Source From: http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/sep/13/gulnara-karimova-show/
Gulnara Karimova, the oldest daughter of the long-time controversial leader of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, had planned to unveil her 2012 spring GULI clothing line this week at Lincoln Center at Fashion Week. But after human rights groups made it known they would be protesting the show over child labor practices in Uzbekistan, Fashion Week cancelled Karimova's show.
Now there's word that Karimova has relocated her show to a private venue — to Cipriani restaurant on 42nd St. Activists plan to gather there on Thursday to protest the GULI show.
"Instead of spending so much time and money on her runway show, she should stop trying to launder her image and be accountable for her government's dismal human rights record," said Steve Swerdlow, a researcher on Uzbekistan for Human Rights Watch. "The Uzbek government’s atrocious rights record is well-known, especially after this week’s news from Fashion Week [that Fashion Week cancelled the GULI show], and Cipriani can’t plead ignorance.“
Swerdlow said torture was routine in the Uzbek criminal justice system, dissidents were imprisoned and between one and two million children were pulled from school each fall to harvest cotton under horrible conditions.
The International Labor Rights Forum, a non-profit that advocates for workers' rights worldwide, and the American Federation of Teachers plan to turn out between 50 and 100 members for a protest at Lincoln Center on Thursday from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. to urge the fashion industry to stop sourcing Uzbek cotton. The forum, which is also petitioning Cipriani, embassies and consulates to shut down Karimova's show, also has plans to send a delegation to Cipriani on Thursday.
"We have been very concerned for years about an ongoing state policy in Uzbekistan where children are removed from school during the cotton harvest season and forced to pick cotton to meet government imposed production quotas," said Tim Newman, campaigns director for the International Labor Rights Forum. "This is a very unique situation because it's state-sponsored, forced child labor and there are not many places in the world where that still exists."
Newman said that since Uzbekistan was one of the largest cotton exporters, it reaches the supply chains of many U.S. companies.
Earlier this week, more than 60 of the world's fashion companies, including high-end brands like Gucci and Alexander McQueen, as well as Wal-Mart and Target, signed a pledge saying they would oppose and not knowingly use Uzbek cotton harvested with forced child labor.
Karimova is also Uzbekistan's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva and was named Uzbekistan's ambassador to Spain in 2010. In the past year, the Harvard grad drew media attention when she sang a duet under her nickname GooGoo'sha with Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. The former frontman of the Police, Sting, was criticized for performing at a fashion festival she organized in the Uzbek captial of Tashkent.
Human rights activists did not attend Karimova's New York Fashion Week debut in 2011.
Karimova, the Uzbek Consulate and Cipriani did not return WNYC's calls for comment. The organizers of Fashion Week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and one of Fashion Week's sponsors, IMG World, declined to comment.
Showing posts with label fashion show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fashion show. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Taos News Lifestyles: Runway Vigilantes: A fashion evolution
Source from: http://taosnews.com/articles/2011/07/04/news/doc4e0cb8e78a929540853195.txt
When Shawna Yambire opened ReNeux Consignment Boutique, just off the Taos Plaza, she decided to participate in the annual Lighting of Ledoux by having a fashion show featuring clothing from her store.
The show was a success, and the following year, Yambire did it again, but this time, she invited several women to join in and create their own pieces. She also organized the show around a theme.
"It was kind of a Baroque, over-the-top, ball kind of feel — Cinderella with a little bit of mysticism," says Michael Simone Regnier, one of the participants. "We did the big hair, and the whole silhouette of the Baroque costume."
From there, the whole thing snowballed. The women were invited to reshow their pieces at the Love Apple for its New Year's Eve celebration. Then, the Harwood Museum approached Yambire about a Valentine's Day showing of the film, "Valentino: The Last Emperor."
So the ladies got together again and came up with a list of what Valentino meant to them, ultimately deciding on a "red" theme and long gowns.
"But then there were different variations because it's about being artistic and changing it up and doing whatever you want," says Regnier. "So you end up with all these fabulous different takes on the red dress. There was a gorgeous piece by Wendy Willis Price that was amazing, totally couture- sewn. Yummy fabric, some kind of raw silk."
Regnier says that some of the women in the group are professionally trained in fashion design. Others, such as Regnier, have experience more in the range of hemming pants and sewing buttons.
Regnier says she gets to benefit from the knowledge and skill of group members like Nina Silfverberg and Tatyana de Parloff, both of whom are professional working costume designers.
"They're just great because any time you don't know how to do something, they're right there," says Regnier, "They've got amazing skills, all the things you'd go and learn at fashion design school, but it's right there at your fingertips." Regnier says it all works well because everyone's just in it to have fun.
"It's a really open, cool group," she says. "I appreciate it just for the camaraderie of that amazing group of women, who have all these different skill sets and who I wouldn't necessarily get to hang out with, at least not at this productive artistic level."
The women are now in the habit of meeting regularly between shows, usually at ReNeux.
"There's something about that girl time that we don't always make time for in our lives, and it's so fun. After we do it, we're like, 'I needed that so bad,'" says Regnier. "We'll pass around ideas, bring design books, look at things online that inspire us, just kind of sharing that idea of fashion. It's fun to be connected to that, to play with it and talk about it."
