Moroccan Afternoon / A Study Of Casual Urban Elegance

Summer – 1985 – Perry Ellis, One of my first fashion jobs, and I was on my way to my first overseas business destination, Morocco. To say I was excited is like saying the sun can cause a heat rash, its just a fact, and I was geared for fun! The trip was 3 days, and then on to China, but that was three days I will always remember fondly. The food, wonderful cheerful people, and the culture that left me wanting more. I have never been make, alas, but at least in this fashion expedition, I can return in my heart. In this expedition, I designed casual sophisticated men’s wear looks that are comfortable and very stylish.

View more of this presentation at my digital portfolio:
http://tinyurl.com/bnwkzmy

“Afternoon In The Amazon” / A Study Of Style And Conservation

I created this project for a few reasons so along with my 12 year old sewing machine,serger, and 21 year old well-known sewing mannequin, “Samatha” ( I aquired “Samantha” while a attending  Parsons School Of Design and she is even signed by my then fashion critic of my senior show, the now world famous style-master Marc Jacobs.),  I created a few looks that were meant to show admires of my work the many facets of my talent. From conception to actual sewn samples I do myself, I try to be as free and unbounded with my skills as a designer as I can. The second reason is very important to me. Our Amazon forest are being decimated at an increasing level. Though through conservation efforts, many of these destructive practices are being curtailed, it is still a MAJOR problem in that regain of the world. As many of you know, the Amazon region provides much of the earths’ oxygen, but many people forget about the beautiful indigenous people that call these forest home. There are still over 200 indigenous groups in the Amazon Rainforest , talking 180 different languages and each with their own cultural heritage. If you narrow your view to language families you will still find 30 different language families in the Amazon rainforest.

This shows that like the flora and fauna , the cultural diversity in the region is also very high, making it an even more interesting and rich place. The Kuarup is the biggest indigenous festival and it has being happening annually in July or August for centuries. The Kuarup festival brings many different tribes together to celebrate and honor their dead. Although the motivation is not the most cheerful one the festivities are happy and very enjoyable for outsiders. It’s a huge demonstration of indigenous dance, music, rituals , games and food. Nowadays the Kuarup can be seen by the outsiders on some occasions, not always, as it depends on the mood and willingness of the tribe leaders.There are at least 50 groups that still don’t have regular contact with the outsides and keep away from them. The Brazilian government policy towards these groups is to leave them alone, as they wish. Not very much is known about these groups as they keep going deeper and deeper into the forest as the outsiders get closer to where they live. To stop the constant migration of tribes it has been suggested that an Indigenous Protected Area be setup so they can stop running away into the most remote places of the forest. Another interesting fact and a hope about the indigenous population is that their numbers are increasing. This means that, after 5 centuries being destroyed, they are actually being able to live and grow in their demarcated lands. This is hope for their cultures and way of life. My fathers’ paternal family is part of one of these tribes, so being a descendant of “The Forest”, and as a designer, I wanted to showcase the simple beauty of these people, something the fashion world as yet to do. Show casing my design, in models exhibiting ceremonial face tattoos, jewelry,etc. is a wonderful way to showcase these wonderful people and shed a light on a cause that is close to my heart.

I am always pushing my talents, my creative boundaries are always being expanded slowly.  In this series I wanted to create looks that were inspired by the wonderful Amazon Forest, one of the largest rain forest on this earth. My father is from Sinop,Brazil, much of his family are indigenous people that make their home in the Amazon forest. I have been back to Brazil to my fathers town and my distant relatives to understand their culture and lives. I am proud  to have these wonderful people as  apart of my family, and have learned so much from them. I am deeply disturbed when I hear of the stories of land-robbing, brutality, deforestation, and even murder from my relatives. When they rely these stories to me, they always have hurt and regret in their voice and tears in their eyes.  I wanted  a powerful fashion based medium  that could get the message out concerning what is going on in the Amazon. I chose colors and fabrics that were luxurious, but reminiscent of all the colors, hues, and scenery dynamics of this great forest and her animals.  I even chose to use indigenous models to wear my fashions, in celebration of the Metyktire Tribe, the indigenous people of my father. I will be continuing this series, as I have created 7 key looks that I have sampled. I wanted to bring awareness to the many problems of the Amazon because of greed. I think the one statement ” This is my home” is powerful, and reminds us all that these wonderful forests, these mystical lands are the native homelands of living human beings that have existed in these sacred forest  for hundreds of years, long before the europeans.

