DALLAS, TX – From swimwear to handbags and high-end women’s apparel, eight Asian American designers will present an array of unique collections at the 5th Annual Against The Grain Productions Fashion for Passion charity event. The calendar will say it’s fall, but the designers have each used inspiration and imagination to create wondrous collections for the event, which takes place from 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm on Saturday October 12, 2013 at the Dallas Contemporary in the Dallas Design District. The event features a runway show, musical entertainment, an art exhibit, live/silent auction and tasty bites and sips — all to benefit ATG’s supported orphanages, outreach programs and scholarship fund.
President/Founder Tammy Nguyen Lee is thrilled to host yet another show. “Each year, so much hard work and dedication goes into the meticulous planning of this event. Our team of volunteers is committed to creating a great evening that brings the community together to showcase incredible Asian American talent and gives them a platform to share their unique vision and voice. It’ll be an unforgettable night for Dallas and for the arts!”
Whether it’s from a veteran or a newbie presenting designer, there is a lot more to expect from this year’s line-up. All based in Texas, each designer shows true passion and spirit when they were asked what they are planning to present at Fashion for a Passion No. 5.
Nikki Duong Koenig | Cykochik Custom Handbags
2013 started out wonderfully for two-time Fashion for a Passion veteran (and ATG’s Vice President) Nikki Duong Koenig. She shared her overall goal at the beginning the year…to be able to fully launch Cykochik full-time and her dream has come true. After successfully raising a $10,000 goal via Kickstarter, she said, “I’m thrilled to celebrate Cykochik’s 10 Year Anniversary at ATG’s 5th Fashion for a Passion! I believe that everything in life has a cycle, and I’ve come full circle since presenting in 2010,” Nikki said. “My hope for us is to achieve another milestone in fundraising, so that we’re able to contribute more to our causes.”
Vera Wang | Viviona
This is Vera Wang’s first year as a part of Fashion for a Passion, and she’s also the show’s first ever presenting swimwear designer. Both she and ATG are anxious as to what the audience response will be to her collaboration with an architecture firm. Said Vera, “I strongly believe it will be a very positive experience showing with all the talented designers and hopefully, we will be able to follow the footsteps of the presenters in the past seasons.”
Kim Pham
From having a youthful curiosity to a mature mentality, Kim Pham returns to Fashion for a Passion now as a woman who feels her aesthetic has evolved since she presented at FFAP at the tender age of 17 when she was a senior at North Garland High School. Now 21 and a decorated graduate of UNT’s school of fashion and design, Kim said, “I’ve grown up, and I’ve thought more about the business side of fashion and thinking about how it’s marketable. I’m gearing more toward ready-to-wear, unique but more marketable pieces.” Her collection will show an Aztec influence, using gold jewelry, as well as maroon, dark brown and black colors. Additionally, fur and alligator are among the varying textures she will incorporate into her clothes.
Becky Hollands
One source of inspiration for Becky Hollands’ work right now is the theme “Diamond in the Rough.” She hopes to “really take texture and the colors and facets of rough diamonds to my collection.” With a Cantonese mother and European father, Hollands said her biracial background has really affected her perspective on everything, and in some cases, extreme perspectives. Becky described her current work as “Overall, really just playing with movement and space with the composition of my pieces.”
Danh Ta
“What will be different this year is the anticipation,” Danh Ta said. Presenting for another year in a row, Danh will unveil his Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Danh said, “My work is [inspired by] Elizabeth Taylor’s movie, Cleopatra. [I have] taken her iconic role as an Egyptian queen to embody strength and beauty into my next collection.”
Jerry Matthews | Nine Muses
“Last season, fall was the seductress,” Jerry Matthew said. “This season for spring, she is flirtatious,” he explained when discussing how he will showcase both seasons at the event. He returns to FFAP for a second time, although now with the new label Nine Muses, created with co-designer Francesca Viamonte. The label name is a nod to the story about the Goddess of Clarity and how she gave birth to nine muses. Each season, the designers have nine sources of inspiration; Fall 2013 includes strong women of film and pop culture, while Spring 2014 was heavily influenced by supermodels.
Cac Lam | Cac DeMode
Fashion for a Passion always seems to include a graduate from the illustrious The Art Institute of Dallas, and this year we give you Cac DeMode Designs. Based in New York, but living in Texas, Cac’s designs are like her – inspired by the fashion forward, romanticism, femininity, individuality, Eastern and Western designs. There’s no other way to describe it (or her) — eclectic and eccentric.
Hanh Dang | Lucy Dang
They say third time’s a charm, and for Hanh Dang of Lucy Dang, the third time is just as memorable as the others. From watching Hanh Dang grow from a fledgeling designer to being named Texas’ Next Top Designer to winning a $10 million contract with Belk, audience members can truly see what she is made of when she follows her heart. “The first time that I showed, we were emerging, and the second year, we were emerging, but this time around, I feel like we’ve emerged…It feels great to be a veteran,” Hanh said.
Tickets to Fashion for a Passion range from $50 to $100 and go on sale exclusively online starting Thursday, September 12th at the FFAP Event Page.
For more press/media information on the event, please contact Elizabeth Dinh or Annie Tran at pr@againstthegrainproductions.com.
ATG Against The Grain Productions, a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promotes Asian American cultural awareness through compelling media projects and raises funds for international orphanages. In addition to giving out annual scholarships to exemplary Asian American student leaders and those pursuing a degree in the arts, they also produced the feature documentary, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, which has screened at over a dozen film festivals nationwide and received the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese International Film Festival and the Documentary Audience Choice Award from the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. For more information, visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com or www.TheBabylift.com.
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