Chanel held a fashion show in a New York City subway station. Gucci held one in Times Square (with Tom Brady’s help). Prada went to a famous deli.
And in Cleveland, fashion entrepreneur Aimon Ali took her Fashion Talks to Playhouse Square.
More specifically, underneath the chandelier during golden hour on Sunday evening.
A completely sold out show of some 1,600 people clustered the intersection of East 14th Street and Euclid Avenue for a night of high fashion illuminated by vibrant city views. Ali’s sixth show in Cleveland, The Runway was her first truly outdoor gala, one that, by matter of intention or coincidence, meshed nicely efforts to enliven the theater district.
“There’s more need for public spaces for creatives and bringing the community together in general,” she told Scene after the show. “Four walls can only hold so many people. I was thinking how do we make this more accessible? And outdoors was the solution for us.”
Seven designers made the night possible: Arte Regina, from Indonesia; Cienna Tenn and Amira Peruch, fashion students at Kent State; SW Collection from Toronto; Dillard’s; the Darl Center For The Arts; and Ali’s own interns. About 40 models (all from Northeast Ohio) displayed everything from floral gowns, to avant garde suits, Pakistani blouses, to wild, theatrical pieces inspired by Ancient Greece chic and Mardi Gras indian lore.
A mixture that kept eyes and phone cameras fixed to the runway, and to the lively scene around it, until just before sundown.
“Every year, I realize there’s room for growth. And every year we’ve grown in a different way,” Ali said. “And this year was the year to really bring in the public.”
