By Diana Cavagnaro
RAW Natural Born Artists was presented on July 30 at the House of Blues Downtown. This organization is an international community made up of independent artists from the visual arts, film, fashion, music, and performance arts. It began in 2009 and now the show has grown so large that it is produced in 70-plus cities and showcases up-and-coming local talent. The theme for the evening was “Arise” and talented RAW artists emerged to present their work. The evening began with time to grab a cocktail and mix and mingle while networking and visiting all the artist booths. There was fabulous photography, artwork, graffiti art, and accessory designers on-hand.
One of the favorites was the Pina Nina Jewelry made from bottle caps. Boss Lady Bling Blingy Jewelry was custom-made and drew an audience. Marenn Espiritu showed incredible artwork and the crowd was especially drawn to a picture of a tiger. Musical acts performed onstage along with performing artists such as dance troupes. The stage also highlighted fashion designers showing off their collections. Stacy Powers Pinup was one of the designers. Models came out two at a time dancing on the stage and entertaining everyone with their rockabilly fashion. This new line of clothing is custom-made for any age and is made just for the edgy rockabilly/pinup gal.
House of Ryura Designs is a style inspired by cosplay, which comes from video games and anime/martial arts. Cosplay is a portmanteau of the words “costume” and “play” and participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Designer Damion Ryura studied at the Art Institute of New York and recently moved to San Diego. “Blazblue” (a video game franchise), Pride Bushido (a form of mixed martial arts) and the shapes of the armor of the samurai warrior inspired Ryura’s latest series. Ryura’s designs showed off bold colors of black and red with princess and straight lines. The fabulous makeup on the models finished the cosplay look and definitely stood out in a crowd. The audience went wild!
The finale for the evening was Veteran Couture, who came down from Hollywood, California. Designer Carolina Hernandez joined the U.S. Navy in 2005. She went on to fashion school and graduated from the Art Institute of California-San Diego in 2014. She currently juggles both the U.S. Navy Reserves and designing for her business Veteran Couture. Hernandez picked the American flag as her inspiration for the collection that she presented. Models came down the runway in all different combinations of red, white, and blue. Some of the fabrics were solids but others were stripes, some even featured polka dots. Jena Masero, one of the models, is Continental Miss World and Reina Hispanoamericana 2019. The models rocked the runway to an enthusiastic crowd. To stay tuned for the next RAW Artist event, visit: www.rawartists.com
Upcoming Events
September 15, 2019-Fall Bridal Bazaar with fashion shows presented by Gretchen Productions at the San Diego Convention Center. Three shows presented throughout the day. For more info: 760-334-5500
September 21, 2019-15th annual “Strut for Sobriety!” boutique, luncheon, awards ceremony and fashion show to be held by A New PATH at the Sheraton Harbor Island Marina Tower. The event celebrates recovery from drug addiction. Fashion show produced by Gretchen Productions. For info: 619-670-1184
— Diana Cavagnaro is an internationally renowned couture milliner based in the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Learn more about our hat designer, teacher and blogger at www.DianaCavagnaro.com.
