|
MARK YOUR CALENDERS FOR THE MOST INSPIRED EVENT OF 2009!
!!HEATING UP YOUR WINTER , FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THREE INTERNATIONAL DESIGNERS CREATE THEMATIC FASHION TO SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON GENDER, SEXUALITY & RELIGION IN SOUTH ASIA!! |
|
|
HIGHLIGHTS:
'
ONE' by ASHER JAY, Fashionista Parsons designer, fresh off of working with reputed fashion houses of Maggie Norris Couture, Anna Sui, Anne Klein, and Ralph Lauren.
'POSITIVE' by MANISH ARORA, one of the top 10 designers at Paris Fashion Week 09.
'LOVE' by ZOLAYKHA SHERZAD , Time Magazine's ' woman in luxury', 'a cultural bridge between Afghanistan and the world'
AMRITA SINGH , NY's Leading South Asian Accessories Designer
Oscar-nominated director MIRA NAIR, actor and singer MANU NARAYAN (last seen on Broadway in "Bombay Dreams"), TV personality and well-known South Asian model AMI SHETH, and the first openly gay and most successful mainstream South Asian comic VIDUR KAPUR as celebrity models.
Performances by members of Nayikas Dance Co, trans artist Mesma Belsare & Turkish dancer Chillaires.
A rocking party with DJ KAYPER, BBC Radio's most successful export and THE most sought after female DJ in the world. |
BUY TICKETS NOW !! LIMITED AVAILABILITY @ SULEKHA
PROGRAM TICKETS
6.30 P.M > Red Carpet 35$ > Fashion Show Only
7.00 P.M > Fashion Show 50$ > Fashion Show & Party
75$ > Fashion Show & Party (Reserved Seating)
8:30 P.M > Celebratory Party with VIP Reception
Cash Bar, Live DJ Sets & 125$ > VIP Reception, Fashion Show & Party,
Surprise Celebrity Performances ( Preferred Seating )
25$ > Celebratory Party Only
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(New York, NY - November 10, 2009)
|
PR Contact: Jitin Hingorani : jitinhingorani@gmailcom, 512-773-6679
Marketing Contact: Anhad, Sulekh@gmail.com, 917-392-6542
International designers from New York, India, and Afghanistan, unveil three thematic collections in support of human rights through the arts for Engendered's holiday event, Fashion Conscience 09. The 'POSITIVE,' 'ONE,' and 'LOVE' fashion lines pay homage to people living with HIV and AIDS, gender non-conformists, and women who have survived violence and war. The three distinct, yet inter-connected, gender and sexuality themes are depicted through the vision of three of South Asia's most progressive and cause-driven designers: Manish Arora, named one of the top 10 designers at Paris Fashion Week 2009, Zolaykha Sherzad, called a "cultural ambassador to Afghanistan" by Time Magazine, and Asher Jay, a Parsons Design School fashionista. New York-based designer Amrita Singh will accessorize the show.
On the heels of a series of successful and ground-breaking music, visual arts, and film festivals in 2009, Rock for Rights, Purdah, and I VIEW, respectively, Engendered heats up the winter season with its annual fashion, art, and activism extravaganza. The trans-national arts and human rights organization, which focuses on creating awareness around gender and sexuality issues at the intersection of ritual and religion in South Asia and its Diaspora, is hosting Fashion Conscience 09 on Saturday, December 19, 2009, at 6 p.m. at NYC's prestigious Asia Society.
The holiday event will begin with a celebrity-filled red carpet, followed by a choreographed fashion show, interspersed with performances, and a celebratory party that ends the night.
"We are privileged to be able to showcase these wonderful designers who are using fashion as a tool to create social changes," says Myna Mukherjee, Founder and Executive Director of Engendered. "We are equally excited about the performance artists who will introduce each fashion line with a performance that borrows from the Sufi, Christian, Tantric, and Buddhist spiritual traditions of South Asia, all in an effort to foster dialogue and promote education around gender, sexuality, and religion."
