Putting together a volunteer-run fashion show is no easy task, especially when it involves around 100 designers, models, and performers. But for nonprofit organization Artomatic, the frenetic energy was a key component of Friday night’s carnavale-esque Art in Fashion event.
One of D.C.’s Top 100 Events, the 10-year-old Artomatic festival showcases an eccentric mix of art, music, theater, and multimedia performances. This year’s May 29 to July 5 event was held at 55 M Street SE, a new, raw building on the redeveloped Half Street. Art in Fashion, the festival’s closing event, took over the ground floor of the building on Friday night.
“The whole spirit of Art in Fashion is presenting a diverse array of participants, while at the same time bringing together the event as a coherent whole, so that’s always a challenge,” said Ebonie Little, Artomatic performance committee chairperson, who assisted coordinator Mac Traore in planning the show, along with a team of artists who helped out with everything from signage to DJing. “But everyone was so cooperative and so excited about the event that they helped it run smoothly.”
However, there was some confusion, beginning with the start time. Although the invitation said 8 p.m., designers decided to wait for the sun to set for a more dramatic effect, delaying the show for an hour while the 300-plus guests waited in the overheated space. And the soap bubble machine set at the end of the 40-foot-long runway had to be switched off when it started to create a slippery hazard for the models.
Still, the show went on, kicking off with all the models performing a version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance together on the runway. It was a timely arrangement, as was the red, white, and blue-decked runway, which marked the Fourth of July weekend with ceiling banners and balloons in patriotic colors.
Designers such as Ginger Bray, Natalia Sanz, Miriam Heydari, Ean Williams, and Diallo Dejuan showed off their wares. Ten performing groups, including belly-dancing duo Om, African drumming group Farafina Kan, and hip-hop dance troupe Beat Ya Feet Kings, entertained between fashion sets.
Although capacity for the space is 325 people, Little and Traore, along with their team of volunteers, arranged the runway so that the overflow crowd could see as well. “We had a very large open space with picture windows across one wall,” said Little. “We wanted to use that for more exposure, because we had a crowd passing by the building, so we decided to have everything running parallel to the windows.”
Passersby included many Nationals fans leaving a game at the nearby stadium. After the show ended, the crowd dispersed to wander through Artomatic’s nine floors and peruse the event’s artistic offerings until 2 a.m.
