AVENUE Magazine MWFW 2012 Exclusive by AVENUE

3.2012 supplement

Stylist Takeshi Kiama Photographer Miaa Rebane

Publisher’s note

enswear has never been more exciting as the present. As the overall fashion scene in Second Life brims with refined creativity, male fashion designers, stylists, models and fashionistas are equally making significant strides in raising the bar to stylish proportions. AVENUE is proud to be a part of always promoting the fashion industry in whatever we can. To be an aggregator, collaborator and a catalyst to help fashion

arrive at the next point has been always our mandate and it is with great pleasure that we are partners with Siren Productions in this next installment of Menswear Fashion Week 2012 alongside all the amazing designers and collaborators. So let’s celebrate the creativity, the passion that all the wonderful creators and fashionistas have put into bringing you this wonderful event which represents more than just the best efforts into making menswear more

interesting, fun and diverse. As Ralph Lauren said, “I don’t design clothes. I design dreams,” so let’s celebrate all our dreams for realizing fashion for men in all its wonders.

Rusch Raymaker Rusch Raymaker Publisher AVENUE

Event Producerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note

OW! Menswear Fashion Week 2012 is upon us again! Where did the time go? Has it really been a year? My how time flies when you are in a fashion vortex. I am so happy to welcome everyone to MWFW 2012, and to be working once again with AVENUE, KMADD, MENstuff, and Second Nights this year. We have changed so much, and are so happy to bring all of those changes to this year events! There are so many new designers this year that I am not even sure where to begin. How about some hot individual fashion shows with [sYs], Aleida, Ladies Who Lunch, & Tableu Vivant?

Then we are serving up a healthy dose of some of your returning favorites like Cheerno, Gabriel, Egoisme, & Rfyre. If that was not enough to warm you right down to your designer shoes we have some wonderful group shows with many fabulous designers, including Faster Pussycat, Redgrave, Akeruka, LaVie, Splendeurs, and more. That is just the tip of the iceberg! There are tons of new, never-before-seen releases just for MWFW 2012! Every designer is offering something new, and you will not want to miss out on all the amazing designs and the amazing new mesh creations.

The MWFW 2012 team hopes to see you on the sims, at the shows, at the parties, and taking part in what is sure to be another wonderful year. I am sure that everyone will be able to find a little something to suit their taste and style. Besides, everyone knows we enjoy a well dressed man!

Lexie Jansma Event Producer Siren Productions Owner

Fashion Spread Jet Setter

Fashion Spread Andro

Fashion Spread Boys Night In

Contents

14 18 32 46 64 72 88

Events Schedule Interview with Siren Fashion Spread Jet Setter Fashion Spread Andro Interview with Designers Fashion Spread Boys Night In Thank You from Siren AVENUE Magazine March 2012 Supplement cover Featuring Boe Cortes, Cade Nansen & Rusch Raymaker Photographer Cade Nansen

3.2012 supplement

Schedule

Menswear Fashion Week 2012 Schedule of Events! FRIDAY March, 23rd, 2012 11am 3pm 6pm 7pm

12pm Egoisme Fashion Show 4pm SL Zenith Fashion, Faster Pussycat, Eclipse, Birth, Dura Fashion Show 7pm SL L’enfant Terrible Fashion Show 9pm SL Siren Productions Gothic Fairytale Opening Party

SATURDAY March 24th, 2012 10am 11am 2pm 5pm

11am SL Viktor/Viktoria Fashion Show 1pm SL AVENUE Opening Party 3pm SL Aleida Fashion Show 6pm SL Zanzo, Philo, Prodigal Fashion Show

SUNDAY March 25th, 2012 11am 3pm 6pm

12pm SL PeKa’s Design Fashion Show 4pm SL Emma’s Design, Prince Magic, Ohio Kilts, Jarythe’s Barber Shop Fashion Show 7pm SL Starchild Designs Fashion Show

MONDAY March 26th, 2012 10am 2pm 5pm 6pm

11am Subversion Fashion Show 3pm SL Vitamen, Splendeurs, Lazybum, Akeruka, Shag Rehearsal 6pm SL KMADD Underwear Fashion Show 8pm SL KMADD Industry Party