In this presentation below, I wanted to create a retail environment that was ‘spa-like’, soothing visually. I would   use bamboo on the walls , center area of the boutique, waiting rooms, etc. The flooring is of linoleum, a well known green material. The lighting are to be made of organic silk and paper .  The end result will hopefully soothe the shopper, asking then to simply, ‘slow down, and smell the roses of life’.

Fashion Spotlight: “Game Of Thrones” Jason Momoa “Fashion and Fantasy- Study Of Style”

As Jason Momoa was trying out for the role of mighty warlord Khal Drogo in HBO’s Game of Thrones, he read George R.R. Martin’s novel. He recalls his reaction when he reached the end of the book:

“I was reading it and I was like: ‘Holy s–t! F–k, I’m dead!’”

Indeed! Even as viewers were reeling from losing Sean Bean’s Ned Stark in episode 9, Thronesdelivered a second heavy blow in Sunday’s season finale: The toughest character in Thronesdied from an infected cut (helped along by a vengeful woman whose village Drogo’s army destroyed).

“When I read that Khal Drogo role, I was blown away,” Momoa says. “I couldn’t believe it was happening, I had to have that role. I was like, ‘Nobody is going to take that role from me.’”

GAME OF THRONES: Get the latest news, photos, and more

Momoa had to learn the invented Dothraki language, which he memorized by thinking of each line of dialog as if it were music. Playing the stoic character was also more challenging than it may have looked on screen.

“People say it’s easy — ‘You’re just sitting there!’” he says. “But it’s extremely hard to be extremely intimidating, and say everything but not say anything.” (Read it again and you’ll get it).

The actor will be seen this summer in the big screen reboot of Conan the Barbarian, a coveted role that he says Thrones helped him land (the projects shared a casting director). He says he’ll miss being on Thrones, but encourages fans to stick with the show.“It’s amazing what [George R.R. Martin] sets up,” he says of the novels. “Here’s your lead characters, you’re supposed to think about them one way, and you hate them, then you love them, and then they’re killed and it’s a whirlwind of emotion. All the little kids and even the smallest of characters just grow and grow and grow. He built a beautiful world. I’m bummed I’m not going back. To play Khal Drogo was phenomenal and I wished there was more stuff he could have done, I’m going to miss that character.”

Fashion wise, Jason Momoa is a mens wear designers’ dream. The hunky 6’5″  style chameleon would look great in a Glade plastic bag. As a designer and stylist, the first task at hand would be ‘The Conversation’. I would want to know what makes him happy, what things does he like, what is he comfortable in, and if he has ‘problem areas’, what are they? (stop snickering, I don’t see any flaws on this man either). In my presentation, I kept in mind that  Jason is a free-spririt, which means that he more than likely would not be following any major trends VERY closely. “Free-spirited” fashion magnets usually walk the fine line in-between chic and comfort, wearing a pair of weary,path-beatened birkenstocks , well worn denim jeans , a colorful Herme’s scarf coupled with a $15,000 birkin ‘man-bag’ (the oversized birkin that is usually larger than the original birkin). What you have just witnessed is called ‘style Je ne sais pas quoin’, the intuitive style that some individuals have, making them look wonderful in just about anything.  Above are a few of my designs aimed for Jason. I attempted to dress Jason in more casual styles, shying away from his normal ultra casual persona. I then added luxury details , such as the crocodile bomber jacket  coupled with a pair of flat front tropical wool trousers.   Overall, the presentation is a fun but very stylish, casual but very sexy. I think Jason would approve.

