Fashioning a cure
Local businesses come together to celebrate style and raise money for AIDS Project Ventura at the city’s second annual Fashion Week
By Mollie Vandor 02/21/2008
Belly-dancing, burlesque performers, bearded ladies, surfers, skaters and sideshow stars — this year’s Fashion Week Ventura encompasses events as eclectic as the clothing it will showcase.
Kicking off on Feb. 27, Fashion Week Ventura is a five-day fundraiser for AIDS Project Ventura County. Now in its second year, the benefit has expanded from a single show to an entire week of events that include a film screening, two very different fashion shows and plenty of parties.
Erika Harding, who owns Ventura’s ArchiTexture Salon, is responsible for creating the event. She says she chose AIDS Project Ventura County, which offers HIV testing, counseling and support services to local residents suffering from the disease, as the benefiting charity for very personal reasons.
“My brother died of AIDS several years ago, so it’s a pretty personal issue for me, and I’ve lost several friends to AIDS within the last few years,” Harding says. “I feel that, especially lately, it’s going away as far as publicity goes, and there really needs to be more awareness about AIDS.”
According to its Web site, AIDS Project Ventura County “is a comprehensive program designed to maintain and enhance t
he physical and emotional health of Ventura County residents diagnosed with [HIV] or [AIDS] with symptoms related to HIV disease. A program of Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, services are provided to residents of Ventura County without regard to national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, race, gender identity, age or religious tradition.”
Established in 1993, the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance is funded via grants from public and private groups, including the County and City of Ventura, United Way of Ventura, Ventura County Community Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, FedEx/Kinko’s and more.
Fashion Week Ventura raised $1,500 for the Rainbow Alliance’s AIDS Project last year, and Harding said she is surprised by how much it has grown since then.
“It all started last year, when a co-worker and I decided to do a show to promote the business, and we decided that if we make it a fundraiser we can get more publicity, and it grew into this big event,” Harding says. “We weren’t sure how well it was going to go, because we only sold 10 tickets before the event. That night, there were 250 people in the bar. Since last year, we’ve had all these other people come forward to volunteer and make this a bigger and better event than last year.”
Fashion Week Ventura is being coordinated by its core staff of about 20 volunteers, Harding says, and the staff is planning for about 225 attendees at each of its events.
One of those volunteers is Jennifer Livia, who owns Red Brick Gallery. She says she became involved after agreeing to host the events at her gallery.
Livia says she did not initially intend on getting as involved in the event as she did, but she was moved to do more for Fashion Week Ventura after realizing how big of an event it is going to be. “I think it’s going to have a big impact on Downtown, and I think that’s the idea. There’s so many people involved in it Downtown, and it’s really bringing to light the fact that that all of the business owners and all of the restaurant owners and all of Downtown really care about this charity. I think awareness is important, and it makes me feel good to be a part of the community in a different way, other than just being a business owner.”
On March 1, the Cirque du Couture Fashion Show will take place at Red Brick. It will also feature local fashions, performances, a silent auction and SWAG. Livia says the show will be the most extravagant event of the week, as it features more fantastical fashions and a good deal of adult content.
“It’s featuring a lot more risqué and higher-end clothing,” Livia says. “And we’re going to have food for that night as well, and we’re going to have a DJ and lots of different performers, like belly-dancers and burlesque dancers … It’s going to be a very different event for Ventura, for sure, and we’re really going all-out, and we’ve been working really hard on it.”
Beth Santillano, who owns local lingerie boutique Diva Passion, is providing part of the clothing for Cirque du Couture. She says the items she donated to dress the participating models — all of whom are volunteering their time — are more about fun than fashion.
“One of the girls … is wearing a pink, vinyl, two-piece set, it’s kind of kitschy and it reminds me of a piece of bubblegum. It’s very cute and fun. And I’m going to be dressing the bearded lady as part of the Cirque du Couture event, and I’m also going to be dressing the hula-hoop performance. I’m outfitting her in a lace-up tank-top, it’s got corsetry details and some cute stockings. It was a combination of cute and, to fit along with the theme of Cirque du Couture, sort of circus burlesque.”
The Cirque du Couture night may be a bit risqué for many residents of Ventura, Harding says, but she adds the week will mostly focus on fashion that fits the area’s unique lifestyle. For instance, on Feb. 29, the Red Brick Gallery will host the Surf and Skate Night Fashion Show, which will feature clothing from local surf and skate shops, musical performances by Todd Hannigan and a mystery performer, as well as a silent auction and SWAG, both featuring goods donated by local businesses and restaurants.
