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Diary Of HATCH Fashion Asheville

Ayoka Lucas
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Diary of HATCH Fashion Asheville

Style File

What is Hatch? It is a biannual four-day experience that energizes creative professionals and thought leaders who are serious about transforming their ideas and talents into bold action, while inspiring others to do the same. This year I was invited to be a keynote speaker for HATCH Fashion to discuss an wardrobe styling and producing fashion shows.  This was my first time in Asheville and I just could not get enough! I learned so much from hearing the other Keynotes such as Dr. Alycia Fogle who spoke on consumer psychology and fashion merchandising and designer Keyna Aranguren, all the way from Norway, who spoke on the global fashion market and fashion forecasting! 

Dr. Alycia Fogle, Keyna Aranguren, Amber Hatchett

I met so many amazing creative minds and shared professional tips with those who wanted some insight. The event concluded with a runway show in the beautiful Grove Arcade down a long corridor with glass ceilings! Produced by the Discipline Leader of  HATCH fashion Sonia Hendrix, founder of Push Asheville Fashion, it featured winners of the Groundbreakers title in shoe design (Sarah Mettler who was actually a Keynote Mentor), fashion (Emily Bargeron's Mamie Ruth Collection), Stylist (Ashley Phaup), jewelry design (Amber Hatchett of Vintage Vanity) and fashion photography (Jameykay Young). 

Minx Boutique

Now on to the most important part- SHOPPING! Asheville is like vintage gold! I fell in love with places like Hip Replacement, Vintage Moon and Honeypot, all located on Lexington Avenue. Right across the street was Downtown Bookswhere I stumbled across an amazing international fashion magazine selection picking up an issue of POP that I have been craving for months. Just next door to all of this is one of my new favorite Asheville boutiques called Minx. OwnerRebeccah Mark took me on a tour of her designers including Preloved,womenswear made out of recycled menswear, Butter by Nadia, with a dress that you can wear 24 ways, and the modern masterpiece accessories from by boe. After my keynote speech Keyna and her sister, fashion photographer Zaire Kacz took me to the Biltmore Antique District where  I met the kindest lady, Carol Reuter, who was formerly the clothing caregiver at the Smithsonian. Her area was called A Woman's Touch Vintage Collection and she had racks and racks of vintage dresses. I snagged two for a total of $7. 50! Yep!


Asheville street style offers a lot with everything from hipsters to sophisticated stylistas and it's very common to see folks dressed in costume for a night on the town! I could go on and on about this charming city but I digress. Just note that this town is one to watch and HATCH is cultivating great inspiration and resources for the fashion, film, architecture, photography world and beyond!

Don't forget to click on the gallery to check out the visual diary of my trip!

Comments

the monroe institute quotes spagnola

The Beauty of the Actual Reality

by AMELIA on APR 13, 2011


The video below is a great profile of an artist in Western North Carolina talking about the value of art representing an actual moment.  I love this quote from his clip:
“[understanding art is about] the beauty of the actual reality of what’s happening.  Things being un-mediated with no one telling you what to do or what’s important or what has value, but rather deciding for yourself and knowing that when you throw paint against a wall, just when you throw paint, the mark that it leaves, it’s an impression of an action, a moment, of a real lived experience that actually happened.”
The two parts that I love about this quote is that simple line, “the actual reality of what’s happening” because I think that nicely sums up what so many curious minds come to TMI in search of, and also the concept that anything that we create, through art or actions or words or silence, any of those things leaves an impression of the moment that it took place in.  That is, in my mind at least, the root of mindfulness…to be aware that we are always leaving not just a mark, but an impression.  Really lovely stuff.
Learn more about Dustin Spagnola’s art here.