Show Notes
In this episode, we dive deep into the experience of attending Frocktails in New York City, highlighting the significance of authenticity and peace in the creative journey for designers.
Key Highlights:
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Engaging Atmosphere:
The event fostered a warm and friendly environment, where attendees engaged in meaningful discussions about fashion and textile design, breaking down traditional stereotypes, especially regarding gender roles in the industry.
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Unique Creations:
The hosts reflect on their encounters with talented designers showcasing extraordinary pieces, such as a stunning dress adorned with handmade tassels and another that cleverly incorporated repurposed chandelier crystals.
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Camaraderie and Creativity:
The podcast emphasizes the sense of community that emerged during the event, encouraging collaboration and creativity among participants, proving that the design world thrives on shared experiences.
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Naima’s Recognition:
A special moment in the episode is the celebration of Naima receiving an award, which ignited conversations about exploring diverse creative scenes in different cities.
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Evolution of Frocktails:
The hosts discuss the origins of Frocktails in Australia, tracing its evolution into a global gathering that adapts its themes each year, contrasting the formal atmosphere of its inaugural event in DC with the casual vibe of New York.
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Upcoming Events:
Listeners are invited to an exciting gallery opening in DC featuring the Naima’s Frocktail outfits, showcasing the intersection of fashion and art.
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Community and Craftsmanship:
The episode wraps up with a reminder of the importance of community and craftsmanship in fashion. The hosts encourage listeners to find their unique versions of Frocktails and share the joy of creation.
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Free Resources:
As a special treat, listeners can access a free kimono pattern and purchase the fabric on the Cover Me Chic website, promoting the spirit of DIY fashion and personal expression.
Join us as we celebrate creativity, authenticity, and the vibrant community of designers shaping the future of fashion!
Links:
Free kimono pattern:
https://covermechic.com
Purchase the fabric:
https://covermechic.com/textiles
We want to hear from you! If this episode inspired you in anyway take a screen shot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram stories and tag us,
@designersplantsandcoffeeTranscript
[00:00:00.200] – Zahiyya
Welcome to the Designers’ Plants & Coffee podcast, where we discuss how to succeed as a designer while staying true to yourself, finding peace in the process, and making money doing what we love. Subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast. We are fresh off the experience of Frocktails, New York City.
[00:00:16.670] – LaTisha
I really like this because it’s the only place where you can actually go up to someone, you see something that they have on, and you can say, Oh, my God, I love what you’re wearing. Can I touch it? And they get it just as excited as you do.
[00:00:31.040] – Naima
And they launch into how they made it, right? So I did this and I did that. I mean, it’s great. It goes back to our fashion nerd conversation because that’s exactly the environment we were in, a textile nerd conversation.
[00:00:42.630] – LaTisha
Such details. And there was One dress, a lady said that she had tassels on it. So she made all of the tassels and then sewed them on her dress. And I’m like, wait, you cut each tassel, stitched it together and made it cis?
[00:00:57.560] – Naima
I met a woman and I She had these hanging crystals on her dress, and it’s beautiful silk dress. I have pictures of her. Beautiful silk dress. And I was like, oh, my God. I’m feeling her up, right? Because that’s what you do at Frock tales. She said, oh, Well, my chandelier broke, so I just sewed the pieces onto my dress. Ma’am, ma’am.
[00:01:21.850] – Zahiyya
I don’t remember the woman’s name, but she had diamonds in all different colors. I was like, Oh, my God. That’s crazy. How long did it take her? She said, like a month or something?
[00:01:31.180] – Naima
Yeah, because as someone who’s been around the insanity of quilting, yeah, probably more than a month.
[00:01:36.920] – Zahiyya
There was a woman there with the shredded pants that had the sequins in it, which was really, really detailed, which was really nice. And it was another one with shredded denim, but it was a skirt. I’m wearing mine. So basically, it’s just a zipper with gathers. So it’s fabric manipulation. I did do the print. I designed the print, and then the zipper can go all the way up or down. Then there’s some detail in the back, but it was good. It was cool.
[00:02:06.320] – Naima
If I’m to compare the DC ones and the New York ones, it’s like you walk in and everybody is your friend. There is no who does she think she is. I mean, everybody is excited to see you. I mean, as soon as I walked in, people were touching the petals on my dress, and I didn’t have a problem with it. I would love to experience another city next year. I will say it’s always nice to see men in that circle because people think that these types of things are just all for women, and they are absolutely not all for women because men are designers, men are into sewing, men are into knitting, men are into crafty things. So it’s not just the woman thing. So I love to see. And we always embrace them. We always embrace them.
[00:02:57.060] – Zahiyya
Naima did win the prize. She won one of the prizes there. And me and Tess look like, we don’t want anything. But like you said, I think I want to experience a different city to see if the vibe is the same. I mean, I’m sure the community in terms of the creativity and the welcome, the atmosphere is all the same.
[00:03:15.260] – Naima
And fun fact, one of the women that I talked to there told me this started as an Australian thing. Once it started to grow worldwide into this worldwide phenomenon, Australia switched it up, and now they do a fashion tea party. The other thing I will say, the first year I went to DC Rock tales, it was almost like prom. It was very formal, and everybody was frilly and girly and it was really nice. So the second year I went, randomly, it was very denim heavy. So everybody just happened to wear all these denim things. And then the New York one is just like, come as you are. Everybody came in their vibe. So that was cool. Shameless plug. All three of my Frocktail outfits are going to be on display. So if you’re in DC, there is a gallery opening at Willow Street Galleries. The exhibit opens next Friday, the 18th, and all three of my Frocktail’s outfits are going to be on display. Not for sale. You can touch them and see the work that went into them.
[00:04:26.760] – LaTisha
There was a young lady there who came up from Virginia Beach Beach, and she is actually follow our podcast. She drove up for the frocktails and how she brings others up. We were giving out our cards. Regarding the podcast, she was like, Oh, my goodness, I watch you all. They’re like, What? Thank you.
[00:04:47.280] – Zahiyya
This is great. One of the highlights of the night, it’s us three. We’re talking to each other, but you don’t hear the feedback. So it’s just like to get feedback from actual people that are listening, which is great. So we definitely have to have it on. So any last things you want to add to your experience of the New York Frock tales before we wrap up?
[00:05:05.800] – Naima
I will say find your version of Frocktails. If you’re not into fashion, whatever you’re into, find your version of it because it is an experience like no other. And you will find your people at an event like this?
[00:05:17.680] – Zahiyya
It’s like only certain people can appreciate the time and the detail and all that stuff that goes into making a garment. On my website, Cover Me Chic, there’s a download for the kimona pattern, but it’s a simplified version of this. So it’s a free pattern. So if you’re interested in actually making a kimono, you can download the pattern for free on Cover Me Chic. Com. Also, I do sell a fabric as well. Okay, so that’s a wrap. I’m Zahiyyaa from Region Design Lab, and we are Designers, Plants, and Coffee. See you next time.