“The Friday night show, the theme is surf and skate, so it’s going to be very Ventura beachy,” Harding says. “The Saturday night show is enabling us to be more creative as far as the hair and the makeup and the clothing. We’ve actually had a lot of fun shopping for the clothes, because the fashion that’s out right now really goes with the theme … It’s very tongue-in-cheek.”
Santillano says she likes that the fashion shows are all featuring clothing with a distinctly Ventura design aesthetic, as well as the way in which working with Fashion Week Ventura has helped her connect with the local business community.
“They didn’t have a lingerie store participating last year, and we said, sure, we’d do it,” Santillano said. “It’s a good opportunity for us as a business to work alongside other local businesses that share sort of the same goals of reaching out to the community and, in particular, with the AIDS Project Ventura, I like the fact that it’s for our community. It’s a local charity.”
Harding says she thinks this year’s event will be a sold-out success because the community has already shown so much support for the relatively young affair.
She says she thinks the unique culture of the community makes Downtown Ventura the ideal place to put on an event like Fashion Week.
“Ventura is building itself as a New Art City, and this is just a different facet of art, being fashion,” Harding says. “And, we’re incorporating dance and music as well, and we have a lot to offer here, especially Downtown. This is just a great way to show Ventura what we have to offer as far as music, dance, fashion, hair, art and makeup, all in one venue.”
Tickets for the Fashion Week Ventura events are available at ArchiTexture Salon (25 S. Ventura Ave., Ventura, 641-3900), Michael Kelley Salon (1895 E. Main St., Ventura, 648-7743), Red Brick Gallery (328 E. Main St., Ventura, 643-6400), WetSand (446 E. Main St., Ventura, 652-1706), Diva Passion Boutique (3431 Telegraph Rd., Ventura, 658-8011), Sassy Sally’s (451 E. Main St., Ventura, 653-5556) and AIDS Project Ventura (4567 Telephone Rd., Ventura, 339-6340), as well as at the door. Tickets for the fashion shows are $15 for one night, $25 for both nights and $35 for both nights and a commemorative T-shirt.
For more information about the events and a list of the contributing clothiers, visit www.fashionweekventura.com.
Kicking off on Feb. 27, Fashion Week Ventura is a five-day fundraiser for AIDS Project Ventura County. Now in its second year, the benefit has expanded from a single show to an entire week of events that include a film screening, two very different fashion shows and plenty of parties.
Erika Harding, who owns Ventura’s ArchiTexture Salon, is responsible for creating the event. She says she chose AIDS Project Ventura County, which offers HIV testing, counseling and support services to local residents suffering from the disease, as the benefiting charity for very personal reasons.
“My brother died of AIDS several years ago, so it’s a pretty personal issue for me, and I’ve lost several friends to AIDS within the last few years,” Harding says. “I feel that, especially lately, it’s going away as far as publicity goes, and there really needs to be more awareness about AIDS.”
According to its Web site, AIDS Project Ventura County “is a comprehensive program designed to maintain and enhance t
he physical and emotional health of Ventura County residents diagnosed with [HIV] or [AIDS] with symptoms related to HIV disease. A program of Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, services are provided to residents of Ventura County without regard to national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, race, gender identity, age or religious tradition.” Established in 1993, the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance is funded via grants from public and private groups, including the County and City of Ventura, United Way of Ventura, Ventura County Community Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, FedEx/Kinko’s and more.
Fashion Week Ventura raised $1,500 for the Rainbow Alliance’s AIDS Project last year, and Harding said she is surprised by how much it has grown since then.
“It all started last year, when a co-worker and I decided to do a show to promote the business, and we decided that if we make it a fundraiser we can get more publicity, and it grew into this big event,” Harding says. “We weren’t sure how well it was going to go, because we only sold 10 tickets before the event. That night, there were 250 people in the bar. Since last year, we’ve had all these other people come forward to volunteer and make this a bigger and better event than last year.”
Fashion Week Ventura is being coordinated by its core staff of about 20 volunteers, Harding says, and the staff is planning for about 225 attendees at each of its events.
One of those volunteers is Jennifer Livia, who owns Red Brick Gallery. She says she became involved after agreeing to host the events at her gallery.
