Twelve Baltimore-based designers have been selected to participate in Project Artscape Fashion Weekend, the fashion-oriented component of Artscape 2024.
Inspired by the Project Runway TV shows, Project Artscape is a three-day event that will take place from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4 at The Garage, 6 E. Lafayette Ave. It coincides with the annual Artscape festival, which is produced by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) and scheduled for the same weekend in Midtown and the Station North arts district.
The Fashion Weekend component of Artscape will begin on Aug. 2 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with an opening runway show and industry panel discussion featuring designer Earle Bannister, founder of E. Bannister Couture and one of the 2024 participants. Following the opening show, six designers will present their work on Saturday and six will present on Sunday.
In addition to Bannister, the participating designers are: Nicole Moan of Moan Inc.; Van Mac-Henry of Van Man; Dr. Marilyn Walker of Afrocentric by Marie Francis Designs; Abisola Oladeinde of Yele; Eryn Boggs of iconiclicense; Brandi Lewis of Syeko Design House; Sehar Peerzada of Urban Madala; Natalie Karyl of Ragdolls Couture; Kenn Hall of OMRY International; Evette Monique of Evette Monique Couture; and Iliana Quander of Amparo3.
The designers were revealed on Thursday during a reception at the Top of the World observation deck’s Gallery in the Sky, which is hosting a solo exhibit by Tae Hwang entitled “Buildings, Objects & Systems.”
Also in attendance were members of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, which is commissioning a live band to work with the eight highest-scoring designers on a soundtrack for their Project Artscape fashion shows. Besides providing a platform for local designers, Project Artscape works to provide paid opportunities for photographers, hair and makeup artists, and models.
This year will be the 40th edition of Artscape, a free outdoor arts weekend that typically drew crowds of 300,000 or more before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second year it has returned following a three-year hiatus, and the first festival since Rachel Graham became BOPA’s CEO.
Under Graham’s leadership, BOPA has created a Fashion Department to expand its support of Baltimore’s fashion community beyond Project Artscape. The department’s goal is to elevate the local fashion scene and provide more paid opportunities for Baltimore-based designers.
The department is staffed by Devin Shacklett, Senior Program Coordinator for the Baltimore City Arts Council and the architect of Project Artscape, and Caprice Ann Jackson, a sustainable fashion curator, brand ambassador, fashion journalist, producer, and host for the 2023 and 2024 Project Artscape shows.
Shacklett and Jackson recently traveled to New York for Fashion Week Brooklyn (FWBK) to support two of the 2024 Project Artscape designers, Lewis and Hall, who were selected by FWBK founder Rick Davy to showcase their designs in Brooklyn.
In addition to Project Artscape, Shacklett and Jackson are planning three pop-up fashion markets in collaboration with Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) – one each in July, August and September. At the September pop-up market, BMI will also host a sustainable fashion show.
The goal of these markets, organizers say, is to create a fashion hub for local artists, independent fashion designers and boutiques to show and sell their work. To promote sustainability and reduce fashion waste, they’re partnership with Sustainable Fashion Week U.S. for its “Swap Across America” program and an upcycling workshop for marketgoers to trade and customize their pieces.
After Project Artscape Fashion Weekend, BOPA will support Baltimore Fashion Week from August 12 to 17 by providing promotional and programming support. During Baltimore Fashion Week, BOPA’s Fashion Department will announce the top three designers from Project Artscape Fashion Weekend. These three designers will showcase their designs at the Project Artscape Finale Show on December 14, 2024, at the Walters Art Museum.
Adjudicators for Project Artscape Fashion Weekend are Davy, the Fashion Week Brooklyn founder; Jeff Butler, Founder and Director of Jazzy Studios and Director of Photography for the Baltimore Met Gala; Sally DiMarco, a fashion designer, educator, and author who founded Baltimore City Community College’s Fashion Department; Victoria Pass, Fashion Historian and Associate Professor at Maryland Institute College of Art. BOPA also acknowledges Sharon Nixon, Creator and Director of Baltimore Fashion Week; Bridgette Artiste, Creator and Director of Sustainable Fashion Week U.S. and her team; and the staff at the Walters Art Museum for their support and collaboration.
More information about BOPA’s Fashion Department and its initiatives is available at promotionandarts.org/fashion-resources/.
