Fashion Review: Project Ethos "LA Fashion Week"

Project Ethos returned to Hollywood for the third time this year, with Twelve designers, 100 models, eight DJ’s, 10 artists, and a capacity crowd which filled Avalon Hollywood on Friday for a night of fashion, music, and art officially ending the 2010, “LA Fashion Week”.

Project Ethos presented by Carlton Hair is in its second season and has built a reputation for each showcase for the presentation of big lights, fabulous music, and unforgettable fashion and the return of anything less than spectacular was no exception.

Cardi Wrap by Kymaro
Project Runway icon, Nick Verreos graced the stage and ignited the crowd to present the start of the runway show beginning with Cardi Wrap by Kymaro. This simple garment is not the typical Cardi Wrap or a dress. It is an versatile yet elegant garment wrap that is multi-functional to over 60 different wearable styles.

B.Vika
B.Vika by AmbiKa Sanjana and Valerie Yael Mamane returned to the Project Ethos runway to show off their newest inspirations with a presentation of the 2011 Spring swimsuit collection.

Together, Sanjana and Mamane use inspirations from their native countries of India and Morocco to add elements to their line of women’s tops, hoodies, and swim wear to give their collection a unique collaboration of dual-ethnic beauty.

Chu-La Couture
Next on the runway is known for her boutique with trendy handbags, accessories, and her wardrobe styling talent, Chu-La Couture by Melissa Velia of Los Angeles showcased her "California Casual" with a presentation of  delicate tones with a collection that is more cocktail suited with strapless, multi-colored, textured, elegant wear-to-wear, and casual evening wear suitable for a night at the club, a non-formal event, or semi-formal occasion. Her fashions have been seen worn by celebrities like Tyra Banks, Hilary Duff, Faith Evans, Kimora Lee Simmons. Expect nothing less than a name like Chu-La Couture to become a household name that will grow as a trendsetter to the celebrities for years to come.

Doctrine
Hard couture designer, Doctrine was also in the lineup which featured a series of street and casual wear fitting for everyday life for the more “harder” minded individual. Doctrines vintage wash styles are everyday wearable denim, button-ups, and the printed T’s that keep the inner rocker spirit alive. Doctrine Apparel has been seen worn by Jersey Shore reality TV star, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino.

Doctrine's women's line was designed for the more confident and self-assured female with a desire for something different. Doctrine's styles are every bit an expression of individuality and freedom from the standard. Worn accessorized or plain, these tops in combination with Doctrine denim give the wearer the complete look.

Summer Titione & Janaration
The next showcase on the catwalk were a pair of designers with the Summer Titione collection and the Janaration, a jewelry collection created by Jana Camp.

Inspired through her creative genetic bloodline, Summer Titone grew up always wanting to be an artist. With her mothers visual artistic ability and her fathers artistmanship as a mechanic, Summer's ambition soon took her into fashion.

While her vision is unconventional, her artistic creations are none-the-less unique. This unique quality makes her collection impossible to mass reproduce, because each piece is personally custom made and hand crafted from original vintage materials.

Combined with the Summer Titione collection, each model was wearing a jewelry crafted by Janaration created by Jana Camp.

Jana Camp is not only a jewelry designer, she is an actress, and Yoga teacher originally from Atlanta, GA. Each beautiful creation she designs is an individual key to the secret into finding the wearers inner "Chi".

Annie and Jade by Annie Le
The sixth installment of Project Ethos was Anne and Jade by Annie Le. Interestingly, not only does Annie Le provide some of the most elegant evening dresses and cocktail couture collections for every formal occasion, every piece is eco-friendly.

In an era where the ecological friendly is at the forefront of many people's minds, Annie Le's collection offers confident looking luxury pieces with an eco-friendly alternative. Each piece is made from organic, natural, and recycled materials and fabrics.

Annie Le's collections are elegant as they are useful for any evening engagement that calls for a classy yet an unforgettable grand entrance.







GOGA by Gordana Gehlhausen
Nearing the midway point were designs from the stylish GOGA collection by Gordana Gehlhausen.

Not just recognizable from "Project Runway 6", GOGA couture and GOGA to GO collections are both innovative and modern, great for upper scale casual to club attire and cocktail engagements for those who want to make an impressive entrance that will make the other guests fill with envy.


Voxhaul Broadcast
Project Ethos would not be complete without a live band performance. After the models left the runway, the VIP seating was moved back and the floor was opened to let in the hundreds of people gather around the stage for the main event.

Voxhaul Broadcast took the stage and opened with the song "Timing is Everything" and the once empty floor was filled to capacity with instant fans.

Voxhaul Broadcast is known for their retro underground B-side rock style that compares to The Vandelles, but more importantly, they had a sound that captivated an entire crowd.





Marialia

Back to the runway show, the next designer was Marialia by Marialia Pacitto. Based out of Los Angeles, Marialia's fashion sense is an alternative concept. While she has no more formal training other than a basic knowledge of fashion backed by pure ambition and natural talent, Marialia showed that her designs can measure up with the competition.

Lamixx
Lamixx clothing presented their collection, which is a mix of the more casual and comfortable appeal, but without taking away from the feminine form and without taking away style for dressing comfortably.

Much of the presentation included outfits with leggings, a light cardigan sweaters, custom hoodies, and loose skirts to fit the many moods of the modern woman.

BritBoy Fashions
Next on the runway were the fun collection of BritBoy Fashions. Designs meant for pride of England, BritBoy Fashion makes a statement with bold colors and slim line and that statement says "...I'm sexy".

