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Eastern Promises
Project East throws night for Asian design
By JAMIE GRANOFF
del.ico.us
reddit!
Seemingly timed to coincide with our subsiding Project Runway withdrawal symptoms (we're good now, thanks), Project East swoops in to showcase both up-and-coming and established modern Asian designers, represented internationally, in a decidedly distinct fashion show.
Founded by Harvard students Timothy Parent and Kristin Kim, Project East will hold its second annual runway show this Saturday. For the benefit of discerning trendsetters, all collections are current or never before seen.
Parent and Kim met in the summer of 2006 while in Korea. Noticing a lack of high fashion at Harvard, they worked tirelessly procuring designers and planning the show, all with the goal of raising money for a good cause.
This year, the founders will give all proceeds raised from the event to Artists for Humanity, a group that supports creative arts education in Boston. "I really wanted to help these younger Asian designers while doing something for charity," says Parent.
The fashion show will feature works by world-renowned designer Issey Miyake—marking his first runway show outside of Paris.
New York-based designer Jen Kao will be participating for her second go-round in Project East. (Her line, incidentally, is already carried locally at Stel's in Boston.) New Yorkers Lydia Park and Soojin Kang, who's created an exclusive collection for Project East, will also show their designs.
Like last year's show, fashion design graduates of Parsons will also be thrown into the mix. A total of 13 womenswear and menswear designers from the school have already been confirmed. The stellar lineup exceeds the founders' goals of creating sources of jobs and inspiration for Boston's aspiring designers.
After the runway show, a reception will be held with a silent auction packed with items by designers like Lanvin, Derek Lam and Vivienne Tam.
To liberally borrow from Mr. Miyake—East Please.
[Sat 11.15.08, MAC Quad (behind the Malkin Athletic Center), 39 Holyoke St., Cambridge. 7pm/$15, $25 VIP (includes reception). Purchase tickets at Harvard Box Office or roxanne.fequiere@gmail.com. project-east.com, boxoffice.harvard.edu]
