Fashion Week San Diego
Designers showcase unique trends at the Andaz Hotel
Spencer Bispham / Asst. Opinion Editor / The USD Vista
On the night of Fashion Week San Diego (FWSD), a line snaked around the corner of F Street and Seventh Avenue. People from all walks of life waited patiently to file into the Andaz Hotel, where the event would take place for the 15th year in a row. Inside the venue, designers, volunteers and elites alike sat beside the runway in anticipation, while others mingled on the rooftop bar.
About an hour after the doors opened, MCs Jonathan Harris and Jodi Kodesh reigned in the crowd. In order to bypass technical difficulties, they pivoted to a surprise performance by comedian Jason Stuart. His set lasted about 15 minutes until the event’s director, Gwen Bates, delivered a short speech
Right before the show began, Bates addressed FWSD’s success in recent years
“It would’ve been impossible to do what I’ve been able to do transitioning with Allison Andrews,” Bates said. “Tonight is a special night for several reasons, which you guys are gonna see. We are the regional fashion week… We’ve been able to launch over a thousand brands and bridge the gap of operating in New York. We’ve received several proclamations, as much as Comic Con, as the second biggest event in San Diego County.”
After Bates’ speech, lights dimmed and the MCs transitioned the event to the actual runway show: ten different looks from ten different designers, with the full list available at www.fashionweeksd.com. Brands were encouraged to tie their presentations together with a common thread of sustainability. Some designers took this challenge to the next level, including local designer and founder of “Needles and Pine,” Grace Spath.
Spath keeps sustainability in mind via her heavily-involved manufacturing process. This event marked her first Fashion Week San Diego event where she presented a cut-and-sew collection called “Moths and Moons.”
Before the show, she described what makes her manufacturing process so sustainable.
“A lot of my items on the runway tonight will be hand-dyed from resources from plants that I’ve either farmed or foraged myself,” Spath said. “I use a lot of sustainable fabrics; it’s always natural fibers, unless it’s something that I’ve up-cycled or salvaged.”
These hand-dyed garments took many different shapes, sizes, and colors on the runway. One of her first few looks was composed of an elegant, white crop top and a floor-length, spring-green skirt.
Spath also shared that the inspiration for her collection was to go beyond what meets the eye.
“The inspiration is the metamorphosis that moths go through and how people tend to gravitate toward butterflies instead,” Spath said. “They’re not known to be as pretty as butterflies, even though they are. [It’s] also about this emergence into a new life; these changes that we go through and how all these things that we go through are beautiful even when they aren’t seen that way by other people.”
Narrative storytelling was also prevalent in the “Desert Sunset” collection by designer Janelle Arnold. Her brand, “Dorotheaa,” is devoted to celebrating and promoting diversity through both shape and color.
Arnold explained that color is a central part of her design process.
“I’m often inspired by colors; a big part of my brand is having very vibrant colors,” Arnold said. “One thing I also like doing is designing prints. I did that for this collection and that helped develop the color story and the themes a bit more.”
The vibrancy of “Desert Sunset” brought new energy to the crowd as models took to the runway. An example was the palpable applause during Arnold’s final look: a dress of cascading, warm tones adorned by a pointed, golden crown
Arnold hails from the Pacific Northwest, where utility in fashion commonly outweighs the radiance her brand is known for. In line with this way of thinking, she envisions most “Dorotheaa” designs as garments that make sense for anyone to wear.
“I try to design things that would be size-inclusive as well,” she said. “I did that at my Portland show too; I did have a diverse range of sizing and models. Whenever I design I like to think, ‘would this look good on different body types?’”
The models used in all ten shows seemed to exemplify this ideology. Though the models were mostly female-presenting, there were a range of people with different skin tones, heights, facial features and body sizes.
After the designers finished presenting their clothes, the event finished with a surprise proposal. Model Kimberly Franco graced the runway one last time as her now-fiancé got down on one knee.
The MC’s escorted the newly engaged couple off the stage and thanked everyone one last time for coming, marking the end of Fashion Week San Diego 2022. Tickets and details for their next events can be found at www.fashionweeksd.com.
