and designers whose later careers took other paths. The full bill, not just its future stars, is what makes the report a reliable picture of where LA design stood in the autumn of 2003.
The Record
Eight handpicked designers showcased their runway talents at the historical Gas Company Building downtown, in conjunction with fashion finalists from the Florida Grapefruit 'sass in a Glass handbag design competition.
Highlights from the show included Shay Todd, popular amongst celebrity youngsters for her offerings of modern minimalist swimwear. The lineup featured a bold color palette, subtle metallics, glamorous bandeau stripes and a luxurious horseshoe ring detail. Already a Sportswear Illustrated favorite, it's no wonder these perfectly fitted triangles are a must for California It Girls.
Oligo Tissew by Oliver Twist is the latest collection masterminded by Kristopher Enuke. Renown as a denim sculptor and a huge commercial success back in his BCBG days, Kristopher is now experimenting with yarns and abstracted knitwear. His eccentric runway presentation of long dresses, poorboy knit sweaters and gauzy tunics was rumored by insiders to have magically knitted themselves the night before show, and once again evidenced Kristopher's masterful surrealist eye.
Obedient Songs, a menswear collaboration between designer Swaim Hutson and graphic artist Christopher Ryan. Of note were the seersucker suits with graphic print lining, super-slim stovepipe jeans, rockabilly suits, gold sneakers and preppy-punk tee shirts with graffiti-stenciled graphics. The lineup paid tribute to a youthful mélange of urban icons, including bike messengers, trust-fund prepsters, rebel mods and motocross pinups.
Photos
Common Questions
Where was the GenArt Fresh Faces show held?
At the historical Gas Company Building downtown, on 30 October 2003, in conjunction with finalists from the Florida Grapefruit 'Sass in a Glass handbag design competition.
Which designers were highlighted?
The report highlights Shay Todd's modern minimalist swimwear, Kristopher Enuke's Oligo Tissew knitwear, and the Obedient Songs menswear collaboration by Swaim Hutson and Christopher Ryan.
What is GenArt?
A member-driven emerging-designer organization whose showcases present handpicked new designers; this one presented eight of them, and the report treats it as the week's showcase of fashion's future.