Art Loves Fashion Runway Show Launches Spectrum Art Fair

This year, local fashion fiends can kick off Miami Art Week with the pop of a champagne and the sparkle of a runway. At Art Loves Fashion, the opening event for Spectrum Miami, waifish models will strut down the catwalk in garments made by international designers while artist Ian Lantz displays interactive artwork and Caribbean pop superstar Tebby provides the soundtrack.

Art Loves Fashion is produced by Planet Fashion TV, an unscripted half-hour show hosted by Sea Star Films owner Celia Evans. Planet Fashion TV covers international style, beauty, fashion, and music and also throws events such as Art Loves Fashion to promote the series.
Evans wanted to create an all-encompassing and entertaining event for opening night of Spectrum. “The theme is art of all kinds: singers, dancers, visual artists. It’s a celebration of all things creative. I wanted the feel that it’s not just a cocktail party; it’s a happening. People can walk around and stop at booths. They’ll be having fun because they’re being entertained,” Evans says.

Guests will enjoy live music by New York-based DJ Rob-Lo, pop star Tebby, and indie rock band Zen Per Capita. There will be performance-art tents, such as one manned by celebrity stylist Shervan McClain, who will perform a live transformation on models. Chicago-based artist Ian Lantz will create a colorful interactive painting with visitors. If your tummy is grumbling or you’re feeling parched, you can enjoy restaurant tastings and beverages by LaCroix Sparkling Water, Jack Daniel's, and Herredura Tequila.
Evans is excited to have the Art Loves Fashion event during Art Basel. “Miami has more art galleries than any other city at this point. We have become a premiere destination for art, which is so cool because it’s like a hub of creativity. Miami is the center of this bubbling, emerging thing that’s going on. You can kind of feel it. It’s so dynamic,” she says.

The fashion show will take place on a simple white runway in the middle of Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District. Los Angeles-based company Art Hearts Fashion, which runs L.A. Fashion Week, is producing the fashion show. The designers at Spectrum haven't yet been announced; for past events, Art Hearts has featured international and diverse fashion houses in the past, including Betsey Johnson, Manolo Blahnik, and Vivian Westwood.

The fashion industry is notoriously difficult to survive, and Miami’s environment presents unique challenges and advantages. “For fashion, Miami is still the younger cousin to the art scene. It doesn’t have the infrastructure to be a major fashion city. By that I mean the buyers. We support a lot of emerging designers, and it’s very hard for us to find the industry infrastructure that’s in New York and L.A. It’s not there yet,” Evans says.

But there’s also a silver lining to being a designer in a nascent city such as Miami. “What’s cool in Miami is that you can produce for cheaper and you can experiment. There’s also a really luxury scene. You can get clothing worn by celebrities and printed in magazines more than L.A. or New York. It’s a great place for inspiring fashion and publicizing your fashion,” Evans says. “In L.A. or NYC, it’s hard to go outside the box because the industry is so established. Miami is, like, anything goes. You can break out with interesting stuff as an artist and designer. You can experiment here.”

Art Loves Fashion
6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, November 30, at Spectrum Miami (1700 NE Second Ave., Miami). General admission costs $65; VIP costs $150. Visit planetfashionevents.com.