3.2012 supplement

TUESDAY March 27th, 2012 11am 3pm 6pm

12pm SL [sYs] Fashion Show 4pm SL Mashookas, FA Creations, SIgnature Skins Fashion Show 7pm SL Toritire Clothiers, Chinese Take-Out, JFL Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wear, D.N.A Fashion Show

WEDNESDAY March 28th, 2012 10am 11am 2pm 5pm

11am SL Gabriel Fashion Show 1pm SL Secondnight Knight of the Round Table Party 3pm SL Halcali, Artemis, EMO-Tions, LaVie Fashion Show 6pm SL Havok, Yasum Designs, Akeyo, Vaya Con Dios Fashion Show

THURSDAY March 29th, 2012 10am 11am 2pm 5pm

11am SL Gabriel Fashion Show 1pm SL Secondnight Knight of the Round Table Party 3pm SL Halcali, Artemis, EMO-Tions, LaVie Fashion Show 6pm SL Havok, Yasum Designs, Akeyo, Vaya Con Dios Fashion Show

FRIDAY March 30th, 2012 10am 2pm 5pm 6pm

11am SL Upper Eschelon Fashion Show 3pm SL Gizza Creations Fashion Show 6pm SL Ladies Who Lunch, Tableu Vivant Fashion Show 8pm SL Inworlds Industry Party

SATURDAY March 31st, 2012 10am 11am 1pm 7pm 8pm

11am Cheerno Homme Fashion Show 1pm SL ICONically Sexy Zodiac Party 2pm SL Face of MWFW 2012 Runway Competition Shoes for Men Rehearsal. 8pm SL Just BECAUSE Clothing, Redgrave, SF Designs, Jeepers Shoes for Men Fashion Show 10pm SL HARAJUKU SET Party @ MWFW 2012

March Supplement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Siren Interview

Menswear Fashion Week Writer Augusta Carver Photographer Seashell Dench

en’s fashion has come a lot farther than it was four years ago. The quality of clothing now is amazing. There is more variety, and definitely more options. But it still feels like there could be more. With women’s fashion, the abundant choices make it hard to pick a store to shop in, and sometimes it feels like the options are, at times, overwhelming. With men’s fashion, however, it can be hard to find a variety of stores with good, high quality designs. Luckily, there is an annual event that helps to showcase some of the amazing and quality men’s designs in one area: Menswear Fashion Week.

Held from March 23rd until March 31st, Menswear Fashion Week (“MWFW”) is a nonstop rollercoaster ride of tempting men’s fashions that are to die for. According to Locked Semaphore, one of the organizers for MWFW, “Menswear Fashion Week is a single place where men (and women too) can come and see the very best designers in Second Life®. The event will feature not only fashion shows, but mini shops will be available for you to browse and purchase right at the show. A wide variety of styles such as formal, street, urban, goth and many more, will be presented. It’s definitely the place to go to see the very latest in SL® men’s fashion.” With more and more stylish men interested in the latest fashions and in finding their own unique style, this event could not have come at a better time. I sat down with Locked Semaphore and Lorelei Maggs, who are helping to organize this huge event, to find out more about this is “must-see” destination for men. Augusta Carver: How did you get involved with the Menswear Fashion Week? Locked Semaphore: My first experience with Menswear Fashion Week was as a male model in January of 2010. I was a fairly new model at the time. I had no idea what I was getting

myself into trying to do 21 shows in 7 days, with only one rehearsal for each show. Although I was absolutely exhausted at the end of the week, the experience pushed me and my abilities far beyond anything I had done before. It was great! AC: Is this your first time participating in the event? Lorelei Maggs: I have been here since the beginning, when Lexie [Jansma] first started hiring people. LS: No, I have been back every year since 2010. I would not miss it for anything. AC: What is your role within Menswear Fashion Week? LM: Right now, I’m working on building several of the runways .Once the week starts, I suspect I’ll be helping with running the rehearsals, checking prims, poses and styling...pretty much whatever needs to be done. LS: This year I will build 5 runways and write scripts for several others. AC: How much goes into getting everything together for an event of this size? LM: There is so much...just so much. It’s incredible the kind of dedication and organization it takes. The scope of what goes into an event like this is larger than I think most people understand. You’ve got so many things going on. You’ve got to have designers willing to participate, you’ve got

