Brooklyn fashion designers are looking beyond their hemlines to the plight of Haiti’s quake victims.
The glamorous BK Fashion Week(end) runway show returns on April 11, but this time around, some of the profits will support earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti.
“Brooklyn has such a large Haitian community, so if we can do something to help, we want to do it,” said Rick Davy, co-founder of the Brooklyn Style Foundation, which is working on the fundraising effort with the Abner Louima Foundation, named for the Haitian immigrant whose brutalization by Brooklyn police officers in 1997 led to international outrage.
Due to financial constraints, the Week(end) will feature several Brooklyn-based designers showing their fall and winter collections on a single, jam-packed day.
Flatbush resident Gerald Duroseau is putting the final touches on his glamorous cocktail dresses and evening gowns, which are inspired by his childhood in Haiti.
“I lived there until I was 7,” the designer explained. “With everything that’s going on down there, I didn’t want to do anything dark. I wanted to do something colorful and vibrant because the people down there are going through a lot.”
That will be evident when his first model struts down the runway.
“The first dress is a red dress made of rayon and covered with silk organza. The model will have the Haitian flag in her hand and I’m going to have the Haitian anthem playing,” Duroseau said. “The entire show is a tribute to Haiti.”
BK Fashion Week(end) at Steiner Studios [15 Washington Ave. at Flushing Avenue in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, (718) 622-0731], April 11, 6 pm. Tickets are $35. For info, visit www.bkfashionweekend.com.