When they're planning a show, things get a little more intense. "It's about collaboration and discussing ideas and coming up with a look to fit a theme," Regnier says. But the most intense part of the process is the shows themselves.
"There's a lot of juggling — the dynamic of getting the piece together, getting the makeup and the hair together," Regnier explains. "It's definitely a production; it's a back room full of women and clothes and makeup and hair and trying to get everything ready. Laughing about whose boobs won't fit in their dress."
Regnier says that each show they do becomes more streamlined.
"For all of these, we're increasing our professionalism — the runway, the music, the lights." They've even recently chosen a name for the group: Runway Vigilantes.
"We were coming up with all different ones, like 'Cloth,'" Regnier says laughing. Although the group makes no money from the shows, entry fees are charged in order to pay for venues, and also for publicity and music.
One of the Runway Vigilantes, Elizabeth Haidle, produces most of their promotional material, and DJ Oliver comes up with unique mixes to play at the shows.
"We make sure they get compensated for their time, because those are their full-time jobs," says Regnier. "Those of us who are designing are just doing it for the fun of it."
Runway Vigilantes will hold their next show Saturday (July 2), at the Bavarian Restaurant in Taos Ski Valley.
It will be loosely themed around "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Regnier says that they've also been talking with KTAOS about doing an around the world-themed show. "
We enjoy doing this," says Regnier. "It's so organic; it just comes together."
When Shawna Yambire opened ReNeux Consignment Boutique, just off the Taos Plaza, she decided to participate in the annual Lighting of Ledoux by having a fashion show featuring clothing from her store.
The show was a success, and the following year, Yambire did it again, but this time, she invited several women to join in and create their own pieces. She also organized the show around a theme.
"It was kind of a Baroque, over-the-top, ball kind of feel — Cinderella with a little bit of mysticism," says Michael Simone Regnier, one of the participants. "We did the big hair, and the whole silhouette of the Baroque costume."
From there, the whole thing snowballed. The women were invited to reshow their pieces at the Love Apple for its New Year's Eve celebration. Then, the Harwood Museum approached Yambire about a Valentine's Day showing of the film, "Valentino: The Last Emperor."
So the ladies got together again and came up with a list of what Valentino meant to them, ultimately deciding on a "red" theme and long gowns.
"But then there were different variations because it's about being artistic and changing it up and doing whatever you want," says Regnier. "So you end up with all these fabulous different takes on the red dress. There was a gorgeous piece by Wendy Willis Price that was amazing, totally couture- sewn. Yummy fabric, some kind of raw silk."
Regnier says that some of the women in the group are professionally trained in fashion design. Others, such as Regnier, have experience more in the range of hemming pants and sewing buttons.
Regnier says she gets to benefit from the knowledge and skill of group members like Nina Silfverberg and Tatyana de Parloff, both of whom are professional working costume designers.
"They're just great because any time you don't know how to do something, they're right there," says Regnier, "They've got amazing skills, all the things you'd go and learn at fashion design school, but it's right there at your fingertips." Regnier says it all works well because everyone's just in it to have fun.
"It's a really open, cool group," she says. "I appreciate it just for the camaraderie of that amazing group of women, who have all these different skill sets and who I wouldn't necessarily get to hang out with, at least not at this productive artistic level."
The women are now in the habit of meeting regularly between shows, usually at ReNeux.
"There's something about that girl time that we don't always make time for in our lives, and it's so fun. After we do it, we're like, 'I needed that so bad,'" says Regnier. "We'll pass around ideas, bring design books, look at things online that inspire us, just kind of sharing that idea of fashion. It's fun to be connected to that, to play with it and talk about it."
When they're planning a show, things get a little more intense. "It's about collaboration and discussing ideas and coming up with a look to fit a theme," Regnier says. But the most intense part of the process is the shows themselves.
"There's a lot of juggling — the dynamic of getting the piece together, getting the makeup and the hair together," Regnier explains. "It's definitely a production; it's a back room full of women and clothes and makeup and hair and trying to get everything ready. Laughing about whose boobs won't fit in their dress."
Regnier says that each show they do becomes more streamlined.
"For all of these, we're increasing our professionalism — the runway, the music, the lights." They've even recently chosen a name for the group: Runway Vigilantes.
"We were coming up with all different ones, like 'Cloth,'" Regnier says laughing. Although the group makes no money from the shows, entry fees are charged in order to pay for venues, and also for publicity and music.
One of the Runway Vigilantes, Elizabeth Haidle, produces most of their promotional material, and DJ Oliver comes up with unique mixes to play at the shows.
"We make sure they get compensated for their time, because those are their full-time jobs," says Regnier. "Those of us who are designing are just doing it for the fun of it."
Runway Vigilantes will hold their next show Saturday (July 2), at the Bavarian Restaurant in Taos Ski Valley.
It will be loosely themed around "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Regnier says that they've also been talking with KTAOS about doing an around the world-themed show. "
We enjoy doing this," says Regnier. "It's so organic; it just comes together."
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