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Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator (DE-FI)

(DE-FI) Presents: A Time to Be Thankful

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535741_355776941219109_178054346_nWhen I decided to go ahead with the plans to create a new fashion organization for the Miami Valley, it was very important that Community Outreach was a priority.  Not only did we want to show our support for local organizations out to make a positive difference in our community on a financial level but I wanted to make sure that we were very hands on in the various activities; in fact it’s required that all models on our roster volunteer at least 40 hours a year in their respective communities to remain active within (DE-FI).

So with that being said, we’re excited to announce that on Friday November 22, from 7p-9p the Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator (DE-FI) LLC is b04a4f_b0d802147117959e4a7a8da4e65ca242.jpg_srz_170_150_85_22_0.50_1.20_0sponsoring the Circle of Vision Keepers Annual A Time to Be Thankful Event at the Payne Recreation Center in Moraine.   Guest Speakers will include the Honorable Judge Walter Rice and Montgomery County Commissioner Debbie Lieberman. The Circle of Vision Keepers is the official non-profit for (DE-FI) and the programs Director is (DE-FI)’s Director of Community Outreach Khadijah Ali.  The organization’s main focus is to assist individuals who are battling substance abuse issues and/or are returning citizens looking to turn their lives around after being incarcerated.   The Circle of Vision Keepers provides toiletries, clothing, non-perishable food items, and bus tokens for participants and their families year round and helps them prepare to re-enter the job market.  The purpose of A Time to Be Thankful is to continue to build the esteem of the Circle of Vision Keepers participants by way of showing them the community does care about their well-being and growth as individuals from the Average Joe to our elected officials, in fact during our July 13th Launch Party, we did not serve alcohol at the event in an effort to foster a nurturing environment for the Circle of Vision Keepers participants who served as volunteers.

During A Time to Be Thankful there will be a Fashion Show produced by (DE-FI) using The Circle of Vision Keepers participants as models and they will be wearing clothing items from the Circles of Vision Keepers store, Gilmart & Co, Loralei’s Boutique, and (DE-FI) Designer Brenda Marone.   Participants will also be recipients of makeovers being provided by (DE-FI)ance Magazine’s Assistant Editor and Chief  Joshua Ladner, who is the owner of J Ladner’s Salon opening soon in the St. Clair Lofts and (DE-FI)’s Director of Beauty Lisa Scott, owner of Beaute Box.   A $20 donation is requested from attendees which will cover the cost of the dinner that will be served and catered by Maryanne’s Kitchen but no one will be turned away for a meal due to an inability to pay and rumor has it that Santa Claus may be making a special appearance as well! (But you didn’t hear that from us!!)  Tickets will be on sale Nov.1 and available at Beaute Box, J Ladner Salon and the Circle of Vision Keepers. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

We are currently requesting donations of hats, gloves, scarves, toys, and non-perishable food items to be given to participants and those in need.  We are also giving away (10) Turkeys and food baskets to families in need!  Donations can be dropped off at Beaute Box which is located at 116 W 5th St, Dayton, OH 45402 and at the Circle of Vision Keepers located at 3401 Wood-man Dr. Suite 12, Kettering, Ohio 45429, please call the Circle of Vision Keepers to arrange a drop off of donations at 937-296-1077.  Also if you or someone you know of is in need of a Holiday Basket please send an email to circleofvisionkeepers@yahoo.com or to info@daytonemergingfashionincubator.com.  Special thanks to the City of Moraine and the Payne Recreational Center for donating their community room to us to hold the event!  We hope to see you on November 22!!

“Fashion in the Mystic Garden” Runway Show to Feature 10 Designers

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1045072_341035802693223_698355698_n-1 The Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator [DE-FI] is pleased to announce the designers and boutiques that will be participating in the runway fashion shows at DE-FI’s “Fashion in the Mystic Garden” Launch Party at SunWatch Indian Village, 2301 W. River Road, on Saturday, July 13, 2013:

• Misti Leigh

• Brenda Marone (B. Marie)

• Sonya Mills (Kerapa Klothing)

• Shann Cortes

• Nakeisha Maroney (J’Norreh)

• Laura Kirkpatrick (Grumbage)

• Joli Boutique

• American Pi

• Tegan King (Temiki Jewelry)

 Be The Match® will be on-site at the Launch Party, registering bone marrow donors.

