You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that September is the most exciting month of the year for fashion. It’s like Christmas to a kid, Woodstock to a hippie, or Halloween to employees at Joonbug (see our annual Masquerade Ball)! We’ve received our ridiculously dense September issues, planned out our schedules for Fashion’s Night Out, and set our sights on the month's global Fashion Weeks. Now if you’re like us, we never like to limit our fashion options. We want to see it all! That’s where Nolcha comes in. Coinciding with New York Fashion Week (and equally recognized) is Nolcha Fashion Week: New York, a celebration of independent designers. Representing countries around the world, Nolcha is an entrepreneurial platform, organized to offer top-tier designers the resources to develop their passions into a lucrative business. The 5^th annual Nolcha Fashion Show is an invitation-only, four-day event consisting of runway shows, eco-accessory showcases, and seminars and networking opportunities for upcoming designers and industry professionals alike. The opportunity to mingle with Nolcha’s little black book of supportive media, retailers, celebrities, and investors is reason enough to RSVP to any event you can get in on. Here’s a sneak peek at the schedule for Fashion’s Night Out and Lounge and Runway Presentations, courtesy of Nolcha Fashion Week: New York. Check out the full schedule of events September 8^th- 13^th here.

Thursday, September 8th – Fashion’s Night Out

 Nolcha will be kicking things off on September 8th for Fashion’s Night Out with an Independent Fashion Pop-Up Shop, open 5pm – 10pm.  The New York Post, Ricardo Ralph Lopez, Farasha Boutique and GlobalFashionBrands.com will host the shop.  Shoppers will be treated to sales and new season exclusives, a beauty bar by Kroma Makeup and Kiss Nails, passed cocktails courtesy of Don Q Rum, and the first 100 shoppers will receive a VIP Gift Bag. 

Participating designers include: Adriana-Maria, Alice Yim, Amabile, Birna, Bodyrock Sport, Carlos Luna, Elly Clay, Estela Balan, Jess Rizzuti, Jonano, Kahri, Lois Eastlund, Maleku Jewelry, Monica Macha, Moonlight Jewelry, Nora Del Busto, and Sava.

The Pop-Up Shop is benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and will be located at Opia Lounge on the mezzanine level of the Renaissance Hotel (130 East 57th Street at Lexington Avenue).

Monday, September 12th – Nolcha Fashion Lounge & Runway Presentations

The Nolcha Fashion Lounge will run all day on September 12th from 12pm – 8pm, including an Apparel & Accessories Exhibition, along with pampering and other perks.  Participating designers include: Afia, Carrie Parry, Devon Thomas, eggcream, Maleku Jewelry, Rainbow People, Reflections African Jewelry, Soham Dave, Sonja Lang, Star by Mar, Street Star, and William Watson.

Runway presentations include:

1pm – Runway Show (Doors, 2:30pm)

                Designers: Carlos Luna | Sarahi House of Fashion | K.Borgella

4pm – Runway Show (Doors, 3:30pm)

                Designers: ZulaStudio with Maleku Jewelry | Amber Patton | Amelia Boland | Daisy & Elizabeth

7pm – Runway Show (Doors, 6:30pm)

                Designers: Danilo Gabrielli | Guljan Yrys | Kabukiu

The Nolcha Fashion Lounge & Runway Presentations will take place at the Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th Street between 6th & 7th Avenue).

In our opinion, the best part of Nolcha is exposure to independent designers beyond the world of developed, high-fashion brands. Ultimately, when we get dressed in the morning, the goal is originality. While the importance of major fashion houses is inarguable, supporting independent and emerging designers is absolutely critical to the advancement of the fashion industry—free from the binds of the big houses, they oftentimes give us what we want when established brands cannot; innovative design, fresh aesthetic, and a common goal for individual style. Below are some outstanding new designers to look for at Nolcha.

New Zealand designer Amelia Boland almost missed out on her opportunity to show at Nolcha Fashion Week. The 23-year-old recent Otago Polytechnic graduate just happened to notice an invitation in her junk email box. She assumes her show at iD Dunedin Fashion Week had something to do with the invite. “My focus is to create streetwear that in detail and finish is almost too luxurious for the street. The pieces are a wondrous fairy tale when all together but workable and versatile when pulled out on their own. Every woman can wear an Amelia Boland designed garment, and every girl will want to,” comments Boland on her namesake line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GlobalFashionBrands.com, an e-commerce site integrated with Nolcha to offer a selling medium for emerging designers, launched a contest for one of their sellers to showcase their Spring/Summer 2012 line at the upcoming Nolcha Fashion Week. The winner of the sponsored runway show; ZulaStudio, featuring Maleku jewelry will be a much-anticipated event of the season. Russian native Zula Khramov has created the ready-to-wear with the fashionably educated woman in mind. The objective of ZulaStudio is to break the mold of ‘eco-friendly’ designs and offer an “impeccably tailored and intricately detailed” line made of natural and organic textiles. The show will be a collaboration of ZulaStudio apparel, styled with Maleku Jewelry’s new “Raw Earth” line inspired by freshly harvested natural gemstones.

 

 

 

 

 

We love the story behind the only lingerie line showing at Nolcha Fashion Week, Daisy & Elizabeth, who got their humble start right here in NYC. Designers Daisy Hartmann and Elizabeth Nesmith met as intimate apparel design students and collaborated on the line’s first collection during their senior year at FIT. Their design aesthetic originated from two very different backgrounds with a common appreciation for delicacy and strength evoked in intimate apparel. Sustainability is imperative in their design process, and they have made it a point to examine the impact of the industry on the real world that surrounds it. Rather than allow their unusual textile selection limit their creativity, they’ve used their choice as an opportunity to explore new and unique textures and patterns not seem among the silk-and-lace set. "With the aid of natural and renewable resources, Daisy & Elizabeth intimates bridge the gap between sexy and sustainable while satisfying a wide array of tastes, from gamine to girly," they say. Being green’s never been so sexy!

 

Also, peep last year's recap video below!