Fashion Hack Show Recap

A few weeks ago I met a group of very tech savvy people. Among them was Leslie Birch, an entrepreneur in the wearable tech field. It's really inspiring to me, to see women move into the world of technology. For years, technology, engineering and hackathons have been dominated by men and many companies have been touting for women to join and not actually letting them get on board with the program. Leslie Birch is a self proclaimed feminist, she's breaking down the walls and barriers to show the world that anyone can do it! I was recently invited to a fashion show in Philadelphia, in which wearable tech pieces were the focus and I even got a chance to model a piece! 

Fashion Hack

A few weeks ago, I met an amazing fashion designer in Philly that creates wearable tech fashion designs, Leslie Birch. Leslie's inspirations sparked from a technical festival she attended years ago in New York, Wired NextFest. From that point on, she knew she found her true calling. What's inspiring and refreshing about Leslie, is that she's pushing to see more women in the tech world. With the tech and programming industry becoming increasingly popular, it only makes sense for more women to dominate it, right?

Where the Creatives Unite.

For the past eight years, Philadelphia has hosted the Design Philadelphia Festival. Philadelphia is full and brimming with new and old artistic individuals. Philly's reputation of a strong and creative community is abundantly growing! Design Philadelphia Festival spans over 5 days with over 120 events, no possible way to attend all of them but that is what makes it an exciting and truly unique experience. You set your itinerary to satisfy your artistic curiosity. This festival features artists of all kinds, from industrial designers to fashion designers, painters to innovators, making for a great wealth of opportunity for design inquiries. I love being in a room full of creatives, it is truly inspiring, and I have to say it makes me miss my undergrad years. Events such as this, I believe is crucial to the city of brotherly love, because it shows that art is inspirational and important to a lot of us, as it is a sense of community. 

"DesignPhiladelphia demonstrates, supports and promotes the ability that design has to generate innovation, solve problems, enhance daily life, and influence both the perception and economics of the region." 

Last night's kick off event featured an exhibit on sustainable design, and it also featured a Socially Responsible Fashion Showcase (So Re Fa) , it was really exciting, it was something you had to see in person to really experience and understand it. 

Artist, Jesse Rose Lentz, next to her piece.

I love industrial designs, the more unique and strange, the better it is! I once took an industrial design class, first project was to create a lamp with non traditional sources and it had to be functional too... it was not my forte to say the least. When I saw artist, Jesse Rose Lentz's piece on the wall I was truly befuddled! I was glad to find the "Turn Them" sticker underneath. Interactivity is the key with any successful design. Her piece was all about taking toys that kids and adults both love and turning it into something useful and entertaining once again. There were music boxes from old snow globes and jewelry chests as far back as 1960's to now, the viewer could turn the knob from any knob at multiple times to create their very own orchestra of music! It was really cool. 

D' Agostino Fashion Textile Design

CherylAna organic atelier

I love that fashion designers are turning to more organic and environmentally friendly resources for their work. The So Re Fa fashion show was all about that, they showcased six amazing local designers and the Fall collection from one of my favorite local boutiques (Arcadia Boutique). 

And ofcourse, what I wore....

Vest/jacket: DIY, dress: thrifted, scarf, H&M, tights: American Apparel, shoes: Aldo,  jewelry: Forever21, Pacsun

Photos by Chaucee Stillman

Please do yourself a favor and check out some if not all of DesignPhiladelphia's events (Oct. 10- 14)! Experience what the artists of Philly have to say!

                                                                                                                Xoxo,

                                                                                                                  Jacqui