General admission tickets are $45 per person. Parking will be at the University of Dayton Arena, with free shuttles transporting guests to SunWatch beginning at 7:00 p.m. The doors will open at 7:30 p.m., and the fashion show starts at 8:00 p.m. (VIP parking is at SunWatch, but VIP tickets are completely sold out.)

 

A limited number of general admission tickets are still available, and can be purchased at four area locations: Joli Boutique, 27 W. Franklin Street, Centerville; Sew Dayton, 16 E. Brown Street, Dayton; Beaute Box, 116 W. Fifth Street, Dayton; and SunWatch Indian Village, 2301 W. River Road, Dayton.

 

Because this event is scheduled to take place outdoors, a rain date of August 10 has been set. If the July 13 event is canceled due to inclement weather, DE-FI will make an announcement via Facebook, Twitter and our website.

 

The mission of the Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator [DE-FI] is to lay a strong foundation for a viable and profitable fashion industry in the City of Dayton. For more information, visit www.daytonemergingfashionincubator.com or send questions via email to info@daytonemergingfashionincubator.com.

 

Defining (DE-FI)

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defiSo what exactly, is the Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator (DE-FI)?  Well, since going public we’ve been receiving this question quit a lot!  For starters we are not a Fashion Week nor are we affiliated with DFW; though there are various aspect of what (DE-FI) will do our main two goals are to be a support system for designers and talent looking to make their mark in the Fashion Industry and to keep the “Made in America” tag on our clothing by reaching out to garment manufacturers to have their lines produced here in Dayton.  After all Macy’s is right down the road in Cincinnati and the Limited Brands are in Columbus.

So, exactly how would this Incubator work?

(DE-FI) is working closely with Sew Dayton (Oregon District), Joli Boutique (Centerville), and TIME Magazine recognized Midwest Fashion Week (Indianapolis) to create a unique and affective training program that:

1)      Offers mentoring for emerging designers via a series of workshops designed to teach the designers business skills, sharpen sewing skills, and ultimately providing designers a place to sell and showcase their work on a local level.

2)      Train and provide seamstresses for the designers in the incubator to help them to produce their lines locally.

3)      Provide a forum to profile fashion based talent from across the Midwest whether it’s designers, models, MUA’s, stylist, bloggers, and etc—via our Fashion Blog that will debut in May.

4)      Establish professional models for designers to work with!  The biggest complaint that I’ve heard from designers and photographers in the lack of professionalism that the models present from the area and that happens for several reasons: 1) area models have never really had the chance to receive real training that didn’t cost them thousands of dollars, 2) There’s currently not a lot of work in the area for models, and 3) Because there isn’t a lot of work in the area models often don’t get paid for their time which all can lead to a lack of professionalism.  So (DE-FI) is raising the bar by being the first major fashion event in the area that actually pays their models for the work that they do.

5)      A long term goal for (DE-FI) is to take advantage of the City of Dayton’s Activated Spaces Pop Up Shop Program.  Like our partners at Sew Dayton and Beaute Box are products of Activated Spaces–In the Spring of 2014 it is the goal of the Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator (DE-FI) to have a store front location in Downtown Dayton that sells local and independent designers from across the Midwest lines in our store.(that have also been produced here locally by those seamstresses that have been trained by (DE-FI).

These are just a few things that (DE-FI) will be doing!  One thing that we constantly remind each other of is that this is a new concept for the area; therefore we are taking our time and making sure that everything is planned out, communicated, and executed well.  This is  learning experience for everyone involved but you can rest assured that we are being realistic with our approach and we are dedicated and committed to following through with these plans.  Right now we are planning our Launch Party scheduled to take place on July 13, 2013 at SunWatch Indian Village—We want this event to be an intimate affair; with a theme of “Fashion In the Mystic Garden”, the night will consist of mixing and mingling with some of the area’s top professionals, complete with New York Fashion Week style show, and dancing under the moonlight in the majestic setting of SunWatch. For more information on how you can get involved with (DE-FI) as either a designer, model, sponsor, and etc—please contact us at info@daytonemergingfashionincubator.com!

