Event Information: To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation Presents "Stepping Out to Celebrate Life 2009", A Fundraising Gala & Fashion Show featuring amazing Wearable Art modeled by breast cancer survivors.
When: Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 5:30PM
Where: Marin Center Exhibit Hall - 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael CA.
What: To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation will honor and celebrate the lives of women and men diagnosed with breast cancer at the 14th annual fundraiser/fashion show/dinner dance. Over thirty models from the Bay Area will walk the runway wearing spectacular, one-of-a-kind fashions and accessories created by prominent Bay Area designers including: Catherine Bacon, Holly Badgley, Michelle Ciel, Danielle DeRamanos - Mill Valley Hat Box, Jenne Giles - Harlequin Feltworks, Picky Studio, Nasimiyu Wekesa - Nasimiyu Design, and Brian Scheyer & Jill Giordano - gr.dano. The funds raised will assist women, men and their families in their journey with breast cancer by providing financial support for the underserved, early detection screening and diagnostics, emotional support programs, and education. The evening will include cocktail reception, dinner, fashion show, live auction/raffle and dancing with music by The Fundamentals.
About To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation: A volunteer-based organization whose members are breast cancer survivors, friends and supporters. Since its inception in 1996, the Foundation has raised and distributed over 2.8 million dollars to Bay Area non-profits that help people who are dealing with breast cancer or who have breast health concerns. For more information, visit www.tocelebratelife.org
Tickets are $200 and can be purchased by calling call (415) 455-5882 or email steppingout@tocelebratelife.org
Designer Information:
Catherine Bacon: Trained as a creative arts therapist, Catherine Bacon has been designing artful clothing for 20 years. She creates day and eveningwear in rich, textural fabrics infused with motifs from nature and ancient cultures. Her sophisticated collections are an evolving, collaborative effort, with contributions from textile designers, printers, painters, dyers, cutters, seamstresses and knitters. Working from her Novato studio, Catherine designs dresses, coats, skirts and tops that softly drape the body, burst with lush detail and move gracefully. Her work is inspired by themes of transformation, pilgrimage, spiritual growth and yearning. Website:http://www.catherinebacon.com
Holly Badgley: a Sausalito-based textile artist, creates bold hand-painted clothing and fiber art. She uses thickened dyes to impart rich colors into wool, silk and velvet, one shade blending into the next. Then she silkscreens ethnic designs onto the luxurious fabrics and fashions them into timeless styles with clean lines - one-of-a-kind coats, jackets, tops and vests. Holly's strong visual sensibilities were influenced by the many years she spent living in Morocco, France and Spain. Her work has been a life-long exploration of the relationships between color, composition and balance, incorporating graphic elements of personal symbolism. Website: http://www.hollybadgley.com
Michelle Ciel: She has been designing and creating for as long as she can remember. As a child, she sewed her own clothes. Later, she launched her interior design business. Then in 2004, frustrated by the lack of colorful purses in the marketplace, Michelle made her first handbag. When friends and retail establishments began asking for her designs, she launched her popular line of handbags and dog accessories. The collection reflects Michelle's preference for simplicity, and she is always looking for ways to reduce the process. The Mill Valley designer explains: "I find beauty and elegance in simple things, and I love the infusion of vibrant color and unexpected textures." Website: http://www.michelleciel.com
Jenne Giles- Harlequin Feltworks: San Francisco artist Jenne Giles creates wearable collages of wool, silk and other fine natural fibers, which she offers through her company, Harlequin Feltworks. She describes her colorful, sculptural scarves, wraps and throws as "paintings that must be touched, seen and worn to be completely experienced." Giles combines her background as a painter and sculptor with a keen interest in fashion and an advocacy for the traditional folk art of felting. Delighting in the unexpected results of the medium, she explores the vibrancy of dyed wool colors, the tactile effects and variety of lusters she can produce. Website: www.harlequinfeltworks.com
Jill Giordano and Brian Scheyer - gr.dano: Graphic design meets fashion design in a collection of original, wearable clothing intended to make a woman feel sexy and self-assured. In their Sausalito studio, fashion designer Jill Giordano and advertising art director Brian Scheyer create classic pieces that any woman can feel confident in, no matter the situation or location. "We put a huge amount of passion and attention into each piece," says Scheyer.Gr.dano has been featured in numerous fashion publications and has received the Masterminds award in the SF Weekly Best of SF edition. Their fashions were also shown in the March edition Oprah's O Magazine and in the Washington Post's Fashion Washington magazine. Website: http://www.grdano.com
Yuri Schiller and Svetlana Trumm - Picky Studio: Yuri Schiller and Svetlana Trumm are the creative forces behind Picky Studio. The boutique, located in San Francisco's historic Jackson Square district, doubles as a photography studio where Trumm and Schiller capture the "strange" images that will be printed on fabric for their latest collection. Their insatiable appetite for new and cutting-edge design combined with the latest fabric printing technology, keeps Picky Studio on the forefront of avant garde fashion. The Russian-born artists use haunting images of human faces imposed within complex patterns, streaks of light, and funky shapes to create clothing that can best be described as wearable art. Website: www.pickystudio.com
Danielle Schubert - The Mill Valley Hat Box: Danielle lives and breathes hats. Her passion is creating a fresh, fashion forward look that is wearable and of the highest quality. Born into the industry, she studied with her late mother, a milliner. She also attended some of the best fashion schools in the U.S. and studied in Florence, Italy. She travels extensively through Europe, selecting the finest fabrics for her creations, which are produced in Germany to her exact specifications. Inspired by the architecture of such wondrous locations as Paris, Milan, Florence, Manhattan, and of course, San Francisco, Danielle says, "My mission is to change the way that people view hats in their everyday life, and also how they view themselves." Website: www.millvalleyhatbox.com
Nasimiyu Wekesa - Nasimiyu Designs: Nasimiyu Wekesa creates bold, one-of-a-kind beaded jewelry rich in the culture and history of her native Kenya. Now based in Mill Valley, Nasimiyu grew up seeing beads collected, cherished and used in important ceremonies. She feels a spiritual connection to the African trade beads, shells, glass and bronze she uses, listening to each bead to see where it should go. Her lush, complex pieces attract celebrity buyers and were featured on the runway at 2009 Couture Fashion Week in New York. Nasimiyu is deeply committed to Kenyan children orphaned by AIDS and founded a nonprofit to support them using proceeds from her sales. Website: www.nasimiyudesigns.com
