A community space in Pittsfield, Massachusetts is getting set to host a local fashion show.
On October 11th, Pittsfielders will have the opportunity to fully express themselves at the "Here and Now Fashion Show."
“Here and Now to me represents that we have access to everything that we every need to be amazing, spectacular, over the top, covering in glitter, walking down North Street in eight inch heels,” said Shonda Evette. The show is her brainchild.
“So that means we have local designers that are putting their hands in the actual materials, creating art of clothing – really authentic stuff, actually, it’s really exciting," she told WAMC. "Also the aspiring models, obviously, that don’t have the opportunities that they are looking for in the Berkshires – they’d have to leave and go to New York or Boston.”
Evette – who moved to the area in early 2018 – had her own experiences trying to make it in the world of fashion in New York City. She found moving to the Berkshires stifled her self-expression.
“OK, so when I moved out here, I noticed that I started adjusting to the Berkshires. Like, I started wearing flannels and hoodies, and although that’s really cute, and I could have dressed that up, I didn’t, and I was just getting real basic with it, and turning into a Berkshire – can I say Berkshire bitch? Berkshire bitch," laughed Evette. "And yeah, I felt that I needed to match my surroundings. And just thinking about that now, it just makes my skin crawl, because that’s not who I am. And I just taking the step out of my comfort zone allowed me to express myself.”
People noticed.
“I feel like everyone has that spark, and a little bit goes a long way," she said. "Just putting on a pair of shoes that I haven’t worn in a while and going to dinner, that elevated my spirit to the max, and I was just like, this is me, this is what I like. I feel amazing, and I want people to be able to feel amazing wherever they are.”
After coming to Pittsfield, a chance to start her own fitness class at the Tyler Street Lab – the Morningside neighborhood’s new community space – led her to a revelation.
“My group or circle of people that I hung out with a lot were majority white people," said Evette. "I wasn’t ever introduced to the West Side, I didn’t know what that was – not that there was anything wrong with that, my experiences out here were dope – but as soon as I started going to the Tyler Street Lab, I started becoming more affiliated with the community, the diversity in the community. It blew me away. I wanted to be there all the time because it felt like home.”
“The Tyler Street Lab is a place for community, and the space is open to anyone. There’s a bunch of different collaborators occupying the space, and you’re welcome to have your events at the Tyler Street Lab, as long as it’s community oriented," said Ranisha Grice, who is helping Evette organize the show. “We reach out to all the local designers and people whose into styling and stylists and fashion, street fashion – it could be whatever. Some people always wanted to be models growing up, some people always wanted to be designers, so this is your opportunity to come in and let that shine.”
Grice is a designer herself, and her hairbands will be on display at the show. She says Pittsfield’s fashion community is just waiting to be discovered.
“It’s definitely untapped, and I think that if we do this right the first time, we have the potential to bring Fashion Week to Pittsfield, so I’m looking forward to see how the doors open to us in the sense of fashion,” Grice told WAMC.
The organizers want the event to celebrate the diversity of Pittsfield in all ways.
“I definitely open the doors for everyone, all shapes and sizes, because you never know who’s going to blow you away or who’s interested who can deliver that funk that I was looking for," said Evette. "And the ages that we were auditioning for for models were 4 and up. We had the cutest little people, the sexiest bigger people, the fitness instructors, the moms. I’m still looking for a pregnant woman and a silver fox, by the way. And I just want to capture all different forms of human – and that’s really important, because it screams community.”
The literal doors open for the "Here and Now Fashion Show" at the Tyler Street Lab at 6:30 p.m. October 11th.
