Belfast Alternative Fashion Week took over Holywood High Street on September 16 for a showcase ahead of the main event in November, presenting a Friday night “Urban Catwalk” fashion show as part of Northern Ireland’s Culture Night 2016.
Heather McLean – Alternative Face of Ace
With many people calling for the fashion industry to open up the catwalk to models of all shapes and sizes, BAFW along with ACE, a talent agency in NI, have done just that.
Actively recruiting models who are representative of all walks of society At Holywood’s Culture Night on September 16, BAFW designer Emma Gilles – who owns the ‘Crafty’ label producing one-off, edgy, quirky designer items – used models provided by BAFW’s ACE to put on an “Urban Catwalk”, one of NI’s very first all-inclusive fashion catwalk shows.
As night fell, the show took over the High Street with music on stage provided by legendary jazz trumpeter Linley Hamilton and his band, creating a fabulous, fun-filled atmosphere.
With make-up applied by Paula Graffin, hair-styling and clothing by Emma Gilles and BAFW henna artist Binder Tohani working behind the scenes, the models provided by BAFW’s ACE were dressed in Emma’s ‘Crafty’ street style clothing and ready to strut their stuff on the urban catwalk.
Among the models were drag queen Sassie, Stacey Paris, who has two prosthetic legs, mature tattooed model Diane Baker, Gothic model Morgan Lawless, petite model Torii Wilson, curvy model Amanda Wiseley, mature male model Gary Jackson (who wore tailored suits by BAFW designer Dee Graham) and silver-haired mature model Denise O’ Neill.
Belfast Alternative Fashion Week is the brainchild of Shelley Rodgers who is keen to represent and work with talent within the modelling industry and beyond to showcase the diversity found in Northern Ireland.
