Last month, G-Sync Events singled out Let’s Talk GR Music, a community-building event that invited musicians and band members to discuss how we see our local music scene, but also how we might be able to address any threats to our region’s success.
What organizers had thought could devolve into a complaint fest with little hope of getting to a second conversation if the first event posting's rants proved to be the norm at the Wealthy Annex session quickly dissipated like our first snow of the season, as the room was overwhelmed with scores of artists — young and old, fresh and seasoned — who packed the tiny venue.
Another group that has been quietly organizing their diverse membership of talented creatives are the members of the Grand Rapids Industry Mixer Mondays, a monthly mixer event hosted on the second Monday of each month as a way to encourage networking and build relationships within our budding fashion scene.
If you are scratching your head at the possibility of a rising scene of fashion creatives here in Grand Rapids, then maybe the signs are not everywhere just yet.
However, when looking around our city in places like the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology’s Ambrose — a new social enterprise textile business that relocated to Grand Rapids — to Kendall College of Art and Design’s rapidly expanding fashion education program, it becomes very clear that the times are a-changing.
A special holiday mixer at Donkey has been organized by Generation X and Y for Michigan, and is inviting Grand Rapids fashionistas with various backgrounds in the areas of fashion design, photography, writing, stylists, heck, anyone who is looking to expand or connect their fashion-focused brands within our market.
It's a chance to connect with others within our local fashion scene but also create an environment in which folks can collaborate while building a cohesive community to bridge the talent of our region.
Much of the energy and inspiration we are enjoying here is due to the work of local brands like A. K. Rikk’s — our award-winning and worldwide renowned fashion store located in Cascade. Their work over the years in the area of fashion has ensured that our local brands that are seeking to gain steam will at least have access to international brands to model or emulate for inspiration for their own lines.
The latest offering in a long string of imaginative fashion-focused events from A.K. Rikk’s included the brilliant move to host the Helmut Lang pop-up shop on November 19 -22.
GR Fashion Industry Mixer Mondays will be hosting their annual holiday gathering at Donkey on Wealthy Street in East Hills. If you missed
Let’s Talk GR Music, the second installment of this gathering will be held on the same night as the fashion event and at the spacious Intersection Lounge on Grandville Ave NW.