to have a sim laid out and built for the event. There’s all the shows...building for the shows... production of all the shows. Hiring models, script writers, organizers, DJs, and so on. And that’s really just scratching the obvious surface. It’s an incredible challenge. LS: This year Menswear Fashion Week will involve 24 shows in 9 days. That’s more than most agencies do in a year. The coordination effort between designers, models, builders, photographers and promotions is enormous. It is such a huge undertaking; I give credit to Lexie Jansma for pulling it all together every year. Even though we are doing 24 shows in 9 days, very little is redundant or repeated. Each show will be unique with a unique set, runway and choreography. AC: How important do you think this event is for men? LM: I think it’s fairly important. It’s gathering of a wide variety of designers of clothing, accessories, etc., all in one place, with a variety of events to showcase them. So, it’s relatively easy to check out the latest, greatest and most current in men’s SL fashion. You never know what you might find, such as new designers that you’ve just not found or seen before. And also, finding the right clothes and accessories to express yourself.

AC: In your opinion how far has men’s fashion come in SL compared to women’s? LS: When I started in SL, men’s fashion consisted of a T-shirt and jeans, maybe some tennis shoes. I think men’s fashion has progressed at a faster rate than women’s during the past 2 to 3 years. However, male fashion is still in the minority when it comes to quality and selection. I don’t fault the designers for that; it’s simply a good business decision. But male fashion has improved by orders of magnitude from what we had several years ago. AC: What can we look forward to seeing from Menswear Fashion Week? LM: Well, I do know all of the designers are creating a lot of new items to be debuted at Menswear Fashion Week. I’m also hoping there will be a lot of innovative new designs with mesh being here. I think it will be exciting to see what the designers have come up with. LS: This year will be the best and largest ever. More designers, more elaborate sets and runways, after parties, more shopping and hopefully less lag with the new dedicated sims. AC: Do you feel like men’s fashions are underrepresented in Second Life? LM: Sadly, I do. I think the ratio of menswear designers to designers of female clothing is

very skewed. That being said, I do think it’s far better now than it was two years ago. I think a lot more emphasis is being put on fashion for men in SL these days, but I think it could still be better. AC: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about Menswear Fashion Week? LS: This is a “must attend” event. Guys, it’s your chance to freshen up your wardrobe and ladies it’s your chance to encourage him. (Smiles) LM: Yes, just to try and find a few minutes to stop by and see at least some of what’s going on. You just never know what you might find, see, discover and who you might run into, meet and you might just have a great time. Check out what’s been brought together all in one place. Thanks to sponsors, such as Siren Productions, MENstuff, AVENUE, KMADD, and Secondnights.com, Menswear Fashion Week is shaping up to become one of the hottest fashion events of the Spring. This is a great chance for men and women to come and see great designer fashions from brands that have been discovered and have yet to be discovered. Mark your calendars for March 23rd to come out and see these exciting fashions up close and personal. For more information about this event, you can visit the

Siren Productions website at: sirenproductions.info. Make sure to stop by the sim March 23rd through March 31st at Menswear Fashion Week 129.8.25.

2012 we got it covered.

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March Supplement - Fashion Spread

Jettsetter Models Boe Cortes & Takeshi Kiama Photographer Boe Cortes

On Boe jacket: Aleida | Camilo Mesh Jacket shirt: Aleida | Edson Polo Shirt pants: Aleida | Cafu Pants

On Takeshi pants: ALEIDA I Cafu pants top: ALEIDA I Ronaldo shirt glasses: ALEIDA I Dida fashion glasses hat: ALEIDA I Robinho fedora hat

On Boe outift: Gabriel | Grey Military Suit with boots On Takeshi outfit: Gabriel | Black Military Suit with boots

March Supplement - Fashion Spread

Andro

Models Rusch Raymaker, Winter Jefferson & Cade Nansen Photographer Cade Nansen

On Rusch outfit: Cheerno | Skes Song

On Winter outfit: Cheerno | Sin.Ouro boots: Cheerno | Victorio.Bordo

On Winter outfit: sYs | Andromede shoes: sYs | Doom Boots chin accessory: sYs | Darion Chin Jewel glasses: sYs | Alcane

March Supplement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Designer Interview

A sampling of menswear goodies Writer Sensuous Soulstar Photographer Seashell Dench

hile we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to remind just how big, exciting, and over-thetop Menswear Fashion Week is or will be again this year, we decided to indulge you with a little sampling of some of the designers that will be debuting their latest and greatest in menswear from March 23rd to March 31st. In the midst of this busy time, we were able to snag a few moments with Raven Pennyfeather of RFyre and M4ri1yn Magic of Tableau Vivant just to find out more about their designs, and their contribution to this amazing nine day extravaganza of menswear. Read along as these famed designers give you a sneak peek of what you can expect.

