CLEVELAND, Ohio — The beauty of fashion is there is no template; it's whatever you want it to be. This weekend, one designer is presenting “The Fashion Talks," a show promoting diversity and designers from all over the world.
Though he's the teacher, Charles Poindexter was once the student.
“Getting into fashion was always deep in my heart,” said Poindexter, a teacher at Esperanza Threads.
He picked up sewing later in his life when he learned about free classes at Esperanza Threads. He started there, and then years down the road, he now shows students, including refugees, how to sew.
“The role that the refugees play here at Esperanza Threads with fashion or even the classes is over the top, I'm telling you,” said Poindexter.
They’ve taken that knowledge and used it to create pieces relevant to their culture.
“When we work with like the Afghani population, they're not going to find their clothes at Walmart. So, a lot of them make their own clothes,” said Emily Tiell, The executive director of Esperanza Threads.
They are just one group of designers featured in The Fashion Talks. It’s a fashion show and brand created by Aimon Ali. Ali started it years ago after she noticed the Cleveland fashion scene was almost non-existent.
“It was more about community and education,” Ali said. “I wanted to bring elevated fashion; I want people to have an experience that’s diverse, that's fashion and accessible.”
She works with organizations like Esperanza Threads, along with designers locally, nationally, and internationally, who curate each piece by hand.
“It’s very different in Cleveland to consider a designer versus someone who’s manufacturing clothing,” Ali said. “When I talk about designer, I’m talking about someone that's conceptualizing, drawing or not drawing, then actually making the clothing.”
Those pieces will be modeled in her show that she does every year. Last year it was at The Cleveland Museum of Art; this year, it will be at Severance Hall. At the show, the designers will be featured on the runway, in the magazine and at vendor tables before and after the show. Her goal through the project is to create a space and community for all creatives to feel welcomed and accepted.
“There are certain places someone like me or a refugee, would not think of going to or think it’s an opportunity they are not able to have. So, to be able to kind of bridge that for them is something that's so important,” Ali said.
The show is on Sunday, June 25 at Severance Hall. Doors open at 5:30. For details on the show or tickets, click here. Esperanza is also offering classes for anyone who wants to learn to sew. For more information on those classes, click here.
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