All footwear is sponsored by “Mr Porter “ take a look at this wonderful site, the number 1 online menswear shopping hub for ALL distinguished fashion insiders. If you need styling services, contact me through my site on the right side of the blog. Happy Shopping

Redhead Revolution / Julian Moore

Julianne Moore, when I think of some of the MOST versatile and  endearing actors,she is one my top 5 list. From her delicate performance in “The Hours”, to her tour de force performance in “Hannibal”.  In my book, she has always been a ‘bankable’ actor, and when I see her name on the marque, I am usually buying a ticket, or getting ready to settle in and enjoy my viewing experience. Emmy’s 2012 was a fashion disappointment for me concerning Mrs. Moore. wearing a vintage canary yellow Dior pulled out of the vaults of the esteemed fashion house. I wrote a blog about this, saying that I would “reinvent” Mrs Moore, and design her a new look. I have to admit, I started out to do just that but then as I was creating and working I began to consider that my intentions may have been misguided. I have a great respect for the design process, and even more respect for the ultimate choice of the  consumer or client. These celebs made their decisions, so let it be. Instead I was steered in a different direction, a direction of fun and irony.

In this presentation I wanted to represent a Julianne that was fun, full of joy , and colorful. I decked her out in a lambskin technicolor red bomber,  lined in vibrant crimson faux long haired fox. The sleeves have self fabric buckles nearly up the sleeve, looking very edgy , but wonderful. This jacket is coupled with a multi-colored silk jersey dress, with vibrant shades to match. The back illustration has Mrs Moore wearing a sexy croc leather /jersey dress with self pleated skirt.

Julianne Moore, in my opinion, could have chosen a ‘better’ dress for the Emmy’s, but the dress she chose is now apart of fashion/television history. Time now to maybe create a little history of my own.

Fifty Shades Of Grey- A Foray Into Visual Character Study Utilizing Fashion Illustration

My most recent project is about a publication that is so controversial, loved and hated by many, I had to take the opportunity to see what I could come up with. “Fifty Shades Of Grey” is one of those novels that comes along once in a decade, not very well written, (as some ‘novel-nazi’s’ have pointed out) but TOTALLY engrossing concerning its subject matter and character development. Just incase you have been under a rock, or on the moon for the last year, here is the synopsis of this twisted tale. When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating.

Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind – until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.  The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her – but on his own terms.
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny. Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds? As a designer, I am a creative, and all things that are creative in nature inspire me, hence my small presentation.

The movie for this popular novel is slated for a 2013 release, and the internet is a buzz with who is going to play the main characters. I have been to more blogs and forums that I care to admit concerning this novel, and they are ALL saying one thing, The RIGHT actor (s) have to be chosen for this project to be taken seriously. Many names have been tossed up, but I thought it would be awesome to create my own version of the main characters, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. I read the novel in 2 days, and took notes about the  physical appearance of each character, this project turned out to be fun, but challenging. I know as this blog makes its way into the “world-wide sphere of online-dom”, many are going to have their opinions, I just hope that I have touched on what many of the fans want and expect on the big screen come 2013.

Concerning the looks I designed / styled, I did not stray to far from the obvious, but kept attention to design and detail. Two looks are done for Christian and one for Anastasia. The first look is a notched lapel night grey tropical wool 3 piece suit, accented with a silver , metallic necktie. The sporty look I designed for christian consisted of a draped , color-blocked knit top , and straight legged raw denim jeans. In this look, I continued the same color scheme, but added blood red as a ‘pop’. Anastasia is wearing a draped leather/knit jersey  dress. The sleeves are deconstructed sewn patches, while the rest of the dress is a draped soft jersey, all in black. The dress symbolized anastasia’s transformation throughout the book. The soft  jersey, migrating into deconstructed leather sleeves shows Anastasia’s ‘undoing’, as she delves deeper and deeper into her forbidden desire for Christian. The leather patched detail gives an idea of how Anastasia is ‘torn’, concerning her desire and who she is as a person. Overall, the project was fun, and something I would do again.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Sam Merlotte & Luna Garza

