The American Association of People with Disabilities hosted 600 people for its 10th-anniversary gala last night debuting its new logo and a whimsical image at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The organization partnered with Marc Ecko this year for its annual fashion show, this time taking it a step further to incorporate a full fashion-week-esque experience for the disabled models participating in the show.
Prior to the gala, the six models—selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants from around the country and Canada—flew to New York for a day of photos, fashion, and one-on-one interviews with the designer. “He has taken it a step beyond a basic fashion show to actually working with the models in-depth to hear their stories and do interviews to give the people a sense of who they are,” said the organization’s vice president of external affairs, Lara Schwartz. The day resulted in a 15-minute video and fashion presentation shown during the dinner gala.
In recent weeks, Ecko also assisted in the redesign of the organization’s logo and Web site, the former of which served as the centerpiece for the stage decor. Projection Presentation Technology projected a series of altered versions of the logo created by the designer onto the white backdrop of the main stage and staircase descending from the street level of the building.