Some of New York's most respected South Asian celebrities will walk the runway and model clothing from the designers' fashion lines in support of the organization's mission to shine a much-needed spotlight on human rights. They include Oscar-nominated director Mira Nair, actor and singer Manu Narayan (last seen on Broadway in "Bombay Dreams"), TV personality and well-known South Asian model Ami Sheth, and the first openly gay and most successful mainstream South Asian comic Vidur Kapur. BBC Radio's most successful export and most sought-after female DJ in the world, DJ Kayper will mix her fusion of house, electro, reggae, hip-hop, and some good ole' bhangra at the event's celebratory party.
About the Artists:
· Manish Arora - named one of the top 10 designers at Paris Fashion Week 2009. Regarded by many as the "John Galliano of India," Arora's line for Engendered, called 'POSITIVE,'will pay tribute to the spirit and resilience of AIDS victims, in order to raise awareness about the importance of safe sex and the complacency surrounding HIV/AIDS even decades after the origin of the virus. An alumnus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, Arora started his eponymous label in 1997. Today, he is known for a rich palette of psychedelic colors and kitsch motifs in garments that combine traditional Indian crafts like embroidery, appliqué, and beading with Western silhouettes. Arora is the only South Asian designer who has been invited to collaborate with international brands like Reebok and cosmetic giant MAC to produce a line, and his label is available in 84 stores worldwide.
· Zolaykha Sherzad - recently profiled in Time Magazine as one of the only women in luxury who has built a cultural bridge between Afghanistan and the rest of the world. Focused on reviving the role of Afghani arts and culture, Sherzad offers up a collection for Engendered called 'LOVE,' which borrows from Sufi traditions and represents prayers for women who have survived violence and displacement in their lives. Though an architect and later trained at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Sherzad knows a thing or two about displacement. In 1978, she fled her native Afghanistan in the wake of the communist coup. In 2002, after the fall of the Taliban, Sherzad was finally able to go home. The return was bittersweet because nearly 25 years of war had devastated the country. In an effort to rebuild the lives of women affected by war, Sherzad began training them in basic tailoring skills - such as design, patternmaking, and sewing - to launch Zarif, which means precious in Dari. A year later, in 2005, she had her first fashion show. For Afghanistan, it was the first fashion show in 30 years.
· Asher Jay - a Parsons designer, who has worked with reputed fashion names such as Maggie Norris Couture, Anna Sui, Anne Klein, and Ralph Lauren, makes her fashion debut with the androgynous line titled 'ONE.' It is focused on gender non-conformity and non-dualistic desire borrowed from the Buddhist and Tantric myths of Goddess Kurukulla, deemed bewitching by both sexes. The line is presented in a four part series: Filling, Form, Function and Freedom with four looks per quadrant.
· Amrita Singh - New York's leading South Asian accessories designer who will showcase from her line of intriguing and complex jewelry for the modern woman. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the prestigious executive training program at Bergdorf Goodman, Singh has worked with world-renowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Christian Lacroix.
· DJ Kayper - with her own radio show on the BBC's Asian Network, Kayper is the most sought-after female DJ in the world. She jazzes up the celebratory party with her hip-hop sounds through the art of "turntabilism."
· Performances byclassical and modern dancers of the acclaimed New York-based Nayikas Dance Theater Company and trans-artist Sudarshan Belsare, described recently by the New York Times as "a tour de force" who "brought the house down.
***Engendered would like to recognize the following partners for their continued generosity and support with Fashion Conscience 09:
Media Partner - AVS Television
Marketing Partner - Anhad
Celebratory Party Partner - Desi Hits
About Engendered:
Engendered is a non-profit, trans-national arts and human rights organization focused on exploring the complex realities of gender and sexuality in the South Asian Diaspora. Based in New York, Engendered presents an annual four-part festival that brings together the best in contemporary South Asian performance, music, visual arts, and cinema. Both a political and aesthetic festival, Engendered uses the medium of arts and culture to create change and promote social justice by initiating public dialogue around women's issues, gender inequity, sexual orientation, and minority and health rights. For more information about the organization, please visit www.engendered.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