Merlotte, a shapeshifter, is the owner of the bar/restaurant Merlotte’s Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. In his early 30′s, he is of average height and strong build, with gray eyes and shaggy brown
hair, much in line with his alternate form. While he can change into any animal (so long as there is a suitable ‘template’ animal around for him to use as a basis), Sam’s preferred alternate shape is that of
a light-colored border collie.Like all shapeshifters, Sam feels a strong urge to change shape on the nights of a full moon. The rest of the time he can do so at will. He often will go for runs in dog form
through the local woods with his canine friend. Luna Garza is Sam’s girlfriend.As of now, little of Luna’s backstory is known.

Luna is of Mexican descent on her mother’s side and Native American descent on her father’s side. Luna’s mother died giving birth to her and she was raised by her father and grandparents in a
Navajo reservation. As Luna’s mother died giving birth to her, Luna is responsible for indirectly ending her mother’s life. A shapeshifter who kills another shapeshifting member of their family
becomes a skinwalker, someone capable of turning into any animal (including humans) on Earth. The Navajo believed skinwalkers to be evil witches so Luna most likely had a difficult time growing up.
At some stage, she shapeshifted intoher dead mother. Luna deemed the experience “crazy” and “scary” but she was also happy to assume the form her own mother who she never remembered. I designed
and styled looks that were constructed of naturally derived fibers and or skins. Shapehifters, in my opinion and according to the back story, are creatures of nature. I thought at first to design and style
looks that were reminiscent of native american heritage, but that would have been to easy, and some what predictable. Instead I kept the looks simple, with details that were symbolic of these
chracters, and their special powers. Shapeshifters can take on the shape of any animal, so I designed a pair of denim jeans for same that utilized a cut and sew “patchwork” detail, with patches of linen,
and suede to symbolize the different animal and energies that these characters can take on.

The blazer is constructed from linen, a fabrication that has been utilized for over 7,000 years. Finally, Sam’s footwear is of a simple construction, single piece construction. Luna’s look is simple,
but very sexy. The top is of suede,very strappy. Added wasa simple ezymed washed mini skirt,distressed heavily. Finally, Luna’s ancestory played a large part in my design decisions.
This instance I did want to acknowledge her native american lineage. The suede boots are fridged
with a 5 inch heel.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Lafayette Reynolds & Jesus Velasquez

Lafayette Reynolds is the short order cook at Merlotte’s Bar and Grill, cousin of Tara
Thornton and nephew of Lettie Mae Daniels. Recently find out that he is medium and
also has magical ablities.Lafayette is a flamboyant, charismatic gay man. Although
partaking in very illegal activities, he’s a good person at heart, and is careful not
to harm his customers with the drugs he deals. He takes care of his loved ones, no
matter what strange problems they have. He is suspicious and went through a lot in
his life. He is the kind of guy with a sense of black humor.
Jesús Velásquez (pronounced heh-soos) was the boyfriend of Lafayette Reynolds.
A brujo of Mexican origin, he met his partner while being employed as a medical
nurse for Lafayette’s mother Ruby Jean. He discovered that Lafayette was “powerful”
and carefully introduced him to witchcraft, magic and mediumship. Eventually he
managed to get Lafayette to join the witch coven of Marnie Stonebrook, a friend of his.
I love Lafayette and Jesus as characters, the only gay couple on “True Blood”.
Lafayette Reynolds was designed with a Keith Haring inspired velvet jacket. The jacket
is fun, with sequined Keith Haring graphics down the left arm, front and left yoke.
The denim jeans are pigment printed with a similiar graphic style. The whole look is
fun, dramatic, and colorful, just like the personality of Lafayette. Jesús Velásquez is
Lafayette’s lover , and is as wonderful as Lafayette. I designed a look that was
traditional concerning Jesús Velásquez native culture. Jesus is wearing a cotton
guayabera shirt, coupled with a tailored linen blazor , and linen drawstring pants .
The end look is casual ,elegant and reminiscent of the beautiful cuclture that
Jesus’s magick originates.