Jaq'D Wear
Jaq'D Wear created by Jacqueline Berry has a clothing line that expands to a broader range of styles from high fashion to fun to wear and her target audience is to make it available and affordable at the same time, but this showcase focus on the higher end collection.

Her models took the stage next and showcased an impressive line of cocktail, evening, and semi-formal apparel with materials that were hand selected and crafted by Jacqueline herself.

Hard Couture
Hard Couture founded by Christine Lopez was the final designer showcased on the catwalk at Project Ethos. Her spring collection was a stylish array of club attire, cocktail dresses for the more confident woman. As each piece was a touch on the more sexier side, it did not take away from the elegance.

ART
Upstairs, emerging artists and painters displayed their collections of fine pieces including art work by Jeff Tang, Allison Cortson, Erin Hammond, 12FV, Dani Goodman, Nick Denambride, Steven Lopez, and Andrew Behr.

Andrew Behr presented a display of his latest art that are conceptual art, abstract cartooning, children book illustrations, including some samples of branding artwork. His work was the most impressive, for his attention to detail and precision.

*All photos by Michael Jaramillo


Written by Michael Jaramillo

How to be a Rockstar

So, you have a couple of friends that you have been jamming within the confines of your parent’s garage for the past year. You have written a few solid songs down that you think people would love and you have already played at a few college parties and your friends think you are the next big hit, but you are stuck and no one in your group seems to know what to do next. Here are a few tips on how get you off the ground and get your band in the spotlight and perhaps make you a, “rock star”.

1.  Be original

Spencer Livingston recording in the studio, photo by
Jesse Ramirez

If your goal is to be heard on the radio, make sure your music is unique, but not too unique. You want to be original, but do not be so different that record labels and radio stations cannot figure out which category your music belongs to. Music confusion will lead to your hard work being tossed in the garbage bin.

2. Make a demonstration (demo) CD

The most important thing for any band is to record your work on a CD or at least create a digital CD package, so people can download and listen. It does not necessarily have to be sold, but this is one of the most important marketing tools for any band or artist. There are several ways to create your CD, but this requires programs like Pro-logic, Garageband, Pro-tools, or Acoustica. Some programs cost more than others, but you want software that will allow you to plug in your instruments and decode into “samples” in order to retune and edit your work.

3. Get a personal manager

Managers will play an important role in your music career. You need one to help book your gigs and help you make important decisions like deciding which songs to place on your CD’s and to handle the marketing. Personal managers get from 10 percent to 15 percent of the bands profits.

Spenser Livingston performing with the mandolin
at The Roxy Theatre, photo by Gerard J. Walsh 

4. Book gigs

For the next year or so, you want to perform at as many places as you can. This will include coffee houses, bars, small festivals, and minor acoustic showcases and this is why you need a personal manager, so you can focus on music. Performing at gigs will pre-determine if you have the “it factor”. If you can attract a huge fan following, then you know you are an affirmed band.

5. Social Networking

Some bands resist social networking and only rely on MySpace to market themselves. This is the wrong attitude when you are a new in this business. During the age of new media technology, it is not enough to just have a MySpace page. You must belong to every social network including Twitter, Facebook, Reverbnation, and any other social network that has the ability to draw in new listeners. You are a brand and your product is your music, so treat yourself as a product.  More importantly, speak to your fans. It is okay to reply back and forth. This brings in the “human factor” and allows your fans to bond with you.

6. Setting money aside

Here is the business side of being a rock star. Treat your band as a business. Without money, you cannot progress. Set aside money for CD mastering and production costs and label distribution, and other marketing materials. These days, a record label will not take on your band unless you have a mastered CD, nor will a radio station or movie production company use your music for television or film unless a music engineer as mastered your music. This can cost anywhere from $1,300 to $22,000. It really depends if you need to record from scratch or you only need minor editing.

The Alternates, photo by Kevin Landes 

7. Shoot a music video

Having a well-produced music video is a sure way from making or breaking your band into pop culture. If you know people in the business or people in film school, recruit them to shoot your music video and post it everywhere on the Internet. Post on YouTube and watch your stardom go from zero to hero.

8. Sign with a major or independent record label

This is the final step and the beginning of your stardom career. It may have taken two or even three years for you to reach this point, but you are now confident enough to take the next step. At this juncture, you should have 2 million hits on your MySpace page and you have over 10,000 friends on Facebook, you’ve already opened at the major venues and all the major gigs in town, but you still have not quite made it yet. 

This is where your manager will meet with the major or independent record label executives to negotiate a deal to get your CD mass distributed and in the retail market and your songs on the radio. Depending on the record label and how successful they think you will be will determine how much risk they are willing to invest in your brand. If you and the label have an agreement, then the CD’s will be distributed and then you start the marketing process of selling yourselves.  Here is when your income will shift. Depending on record sales, your incoming revenues will decrease at first, but if your revenues are managed properly, it will increase dramatically over time.

The Alternates performing at House of Blues,
photo courtesy of Gerard J. Walsh

9.  Major marketing tours

While you are with a major record label, your manager will be able to represent you as a major recording artist. Your manager will be able to book the major gigs either with another major recording artist or band and book headlines with your band as the major event. You will also be booked to make special appearances on radio, television, interviews with music publications, and even perform at charity events. Finally, here comes the “rock star” status.

Written by 

Michael Jaramillo, staff writer