Fashion Upstate kicks off with sponsorship of Electric City Couture’s “IDENTITY” Fashion Show on Saturday, July 8, 8pm at the New York State Museum, and will announce other events this summer and beyond.
Click here for more about “IDENTITY” Fashion Show.
The IDENTITY fashion show will feature New York State-based designers and 35 models in a single show exploring fashion as an expression of identity, simultaneously celebrating and raising questions about this timely social issue. Designers include:
- Meg Kluball (Clifton Park)
- PopImpressKA by Olga Papkovitch (Manhattan)
- Marjolaine’s Touch by Marjolaine Arsnault (North Creek)
- Adam Van Buren (Albany)
The FASHION UPSTATE committee is headed by Corey Aldrich and Carmen Duncan. Aldrich is Producer and Founder of Electric City Couture, an organization that exhibits original designs by emerging designers primarily through runway fashion shows and gallery fashion installations. Duncan is Chief Coach and Founder of Mission Accomplished Transition Services, an Albany based nonprofit organization that prepares millennials to find their purpose, develop their skills and transition into the global workforce, higher education and charitable activities. Mission Accomplished currently runs the Fashion Edition, a career education and coaching program for aspiring fashion professionals. Mission Accomplished will be playing an active part in helping to develop millennial educational programming as part of the new FASHION UPSTATE initiative.
“The Creative Industries are thriving here in the Capital Region,” said Maureen Sager, Project Director of ACE. “Over 35,000 people are employed in Creative companies or endeavors, including over 13,000 freelancers and entrepreneurs. ACE is forming targeted committees on a wide variety of topics, including Film, Freelancers, Workforce, Culinary Arts and Agriculture, Young Professionals, and now, Fashion. We’ll be drawing on the amazing advantages of this region: our thriving downtowns, proximity to New York City and Boston, affordability, cultural institutions, fantastic food, and plethora of higher education institutions.”
“There’s a large number of very accomplished fashion professionals in the Capital Region,” said Sager, “and we believe that networking and alliance-building will help this industry grow.” Duncan added, “The alignment of minds and resources has brought FASHION UPSTATE to fruition. FASHION UPSTATE will create a platform to highlight our fashion economy and give the next wave of aspiring young fashion professionals access to career opportunities and the who’s who in the industry. Teamwork makes ALL dreams work!”
“I am thrilled to be working with Mission Accomplished and ACE on this exciting and important initiative that will help drive awareness to a segment of the creative economy that is strong but currently not organized,” said Aldrich. “Working with Maureen and Carmen to help build a fabulous and productive fashion movement in upstate NY will be directly in alignment with the goals and mission of Electric City Couture’s ongoing quest to support a regional fashion economy.”
Future FASHION UPSTATE events include a tour of Marika Charles fashion design and manufacturing facility in Schenectady on Thursday, July 27, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Participants will see how a fashion company operates, and learn about the fashion jobs that are available in our region. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided. Online registration will open soon on www.upstateACE.org.
Want to get involved in Fashion Upstate? Write to maureen@upstateace.org.
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