True Blood “Fashion Pinpoint-One Look/One Story” Subject: Jason Stackhouse

Jason Stackhouse is the older brother of While Jason did not inherit any powers as his sister did, he does carry the blood of his fae ancestors, which makes him more attractive to straight women and gay men. As a former football star Quarterback, Jason is very athletic and keeps up his fitness through an intense workout regimen. Fearless and loyal to a fault, he will often run into dangerous situations without fully thinking them through. He is shown to be capable of handling himself in a fight and is unafraid to challenge or attack individuals with strength that dwarfs his own if someone he cares about is in danger. He has proven multiple times he is quite proficient in the use firearms as he usually hits his intented target with uncanny accuracy. He is also quite brave and outspoken. While he can seem like the epitome of a “simple southerner” and is not very “book smart,” Jason is much more intelligent than others (and himself) give him credit for. He has shown an incredible capacity for logical thinking and problem solving, getting himself out of a variety of dangerous situations.
In the books he is turned into a werepanther and as thus he can switch from panther to human form; in the series his transformation apparently will never happen. Despite having fae blood, Jason is not of supernatural status as Maryann was able to influence him and only the supernaturals were immune to Maryann’s influencing power. I dressed Jason in a style that I feel he would actually wear in real life. The military jacket is decorated with medals is a symbol of Jason’ s new status as a cop, and a figure of authority.

Fashion In Technicolor / A Study Of Color , Design, and Luxury

Since a little boy, like many of us that were artistically inclined, I loved color. No REALLY, I ADORED color, big gobs of bright and wonderful colors  that stimulated my young  imagination. Being a designer in NYC, color was always a “bad word”. You could use color for “pop” to accent garments,  and maybe as ground color for some designs concerning  the warmer seasons, but I was always told to be safe. “Never use bright colors, people don’t like bright colors”, is what I was often told by my career mentors. “Bright colors are cheap, it is a designer’s job to know when less is more”, another word of advice that I have built my design career on. As a freelancer, I design for many clients, and each client has  specific needs. This recession has hit my business, as well as many of my other freelance brethren hard, having me to redefine what I value as a designer, my views and thoughts on “design fundamentals” that I have been taught. This collection is for ME, in celebration of that little 7 year old boy that would look at his magic marker for hours, amazed at the rich hues that appeared on my paper. I will use color in abandon, wreaking havoc concerning the spectrum, and REALLY utilizing my Pantone book, not just for the socially accepted hues, but for colors that simply make me happy to look at. These looks are also experimenting with luxury based fabrics, skins, and precious metal trims, combining the absurd with the sublime. In this project, I am a child again, my magic markers have been replaced with my trusty mac, But I WILL find a joy that I have long lost. I hope viewing this collection has made you as happy as it has made me, cause this is DAMN FUN!

I would like to add that this project is dedicated to Patrick Kelly, a man that I never met, but his work and talent has always been a source of inspiration.

Check back as often as you like, this will be an on-going project for the next few months!

Talent Spotlight / Seaki Creative Services

Hello everyone, As many of you know, I m an international freelance fashion designer based in NYC. I have done this video to introduce myself to the online professional community, and those of you that need graphic and or Product design services Pls feel free to check out my online portfolio by clicking HERE

In the video, you will see just a few of the services that I offer as a Fashion design consultant. Some of these services include: Product design, Fashion Illustration, Product Branding, Graphic Design, Technical Design, Production Assistance, and Sourcing. Feel free to call me to discuss your creative needs.

Thanks

Seaki