Fashion Fusion
Forging Portland's international style
By Megan Udow
View Slideshow »
May Tee, local designer and president of PDX Synergy, had her designs on display, which were heavily accented by sashes and ribbons.
View Slideshow »Maytee’s fashion fused traditional China with modern style in this low-cut dress.
View Slideshow »Maytee’s portion of the show concludes and makes way for other emerging designers.
View Slideshow »The models were ready for rain in special-edition raincoats that went up for auction following the show.
View Slideshow »Portland’s own Emily Katz showed sweaters and vests perfect for cool fall days.
View Slideshow »Just something to “jump” around in next spring.
View Slideshow »The models take their final walk down Emily Katz’s runway.
View Slideshow »Cui Wei’s part of the show featured traditional garb with a twist from Cathaya.
View Slideshow »Cui Wei’s designs took inspiration from the ’90s and merged it with nuances of Chinese traditional garb.
View Slideshow »Cathaya’s multicolored gown was clearly the showstopper of the evening. The layers of fabric and color collisions stayed with me well after the show had ended.
View Slideshow »Chinese label, Yerad, took leather to a whole new level.
View Slideshow »PDX Fashion Synergy’s Kerry Yu took to the runway for the finale in a dress inspired by the Henan province’s flower, the peony.
View Slideshow »Another PDX Fashion Synergy face, Jillian Rabe, closed the show as she strutted down the runway in a rose-themed gown.
Friday night’s FUSE Fashion Show may have opened up with cheesy chatter reminiscent of a Miss America pageant, with hosts that sounded like Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell and Mario Lopez (in reality model Daniel Nieh and a former Mrs. Oregon), but the evening soon gave way to the true star of the event, Portland’s emerging fashion relationship with China.
FUSE was, well, a fusion, of Chinese and Portland designers. Plans for the benefit show started back in April when nonprofit organization Portland Fashion Synergy sent a group of designers to the Chinese province of Henan for their fashion week.
While not a design capital like that of Beijing, Henan is a manufacturing hub and employs over 1 million workers. So, while Henan has the manufacturing muscle, Portland has the creativity to inspire a relationship that will surely benefit both halves. However, it’s not about outsourcing; instead PDX Fashion Synergy wants Portland to sustain itself as a design and manufacturing city, with support from Henan.
And now, back to the show.
It was a much bigger production than expected, complete with a red carpet, ballgowns and even an appearance by the mayor (yes, Sam Adams and I now have a picture together). Portland designs opened the show and were soon followed by an exhibition of Chinese looks. The difference in design ideals was apparent from the first girl who stepped onto China’s runway. I had hoped to be moved by the creative ideas of the far east and to have the urge to recreate my wardrobe the moment I arrived home, but instead it felt more like a rebirth of ’90s style with painted jeans, corsets, and velvety fabrics. These were the clothes I dreamed of having when I was 11 and stopped brooding over a mere month or two later. Occasionally a glimmer of American/European design peeked through, but these flashes of familiarity were sparse.
Though I was somewhat disappointed by the Chinese’s visions for the fashion future, the evening really didn’t end up being about the latest trends, and instead was a hopeful prayer for a more self-sufficient Portland design scene. This was made even more prominent by the teary-eyed finale that saw the faces of PDX Fashion Synergy take to the stage in gowns symbolic of the two cities, one inspired by peonies, and the other, you guessed it, roses.
So while the fashion, surprisingly, did not take center stage, the notion that Portland could rival major markets is hopefully not a fantasy. If Henan could be the muscle behind the creative magic, then we might just be on our way to taking the stage as a fashion force to reckon with.
Experience a piece of the design puzzle with a web exclusive slideshow from Portland Monthly reporter Megan Udow.
