A Chevrolet pre-event media dinner Saturday, September 12, 2015 leading up to a New York Fashion Week event teaming up Chevrolet with ESSENCE magazine featuring two up-and-coming African American designers – Charlene Dunbar and Ashley Ryles – who presented a capsule collection inspired by the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. Photo: Raymond Hagans/PictureGroup for Chevrolet
[Fashion]
The annual New York Fashion Week (NYFW) every summer is primarily an exclusive upper Manhattan event renown for showcasing trends price-tagged with the celebrity fashionista and privileged socialite in mind.
However, Essence magazine known for a sensibility reflective of a finger constantly on the pulse of the African-American community, seized this moment for yet another year to host an inclusive all-day shindig – the Essence Street Style Block Party (ESS) in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In a thumbs-up gesture Chevrolet teamed up with Essence to elevate the talent of up- and -coming African American designers. Chevy’s On-the –Rise designers Charlene Dunbar and Ashley Ryles were chosen to create a capsule collection inspired by the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. Ron Bass, a Chevy Chic alumnus and mentor came back to help Charlene and Ashley bring their Cruze inspired visions to life, which were revealed on-stage at the recent event.
Appearances by actress Gabriel Union, Essence’s “Closet Crush” Award honoree and singer Ciara, “Curator of Style” honoree added just that right amount of celebrity glitz to the event. The ‘block’ featured local vendors and designers via the ‘Street Style Shops’; ‘Essence Eats’, a curated local food truck experience; and an interactive Kids Zone. DJ Olivia Dope and Tiff McFierce music mash-up was the soundtrack to a continuous parade of style -savvy folks dressed in an eclectic explosion of awe-inspiring fashion- a display befitting of the label ‘creativity on steroids’. The tunnel created by DUMBO’s Manhattan Bridge Archway is domelike and majestic; a space that enveloped the audience in an atmosphere of intimacy wherein rising R&B artist Andra Day sang her heart out to a thrilled audience.
Essence Live host Dana Blair and singer-TV personality Mel B co-hosted the ‘Street Stye’ fashion show which featured local fashionistas strutting on the stage and catwalk with that unique ethno-cultural flair.
“Our Street Style Block Party clearly resonates with women as a manifestation of our desire to own our unique style and beauty, and to see this uniqueness celebrated,” said ESSENCE Editor-in-Chief Vanessa K. De Luca. “And, recognizing the inspiring talent of this year’s Street Style Award honorees– Ciara, Gabrielle Union, Charles Harbison and Jason Rembert—powerfully celebrates diversity and self-expression during New York Fashion Week.”
It was n extravaganza worthy of an encore.
