By Layla Eason
Special to the AFRO
D.C. Fashion Week (DCFW) came to a close with an international couture collections showcase that highlighted international design with a wide variety of styles and culture.
The show took place in the National Housing Center’s Atrium. The room buzzed with various vendors, chatter and music as audience members talked about the upcoming show.
In the beginning of the show, Ean Williams, the executive director and founder of DCFW, was awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions of artistic significance within the district’s fashion industry and community.
“It’s an amazing experience and an amazing opportunity. I feel truly blessed and honored to have the support that I have,” said Williams. “From my volunteers, our models, our designers, our stylists, our game squad, our media– it’s really a huge honor and I don’t want to let them down. I work extremely hard to give the best for our community.”
The show’s focal point focused on the designers and their work. Throughout the duration of the show, designers showed their true identities through their collections.
“We started D.C. Fashion Week as a 5013c nonprofit organization and our goal has been to establish Washington as a center for nation’s fashions. We’re home to over 230 countries. This is an opportunity for our local models, designers and fashion workers to get international exposure,” Williams continued.
Francesca Lazzari’s collection was one of the most enjoyed throughout the evening. She focused heavily on different natural sources including water. To Lazzari, the aspect of water always brings a “sense of peace and tranquility” to her shown in her execution of her designs.
“I am a fashion designer of course, but I studied art and architecture in my past,” said Lazzari, an Italian fashion designer. “So the movement of the water and the feeling of that movement gave me the inspiration for my collection.”
Lazzari became a fan favorite because of how well-orchestrated her collection was. While she decided to show her identity through water, some designers showed their cultural identities throughout their collections.
Fiati Adadevoh, a Ghanaian designer, created professional suits for men and women that were vibrant and included different African patterns and textures throughout the collection. The entire collection gave a fun and exciting twist to the European suit style that is commonly worn.
“So we’ve been in business for some time and creating custom wear for people in terms of what would reflect their personality is something that we aspire to do, but in this collection, we wanted to show a different side of our work where we express ourselves really artistically and show how fashion forward we are within professionalism,” said Adadevoh.
In addition to the intriguing textures, the shows left the audience with an implicit message that D.C. has been and will continue to be a staple community within fashion. The show’s success highlighted that D.C. continues to grow within the fashion industry, as D.C. Fashion Week’s supporters hope to see the district become as iconic and well-known as other fashion capitals around the world.
