NECESSARY TABOOS
November 6, 2010
NECESSARY TABOOS SYS Creative Imagery and creative lounge CHICAGO inspired by TOYOTA are proud to present Necessary Taboos: a fusion of art and fashion, an exploration of the forbidden! While no one was looking, 17 designers and stylists from Chicago and abroad have created wearable art pieces centered on the theme of taboo. Tonight, they are coming clean with provocative designs that will challenge your assumptions. With this event, we are making a statement about the creative power of conceptual fashion design in Chicago. It is our mission to promote collaboration between arts and fashion communities; and this diverse group of designers is representative of the cutting-edge talent this city has to offer.
pRESENTERS
Reggie
Actress Jessica Gisin
has been design-
has worked in theatre in LA and Chicago, and has written vari-
ous cabaret pieces that have been performed
around
the
country. She is a fan of fashion, fun, and all things taboo!
Newport
Model Ameena
ing classic wom-
wearing a gown
years.
port and custom
to women who love
Jolie by Emy
details, and pure
Payne will be
en’s apparel for 15
by Reggie New-
ture style appeals
lashes by Tres
fabrics,
His signa-
exquisite
sophistication.
Illegal But Regal
Evil Kitty
Lidia Wachowska has always
known that she wanted to work in the creative arena, but she
could never have foreseen that soon after graduating from The School of Art Institute of Chicago she would start her own clothing label. The
rebellious feline character Evil Kitty is the foundation
of Lidia’s clothing line. Her collection is inspired by music, art, street fashion, the punk movement, 40's
glamour, and by designers who push the envelope. Lidia likes to work with unusual textures and fabric combinations, contrasting colors, mono-
chromatic schemes, garments em-
bellished with prints and appliquĂŠs, and classically simple silhouettes. Evil Kitty attracts an audience that is tired of cookie-cutter fashion. www.evilkitty.net
Waste not – Want not
Wanda Cobar
Soon after graduating from the fashion design program at William Rainey
Harper College, and with less than a year of sewing experience, Wanda Cobar was selected to compete in the Concours International des Jeunes Créateurs (Paris, 1998). This auspicious start led to studies in London; design work with firms such as Alyce Designs, She Beads, and Chi-
cago Scenic Studios; accolades from fashion media (“Chicago’s Finest,” StyleChicago.com); selection as a finalist in the Nudie Jeans “Recycled Denim Maniacs” (2009); inclusion in Dance for Life Chicago (2009); and a growing private clientele that includes Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. www.CobarCollection.com
GLAMOREXIA Tres Jolie by Emy
Emy started her career in fashion as a model signed to a known agency
in Paris (her birthplace). Her expe-
rience as a model for print inspired
her to explore different paths in the industry. She moved to Chicago in 2000, and soon after, she gradu-
ated from London Eyes Academy of Makeup as a certified makeup artist. She joined forces with Chicago designer Jim Mullin (JM Couture)
and established Tres Jolie Makeup by Emy. Her path has led her to designing custom hairpieces for various fashion shows in Chicago. www.emytresjolie.com
JM Couture Designer/photographer James Mullin is also an award-winning songwriter and musician. While on tour in 2008, James felt that selling concert t-shirts didn’t fulfill his true design vision, and he decided to launch his own clothing line. Since its inception, JM Couture has become one of the most well-known clothing brands in the city, with two JM Couture boutiques and
numerous
themed fashion Chicago.
BOUND
www.jmcouture.com
shows in
www.houseofcleons.com
Burned in Oil
Cleons Clothing Co.
Chad Cleon is the designer/proprietor of Cleons Clothing Co. According to Chad,
Cleons Clothing is made for young, popular, laid-back, and high-energy men and women. His pieces have been featured in various fashion events and solo shows in Chicago, and his designs have been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga.
The Psyche of a Nudist Goh Jus’s fashion experience comes from his
collaboration as a styl-
ist and model with SugarYourSpice,
as well as other Chicago designers.
His affinity for the avantgarde is revealed in his provocative styling choices, in which he explores the extremes of
any given subject. Recent modeling credits include Festival Rimabelle (Strasbourg, July 2010). Goh Jus debuts his first design at Necessary Taboos.
Polyamory www.rosinamae.com
Rosina Mae Rosina Mae Turner is a Chicago-based fashion designer and instructor. After graduating from Dominican University in 2008, she launched her own line, Rosina Mae Fashion. She is inspired street life, art, and architecture;
and her work is both daring and functional. Her designs have been featured
in group and solo shows in Chicago. Recently, her work was showcased during Art on Track 2010, a CTA-sponsored art event.
The Bad Girl Trash Lolita Clothing Chuck Bowi has been dabbling in fashion
since the 1980's. Trash Lolita Clothing was conceived after years of involvement in the
club scenes of Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago. As the name implies, his edgy signature pieces are loosely based on 1950’s
children's party dresses. Celebrity clients
include Chibi, (lead singer of the Torontobased band The Birthday Massacre). www.myspace.com/trashlolita
Safety at What cost? House of Frog
Productions has been
producing fashion shows with a twist since 1999.
