Hanna Iazzetta
hannaiazzetta@mustangdaily.net
Various fiber artists will strut down the runway clad in their handmade clothing at the Artwear fashion show in downtown San Luis Obispo Oct. 7.
The event will take place on the patio of Yarns at the Adobe on Chorro Street and will feature several different types of handmade apparel, along with a refurbished art showcase and sale.
The goal of the event is to bring together different artists in San Luis Obispo and to inspire artists who attend, event coordinator Melinda Forbes said.
“I have been teaching and making recycled clothing for years and working with a group of women who are interested in recycled clothing,” Forbes said. “So it’s a wonderful opportunity for fiber artists to get together and look at each other’s work and get ideas for their own.”
Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy delicious gourmet food, including fresh vegetables, cupcakes from Sally Loo’s Wholesome Café, gourmet desserts made with chocolate from Sweet Earth Chocolate and a glass or two of wine.
“We’re providing the ingredients for cakes that somebody else is baking,” Sweet Earth Chocolate co-owner Eve Newhaus said. “Our chocolate is organic and fair trade. It’s upscale, premium chocolate.”
Forbes said the event will be a fun, elegant afternoon filled with artsy people and good taste.
“It’s a chance to have a glass of wine, wander about, look at the clothing and then watch the fashion show,” Forbes said. “And we’re having live music from my son, Ian Forbes, who’s an amazing jazz pianist.”
The fashion show will display approximately 50 garments that will be modeled by women of all ages, including some of the makers. A master of ceremonies will announce the pieces as they come out and inform the audience about how they were made. Attendees will then have the opportunity to purchase the pieces, Forbes said.
“One young woman made a darling dress out of her husband’s T-shirt,” Forbes said. “It’s very contemporary and very wearable even though it sounds kind of odd.”
Forbes has two of her own items that will be shown on the runway.
“I have a pink skirt that I bought at a church rummage sale,” Forbes said. “I appliqued a handkerchief to the skirt and it totally changed the look. It’s a very elegant kind of thing. The other piece is a whimsical piece that is a brightly colored skirt made from a communion veil and the rest of the skirt is made from amazing lace that I cut off an old table cloth.”
The creative fashion event is not just for entertainment; it is also a charitable fundraiser.
“At least 25 percent of the sale will be going toward a fundraiser for the SLO Noor Clinic, which is a free medical clinic for people who don’t have health care,” Forbes said. “I know 100 percent of my sales are going to the clinic, but it’ll be 25 percent at the least for the rest of the artists.”
Food providers at the event are excited to be part of the fundraiser, Newhaus said.
“We’re happy to donate chocolate to the event and we’re happy to support a cause that has a lot of meaning to people (in San Luis Obispo),” Newhaus said.
Anne Gough, owner of Yarns at the Adobe, said it’s important to help out the local free health clinic.
“(The clinic is) providing a service for our community for people who are not covered by insurance,” Gough said. “There are a lot of people with employers that don’t provide insurance. And insurance is so expensive.”
Tickets for the event are sold out, but artwork can be purchased at the store’s website.
“Hopefully we’ll get the people in next year who are missing out this year,” Gough said. “We want to get the word out even more so (the SLO Noor Clinic) can experience some more success.”
The event brought by Relish Tray Productions, an event planning company, will run from 3 to 6 p.m.