Sensuous Soulstar: While I want to talk about each of your contributions to Menswear Fashion Week, I want to get into a little background of both of your brands for the readers. First, Raven, tell us a little about RFyre’s creation. Does the name stand for something in first life or Second Life®, and how does it apply to the brand? Raven Pennyfeather: I established RFyre in 2004, very soon after joining. The origin of the name “RFyre” was born out of the collective drive and passion of artists to create. It literally means “our fire;” that burning desire to craft one’s art. SS: I love it! So much passion! And M4ri1yn, what about Tableau Vivant? What is its back story, and what meaning, if any does the name have? M4ri1yn Magic: Hello and thank you for your time, we really appreciate it. Tableau Vivant means “living pictures.” The term describes a group of suitably costumed actors or artist’s models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. It’s perfect to describe our work made of costumes, skins/makeup and the stages where we actually pose “actors” in a theatrical scene. SS: Now that is ingenious as applied to SL®! Let’s dig a little into both of your backgrounds. How long have you been designing in SL, and what was it that led you

to begin designing? RP: It was a colorful little bird which led me into my first foray of designing. His name was Robin Pennyfeather, and he was one of my very first friends in-world. He, being a costume designer himself and having a love of period clothing, invited me to go along with him to a virtual Renn-Faire. When I saw what people were doing with costuming, it was the spark that made me to leap into Photoshop to begin making my first piece. SS: And you, M4ri1yn? MM: I started to design thanks to Aida Ewing, my partner. She asked me to collaborate with her (Beauty Avatar Couture) in 2009 and actually my real debut was in December 2009 for Boudoir Secrets. After that, we decided to work on a brand together. SS: That’s one of the great things about the people here in SL. They can be true inspirations for something great! Speaking of inspirations, let’s talk a little about yours, especially in designing. Are there certain first life looks or designers that you pull inspiration from? Where do you find most of your inspiration for your menswear line, and more importantly, do you find that it’s more difficult to get inspired and truly creative with menswear? RP: As I have often said, I find inspiration in so many different places. It can be a song, a movie,

another designer, a color I find in my surroundings, and so much more. Of course, there are designers who amaze and inspire me both in RL and in-world. I think this is an excellent question as men’s clothing tends not to be as adventurous as women’s, however I enjoy pushing the envelope and trying to work outside my comfort level. SS: Now that’s what I love to hear! How about Tableau Vivant? Do you face the same kind of inspiration challenges with menswear? MM: We follow the fashion shows and we try to be up-to-date with the latest tendencies. There are many RL fashion designers that inspire us, but we also gather our inspirations from art, movies, pictures and music videos. With the avant-garde fashion, it’s more easy to be creative, thankfully. SS: Ah! So there is a bit of a difference. Now, turning to your work with Menswear Fashion Week for a moment, how long have you been involved in this event, and how did you first get introduced to it? RP: This will be our second year participating in MWFW. I received an invitation and was very excited that there was going to be a men’s focused fashion event. From early on, I have always sought to balance RFyre’s new releases with equal amounts of men’s designs, and was grateful

for a venue to be able to promote them. MM: I have been personally involved since the first edition as a blogger, but I am really glad to be involved as designer this time. It’s really exciting. SS: Glad to see you’re both pretty familiar with the event. Tell us a little about your approach to MWFW. Do you create pieces specifically for this event, or is there more of a mix of new items as well as a few of your current menswear favorites? And if so, how soon after the event are the new items available for purchase to the public? RP: This year I have amassed a large number of new designs specifically to present at MWFW. Of course, we will be offering some of our most popular classics, but my customers, old and new, will have the opportunity to enjoy a Spring/Summer collection of over six different series with multiple color choices in most. It was a huge undertaking that I began four months ago, but one that I am very proud of and truly hope will be enjoyed by those who come to see them. We have begun our staggered releases this month which will be continuing through April, but will be showing our full collection only at the MWFW event. SS: This will be Tableau Vivant’s first year participating

