Street Meets Sweet - WALTER Magazine

Raleigh gets weird in a popup fashion show featuring local talent that supports artists in Western North Carolina.
by Colony Little

*Photograph by Corey Truesdale, One True Shot | Courtesy Weird Productions*

On October 18, Smoky Hollow hosted the Renaissance Fashion Show, an event that celebrates local designers’ creativity and individual style. Two important questions loomed over my head when I saw the invitation from Weird Productions: “What will I wear?” and “How will I find it?”

I had these questions because their events are somewhat mysterious — often held in unoccupied buildings or tucked into spaces with an underground feel. Luckily, the invitation offered an answer to my first question: “Wear THAT (AKA whatever makes you feel fabulous).”

Once I got to Smoky Hollow, I simply followed a small group of fashionable people, dressed to impress, as they headed to the ninth floor of 421 N. Harrington (second question, conquered). The pop-up was held in a vacant commercial space at sunset, providing a glowing backdrop for happy hour cocktails, music, popcorn, crudites — and unusual pairings of cheeses topped with slivers of chocolate candy bars. Sounds weird?

That’s the point.

*Kiara Ruth in Needle & Thread | Aaron Oates Photography | Courtesy Weird Productions*

Lindsay Hebert is the founder of Weird Productions, a creative consulting and production team based in Durham that hosts pop-ups that bring together an eclectic array of artists, musicians, poets, chefs and other creatives. In our Triangle ecosystem, Durham proudly boasts its eccentricity, but, let’s be honest, Raleigh doesn’t get much credit for having a cool vibe. Hebert wants to prove that Raleigh can get weird too — in the best possible sense of the word.

For this first Renaissance Fashion show, Weird Productions partnered with community leader and mayoral candidate Terrance Ruth and clothing designer Derrick Grant to present custom designs created by Katie Allen of Lifted Millinery, music-inspired looks by Grant’s Needle & Thread Co., cutting-edge jewelry by Kathleen Grebe from Bold Standard, and handmade dresses designed by Sabrina Lee.

*Mo Dollaz in Needle & Thread | Aaron Oates Photography | Courtesy Weird Productions*

The event kicked off with a quick performance by rapper and model Mo Dollaz, who seamlessly set down his mic after his song to model the first look for Needle & Thread: a green hoodie and denim jacket embellished with upcycled vintage Bob Marley concert tees. The lineup included dozens of ensembles that combined classic millinery, streetwear, accessories and classically designed garments made from unconventional textiles. Edgy, rocker-chic looks followed flowing sheer dresses paired with Doc Martens and hat designs that added a timeless, classy polish. The evening was MC’d by performer Azul Zapata, who kept the crowd energized while introducing guests, gliding across the room on a medical scooter wearing a silver sequined top that matched a disco-inspired, bedazzled boot covering her healing foot.

The spoken-word talents of Dasan Ahanu balanced the quirkiness with poignant prose. After the fashion show, all of the designers were on hand selling their work, some of which had been created specifically for the event. Weird Productions pledged 20% of profits from the Raleigh Renaissance event to benefit the NC Arts Disaster Relief Fund.

At the end of the fashion show, Hebert addressed the audience: “The thing about art that’s so beautiful is that it pulls us out of darkness — but that it can be the light in the very moment that you’re in. I hope that tonight inspires you to take that risk to do something creative to build the light in the very moment that you’re in.”

*Model in a Lifted Millinery hat and Sabrina Lee dress | Aaron Oates Photography | Courtesy Weird Productions*

As Hebert thanked Weird Productions’ creative collaborators, models, volunteers and sponsors — which included Triangle Wine Company, Crank Arm Brewery, DECO, Smoky Hollow and Oak City Studios — she marveled at the collective energy poured into the event that contributed to the evening’s success. “What I’ve learned from my experience in Raleigh is if you reach your hand out, you have a whole crew of folks that can make it happen,” Herbert said.

It’s a common thread among the art collectives within the city who work together and support one another’s work across vastly different creative disciplines. As I left the event filled with cheese and chocolate, Nirvana and Outkast, spoken word and bespoke accessories — and holding a new-to-me circa-1983 David Bowie tee, complete with flannel sleeves — I was happy to catch a special vibe in a weird and wonderful space that celebrates who you are.