 

Introducing The Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator (DE-FI)

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A little over a year ago, I had the honor of serving as the Director of Operations for the first ever Fashion Week in the City of Dayton; like Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland have been doing for years…it was now the Gem City’s turn to take its position in the International Fashion Spotlight.  From day one it was an uphill battle getting Dayton Fashion Week off of the ground, the Founder and owner of DFW Junda Morris-Kennedy of JMK Production was new to the area,  she didn’t have any local connections, and the idea of a fashion week was a completely new concept to the Miami Valley area.

As someone who was familiar with the fashion industry from a modeling perspective and a cheerleader for the City of Dayton, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this ground breaking and I reached out to the founder and after a brief meeting with her, I jumped in with both feet and started spreading the word within my various community based circles that fashion finally had a platform in Dayton. And soon after an entire new community emerged, the area in general began to recognize the talent that was here, and individual success stories began to surface.

However, in the days and weeks leading up to and immediately following the first DFW, questions started being raised and cracks began to show all surrounding DFW’s Founder.   I along with others associated with DFW attempted to address our concerns with the owner and seek out answers from her as well but our concerns were ignored and our questions went unanswered.  Never one to compromise my ethics, in September I resigned as the Director of Operations for Dayton Fashion Week–and soon after, so did others.  I initially kept my departure quiet not wanting to cast any dark clouds over the local fashion community; but as sponsors, media, models, photographers, and designers continued to reach out to me for answers regarding DFW  and  sought my support it became apparent that not only did I need to make my departure public but it was also clear that the demand for a fashion outlet and venue in the area was still present.

After meeting with others who were associated with DFW last year, I was urged to create a new fashion based organization and soon the Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator (DE-FI) was born!  Consisting of over 30 local and national media personalities, business owners, fashion experts, and those who just want to be a part of a positive, transparent, and professional organization; and we’re excited about the opportunity to bring a new fashion outlet to the city of Dayton!!!  The Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator also known as (DE-FI)’s main goal is to build a solid foundation for the fashion industry to grow on building a viable and economically successful market in the Miami Valley.  Modeled after the Fashion Incubators in Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, (DE-FI) is partnering with TIME Magazine recognized Midwest Fashion Week, Dayton Most Metro, Joli Boutique, Sew Dayton, Shuttereye Photography, Studio Dayton, and UnZip the Runway Designer Competition.

(DE-FI) launched in February 2013 and is planning to host 2 intimate fashion events this year starting with an Official Launch Party July 13, 2013 at SunWatch Indian Village.  This event will serve as an opportunity to mix, mingle, and network with some of the area’s top professionals, community leaders, and fashion lovers from all over.  Complete with an official introduction of the DE-FI team and designers that have been selected into the Incubator; the Launch Party will also feature a fashion show featuring local and nationally known established designers who will be prepared to take special orders on all of their designs.

In preparation for the Launch Party, the Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator (DE-FI) will be hosting 2 Casting Calls for models on Saturday March 23 and April 20 from 2p-4p at Studio Dayton located at 1001 E. 2nd St., Dayton, OH 45402 in Bldg 100, Entrance B-C in Suite 3220.   The Casting Call is open to male and female models ages 4 and up. (NOTE: Models under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.)  All applicants must bring (2) images (1) Head shot and (1) full body shot; photos DO NOT need to be professional.  All models must bring with them an application which can be found on the website Adult models should come dressed in fitted attire flattering for your body type. Female models must bring a pair of 3″ heels to walk the runway in.  Models under the age of 18 should wear age appropriate attire.  There will also be scouts from UnZip the Runway in attendance as well.  For more information on (DE-FI)  and to download your application please visit our website.