The locally based organization DownsCorp presented the Shenandoah Valley’s first ever runway fashion event here in Harrisonburg at the end of August. Hosted at The Loft at Liberty St., approximately 230 people were in attendance for the premier event. DownsCorp believes in combining locality, sustainability, and fashion to create new community and culture through connection.
“I really love people, and I love fashion, and those two things are something that I want to create something beautiful around,” says Seth Downs, creator and director of the showcase. In an exciting and upbeat atmosphere, twelve specially picked local designers displayed selections from their collections over the course of the evening. The variety of styles featured ranged from vintage to dress, grunge to exotic, and many things in between. Of the twelve designers from the (540) featured, a good mixture of independent artists and small businesses were given a platform to display their collections. A group of independent creators led off the event, with notable names such as Nate Kirby, Alana Lael, and Sivahn Lewis taking to the runway. Following a brief intermission, a number of local small businesses exhibited pieces from their collections including Among the Rich, Harrisonburgs’ own beloved bar Golden Pony, and Green Hummingbird Fair Trade.
“I have always loved fashion as an art form and particularly have a passion for implementing sustainable practices in the fashion world,” notes EMU senior Meredith Lehman. Lehman walked as one of the models in the show and showed off several pieces from Green Hummingbird Fair Trade. A few other EMU students were heavily involved behind the scenes, including seniors Thad Jackson, Oslyn Mejia Gomez, and Nussa Garti.
“This show turned out well because everyone who was in their position was the best for said position…, Thad and Nussa…, Oslyn, they are amazing at what they do and so they killed it,” states Downs. Lehman and Garti have previously performed all sorts of roles in fashion, both on campus at EMU and elsewhere. Garti specifically has experience in modeling, styling, and photography in the runway scene. For this event, however, Downs asked her to play the role of backstage manager for all the female models.
“Although fashion shows often have the reputation of being exclusive, luxurious events reserved for the wealthy, there was something about the 540 showcase that made it so meaningful and memorable…, a bunch of early twenty-something kids coming together to… collaborate on something that we all love,” expressed Garti. This truly is the mission of DownsCorp, to bring people together through the art of sustainable fashion. Visit www.downscorp.com to purchase from the collections featured at the 540 Fashion Showcase, and look out for future runway events by DownsCorp.
