Maid of Mars Design / Designer: Dawn Sadler of Maid of Mars and Wings by Sarah Lambert of Uber Kio / MUA: Land of Nod/Sophicide Jekic / Model: Jesse Riley / Photographer: Tommy Propest
Asheville is a city with a strong creative and artistic influence as well as it’s own unique culture, and the fashion here also mirrors that influence. So if you think you’re going to see a fashion show in Asheville with stoic models and a bored audience clapping lazily for a parade of cookie-cutter designs, think again. It’s more likely that you’ll see wearable art, or, in the case of the upcoming Faerie Fashion Show, models literally in body paint art.
The Faerie Fashion Show, taking place Saturday, November 14th at the
Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville features designs and body painting inspired by faeries. While some may find the theme a bit, well, unique, it’s actually part of a much larger event,
Rock Eblen and
Bioflyer Production’s Asheville Faerie Arts Festival. This annual event includes a family-friendly daytime segment with storytelling, costumes, magic show, an inflated castle, and much more, followed by an adult evening segment, starting at 7 pm, featuring the Faerie Fashion Show and music by the
Juan Benavides Group.
For the fashion show portion, designers and body painters create designs inspired by faeries that range from ethereal looks with transparent fabrics and graceful wings to darker, edgier looks. The fashion show allows designers, body painters, hairstylists and makeup artists the opportunity to create looks for the runway that aren’t your every day, wearable look.
As the director of the fashion show segment of the Asheville Faerie Arts Festival, this fashion show is one that I’ve come to look forward to every year. During last year’s show, I was blown away by the designs that were created. Some designs included exquisite wings by designer Sarah Lambert of
Uber Kio, while others featured gorgeous headdresses, flowing fabrics, and vibrant body and face paint. Each design was it’s own special, artistic take on faeries. This year the designs are sure to be just as stunning. Designers will be working in one of three categories and competing for cash prizes. Categories include apparel, headdresses, and body paint.
Joanne Bolet Cafaro Design / MUA : Joanne Bolet Cafaro / Model: Kelli Rascoe / Photographer: Tommy Propest
There are already over a dozen amazing designers and body painters on board: Ren Allen and Dani Chaboudy, Kati Foster of
KatDog Couture and Vanessa Sogan, Heather Frankel, Susan Sertain, Olivia Mears of
Avant Geek,
Tricia Ellis, Eddie Barger, Leanna Echeverri of
Grateful Threads, Amy Williams of
Asheville Face and Body Art, Jennifer Murphy of
Organic Armor, and Michael Shibori. In addition to the designers, local hairstylists and makeup artists will be creating hair and makeup designs to complete the overall look including Britton AtLola, Danielle Southcott, Natalie Mills, Charlotte Murphy, Courtney Murphy, Hanna Casey, and Brittany Stanley.
Attendees will have the have the chance to see over 20 of these amazing looks on the runway.
Also in the spirit of Asheville is that this fashion show and event benefits a wonderful organization,
Eblen Charities, one of the area’s most generous family service organizations.
The
3rd Annual Asheville Faerie Arts Festival takes place on Saturday, November 14 at the Renaissance Hotel at 31 Woodfin Avenue in downtown Asheville.
Adult advance tickets are $12 ($15 the day of the event) and $5 for kids under age 15 at the door. More information and tickets are available
here.
Body Painter : Ren Alle / Model : Emma Dubin / Photographer : Ken Lane