Garnering press coverage in Denver and Boulder,
House of Frog moved the show to Chicago in 2002, raising money for charities such as PAWS, Children’s Cancer Research, National Alliance
for Mental Illness, and various battered women’s shelters. Frog Greishaw is an award-winning
clothing designer with a boutique in Chicago’s
Chinatown neighborhood. Frog has been trained
in couture hand-sewing techniques, old world tailoring, draping, and custom fitting by her mentor and first female president of the Custom Tailors and Designers Association, Susan Igou. www.houseoffrog.com
wrapped up in Eve
Ogi Merzier
Chicago-based designer Ogi Merzier is an innovative conceptual fashion designer and who is defiant towards the commercialism of the fash-
ion industry. Sewing since the age of 4, Merzier is a fifth-generation seamstress. Merzier’s career started in Los Angeles, where she worked as a celebrity fashion and wardrobe stylist for, among others, Pamela Anderson, Queen Latifa, and Martin Sheen. She is the proprietor of 6
online vintage e-tiques that feature reconstructed and upcycled green fashions. “Blonde Bag Lady Couture,” which features garments made from recycled potato chip, shopping, and trash bags, was recently featured at the EarthShare Illinois Revamped Fashion Event. www.ogibags.info
Voyeur Jojo Baby
Once the sun goes down in Chica-
go, it’s time for the most vibrant stars of the dance clubs across the city to
shine. And none shine more brightly than club fixture JoJo Baby! Trained
by East Village art world darling Greer Lankton, JoJo uses blood (sometimes
literally), sweat, and tears to construct something out of nothing. Making pup-
pets since he was a child, his dolls have full skeletons, glass eyes, an
entire chakra system, and very often,
human teeth and hair. His dolls are his children, each with its own story-incarnations of the characters in his
life. JoJo Baby is a celebration of life through the power of art.
http://www.facebook.com/JOJOBABYthefilm
Phallophobia Stephanie Noelle Ledesma
Stephanie Noelle Ledesma, a graduate of Fashion Department at The School of the Art
Institute of Chicago, is interested in exploring the boundar-
ies that separate the functional from the conceptual. “Concep-
tual fashion and clothing are very rarely seen outside of a
runway show,” she says. “Certainly the majority of concep-
tual fashion is not so garish
or obscene that it shouldn’t be able to be worn in public with-
out drawing a crowd. Wouldn’t it be more interesting to see the public in thought-provoking, yet fashionable outfits?”
I Like to Have Lots of Sex >IV LI ;\IZ Cynthia VanDaStar Cynthia Van DeMark (VanDaStar) is a Chicago-
based artist and designer. In 2004, she modeled a fashion piece entitled, “Upside-Down Bikini,�
for Venus Zine, which was the first publication of her work. In the same year, she collaborated with
artist Andy Laraquente to create a fashionable installation piece out of orange peels and fabric. Although she mainly works with fashion acces-
sories for women, Cynthia has created wearable art pieces tailored to specific clients.
Kendra Nakamura is an accessory and handbag de-
signer based in Strasbourg, France. Her designs are inspired by a mix of British, Japanese, and American cultural influences.
A self-taught designer from a
family of artists and artisans, she is motivated by
her love of material and method, creating pieces that reflect her fascination with the momentary, the incidental, and the universal.
www.KendraNakamura.etsy.com
Modern Anthropophagus
Kendra Nakamura
Mens-u-all-ity Joshua Alexander A Chicago native, Joshua Alexander began his fashion career in 2007 as
a model. He has been represented domestically
and
internationally
by
agencies such as One Source Talent
(Chicago), Look Now Firenze, and Mil-
lennium Model Management (Milan). After modeling, Joshua approached the
industry as a fledgling designer with the intent to express the essence of
male identity in fashion. He is currently studying Fashion Design at the Illinois Institute of Art at Chicago.
Born in Cuautla, Morelos, in Mexico, Miguel Becer-
ril is a designer of refined women’s apparel.
Becerril’s first collection of eight elegant dresses de-
Flow
buted in Chicago in 2004.
Since then he has regularly
displayed new collections in multiple fashions shows,
including Market Days and Project Alama. He’s currently working on his new
collection for four upcoming fashion events in Chicago.
www.miguelbecerril.com
Miguel Becerril
Sponsors
creative lounge CHICAGO inspired by TOYOTA is part of the TOYOTA Creative Global Network, whose mission is to facilitate interaction among designers, artists, engineers, and public opinion leaders to foment innovative ideas for tomorrow.
SYS Creative Imagery is a collective of artists specializing in conceptual and fashion photography, makeup design, and hair styling, providing services from fashion events to conceptual and portrait photography. contact@sugaryourspice.com