Across the East River, New York Fashion Week is happening beneath the tents in Bryant Park, but back in Williamsburg, designer Arthur Arbit claims he’s already sewing the future.
“Mainstream fashion works two years behind [us],” Arbit, the organizer of the Williamsburg Fashion Weekend, told GO Brooklyn. “You want to come to these shows to see things on the edge. [Don’t] wait around for the watered-down version.”
Kicking off on Friday, Feb. 15, the weekend — the second such event Arbit has put together — will feature shows from five up-and-coming Williamsburg designers including Mandate of Heaven, Sovereign Beck, SDN, French Me and Arbit’s own line, King Gurvy.
“I have a lot of friends who are designers,” Arbit said, “and when I decided to launch my own line, I wanted to do a big event instead of just my show.”
The last fashion weekend (pictured) set the bar for an unconventional show, as designers are barred from using runways and encouraged to parade one-of-a-kind and locally made garments as models strut accompanied by live music.
“An ideal show for us is surprising,” said Arbit, explaining that the previous fashion frenzy featured models tying ribbons to a Maypole in a room filled with stuffed animals. “The designers involved are on a whole different trajectory,” he added.
So, if you’re thinking of heading to the tents in Midtown for a peek at what’s in for Fall 2008, forget it; because according to Arbit, “If you’re going to mainstream shows, you’re seeing what’s already been ripped off.”
The Williamsburg Fashion Weekend will be held on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 at 7 pm at the Monster Island Building (210 Kent Ave. at Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg). Admission is free. For information, visit www.secretprojectrobot.org.
