Models and designers gear up for FRESH 2012

FRESH 2012 guest designer Kidan Brooks will be presenting her collection of bridal and special occasion gowns at the fashion event, 28 April.

Excitement among the FRESH 2012 designers Jacqueline Bleicher, Shirley DaCosta, Melissa Dilbert, Virginia Foster, Mara McBean and Sandra Lichtenstein is building after they met with the FRESH models last weekend. It was the first time since the casting event in February that the designers saw the models and were able to finalise their collection, taking into consideration the models’ dimensions, body types and overall look. The designers also decided which models would wear their various pieces at the fashion event on 28 April.
While all of the competing designers have been dabbling in fashion design for many years, Melissa, Shirley, Jacqueline and Mara will be presenting their collections to the public for the first time.
“This is my first event [as a designer]; I’m very excited,” Shirley said.
Sandra Lichtenstein and Virginia Foster, however, are no strangers to FRESH. Both designers participated in the FRESH 2010 designers’ workshop and Virginia went on to compete in the FRESH event that year, introducing her ‘Golden Thatch’ and ‘Silver Thatch’ designs.
FRESH 2012 Design Manager Kidan Brooks led the FRESH designers’ workshop in 2011 and has since worked with Jacqueline, Sandra, Shirley, Mara, Melissa and Virginia on their pieces and fashion technique approaches. “I have been working with the FRESH 2012 designers for quite some time now and have witnessed first-hand how their approach to fashion design has grown and developed in preparation for the event,” Kidan said. “Now that the designs have been finalised we can move forward with the making of the runway pieces.”
Kidan is a designer, focusing primarily on bridal gowns and bridal party dresses, and is an active member of the fashion industry. She was the recipient of the Best Use of Cotton Award by Cotton Inc. during the 2010 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Senior Fashion Show at the Fashion Institute of New York, where Kidan studied. As a guest designer of FRESH 2012, Kidan will be presenting her latest bridal collection.
Production Manager Kareem-Nelson Hull also attended the meeting and oversaw the final decision-making details of the FRESH designs. “FRESH 2012 is less than eight weeks away and things are progressing quite nicely and according to plan. This meeting was a major event for the designers as they can move from a conceptual mindset to realising their concepts will be brought to life in only a few weeks.”
In addition to the main fashion event, FRESH 2012 will include a pre-event party, after-party event, signature design awards, a fashion exhibit and local and international music entertainment.