as a designer, so what will your introductory approach be this time around? MM: We are moving towards mesh so yes, we have created garments in mesh specifically for the event and a new skin line that will fit the theme. SS: Sounds exciting. Now, this one is for RFyre first. Looking a bit ahead, what can readers and shoppers expect coming up for RFyre? Can we get a bit of a sneak peek into the coming season’s collection, and are there any new surprises in store? RP: I am already at work formulating a Fall/Winter collection that will embrace the dark yet eclectic esthetic we have come to be known for. Rich textures and sensual lines, which I hope will enchant and delight. SS: And what about Tableau Vivant? Our readers are dying to know what is to come in the near future. MM: We will always try to be updated with both RL and SL aptitudes, and as said, we are working on mesh. We hope to offer more interesting accessories and garments to let people have a better fashion experience in SL. SS: There is nothing more exciting than a fashion experience that gets better and better! I want to thank you both for taking time in the midst of preparations for MWFW to speak with us and I

know we all can’t wait to see the amazing creations that will be coming up this week. As is my custom, I’d love it if you could share a final thought with our readers. And this time, your word will be the final say! MM: Oh, well, Second Life is a funny place and really everything happens. What I can say in short is: life is beauty, enjoy it with no hate. (Smiles) RP: Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to share with your readers. I do have a quote that has carried me through these last very challenging months in both RL and SL: “…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” - Pema Chödrön Make sure you take the time to check out these and other great designers at this year’s Menswear Fashion Week 129.8.25.

March Supplement - Fashion Spread

Boys Night In Models Boe Cortes & Gabriel Bookmite Photographer Boe Cortes

On Boe skin: DNA | DAMIEN - TYPE 2 with HAIR, SHAVED, athletic hair: Dura-Boy | 26 shirt: Lazybum | Cowl Collar Army Tank underwear: Lazybum | Square Cut Briefs

On Gabriel skin: VCD | Rafael-Tone0- shaved Dark Hairbase 1 - Bodyhair hair: Shag | My Command underwear: Lazybum | Glitter briefs

Special Thanks

Without the dedication and hard work of so many talented people MWFW 2012 would not even be popular. A special thank you goes out to the amazing designers who come back each year and to all the new designers, we are blessed to have you all!

Siren Productions Team: Lorelei Maggs Locked Semaphore Garrett Ceriano Augusta Carver Gryphon Ronas Lorrie Jefferson Alesia Schumann Bigjohn Troglodite Tyler Ethaniel Redclaw Inshan Pilz Redgrave Gabe Bookmite Associates: AVENUE KMADD MENstuff Second Nights Media Partners: AVENUE ICON Too Sexy Second Nights Maniera Scruplz L’ Homme Moda Fashion Primetime Bestyle Magazine Inworld Inc. KBTN Chillin Radio

Modeling Agencies: AVENUE AvCon Boulevard InWorld Look Elite MAD Agency MVW Academy Solo Evane Designers: [sYs] Akeruka Akeyo Aleida Artemis Birth Cheerno D.N.A Cloning Facility Dura E-Clipse Designs Egoisme Emma Designs Emo-tions FA Creations Faster Pussycat Gabriel Gizza Creations Halcali Havok House of London Jaryth’s

Jeepers- Shoes for Men JFL Menswear Just BECAUSE Clothing Ladies Who Lunch Lavie Lazybum Mashooka Menstuff Mortality Clothing Ohio’s Kilts PDA PeKaS Design Philo Prince Magic Prodigal PXDTOXIC Redgraves Rfyre SF Designs Shag Signature Spartacus Designs Splendeurs Starchild Designs Subversion Tableu Vivant Toritire Clothiers Vaya Con Dios Vitamen Yasum Designs Zanzo Zenith Fashion

Thank you to each and every attendee for another fabulous year! We hope you enjoyed MWFW 2012 and we will see you next year!

Lexie Jansma Event Producer Siren Productions Owner