Livia says she did not initially intend on getting as involved in the event as she did, but she was moved to do more for Fashion Week Ventura after realizing how big of an event it is going to be. “I think it’s going to have a big impact on Downtown, and I think that’s the idea. There’s so many people involved in it Downtown, and it’s really bringing to light the fact that that all of the business owners and all of the restaurant owners and all of Downtown really care about this charity. I think awareness is important, and it makes me feel good to be a part of the community in a different way, other than just being a business owner.”
On March 1, the Cirque du Couture Fashion Show will take place at Red Brick. It will also feature local fashions, performances, a silent auction and SWAG. Livia says the show will be the most extravagant event of the week, as it features more fantastical fashions and a good deal of adult content.
“It’s featuring a lot more risqué and higher-end clothing,” Livia says. “And we’re going to have food for that night as well, and we’re going to have a DJ and lots of different performers, like belly-dancers and burlesque dancers … It’s going to be a very different event for Ventura, for sure, and we’re really going all-out, and we’ve been working really hard on it.”
Beth Santillano, who owns local lingerie boutique Diva Passion, is providing part of the clothing for Cirque du Couture. She says the items she donated to dress the participating models — all of whom are volunteering their time — are more about fun than fashion.
“One of the girls … is wearing a pink, vinyl, two-piece set, it’s kind of kitschy and it reminds me of a piece of bubblegum. It’s very cute and fun. And I’m going to be dressing the bearded lady as part of the Cirque du Couture event, and I’m also going to be dressing the hula-hoop performance. I’m outfitting her in a lace-up tank-top, it’s got corsetry details and some cute stockings. It was a combination of cute and, to fit along with the theme of Cirque du Couture, sort of circus burlesque.”
The Cirque du Couture night may be a bit risqué for many residents of Ventura, Harding says, but she adds the week will mostly focus on fashion that fits the area’s unique lifestyle. For instance, on Feb. 29, the Red Brick Gallery will host the Surf and Skate Night Fashion Show, which will feature clothing from local surf and skate shops, musical performances by Todd Hannigan and a mystery performer, as well as a silent auction and SWAG, both featuring goods donated by local businesses and restaurants.
“The Friday night show, the theme is surf and skate, so it’s going to be very Ventura beachy,” Harding says. “The Saturday night show is enabling us to be more creative as far as the hair and the makeup and the clothing. We’ve actually had a lot of fun shopping for the clothes, because the fashion that’s out right now really goes with the theme … It’s very tongue-in-cheek.”
Santillano says she likes that the fashion shows are all featuring clothing with a distinctly Ventura design aesthetic, as well as the way in which working with Fashion Week Ventura has helped her connect with the local business community.
“They didn’t have a lingerie store participating last year, and we said, sure, we’d do it,” Santillano said. “It’s a good opportunity for us as a business to work alongside other local businesses that share sort of the same goals of reaching out to the community and, in particular, with the AIDS Project Ventura, I like the fact that it’s for our community. It’s a local charity.”
Harding says she thinks this year’s event will be a sold-out success because the community has already shown so much support for the relatively young affair.
She says she thinks the unique culture of the community makes Downtown Ventura the ideal place to put on an event like Fashion Week.
“Ventura is building itself as a New Art City, and this is just a different facet of art, being fashion,” Harding says. “And, we’re incorporating dance and music as well, and we have a lot to offer here, especially Downtown. This is just a great way to show Ventura what we have to offer as far as music, dance, fashion, hair, art and makeup, all in one venue.”
Tickets for the Fashion Week Ventura events are available at ArchiTexture Salon (25 S. Ventura Ave., Ventura, 641-3900), Michael Kelley Salon (1895 E. Main St., Ventura, 648-7743), Red Brick Gallery (328 E. Main St., Ventura, 643-6400), WetSand (446 E. Main St., Ventura, 652-1706), Diva Passion Boutique (3431 Telegraph Rd., Ventura, 658-8011), Sassy Sally’s (451 E. Main St., Ventura, 653-5556) and AIDS Project Ventura (4567 Telephone Rd., Ventura, 339-6340), as well as at the door. Tickets for the fashion shows are $15 for one night, $25 for both nights and $35 for both nights and a commemorative T-shirt.
For more information about the events and a list of the contributing clothiers, visit www.fashionweekventura.com.
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