Josway or No Way

The road to Fashion Week is always bumpy, and over time I’ve grown accustomed to the spontaneity and vivaciousness of Fashion Week and fashion shows. This season, I’m excited to be working with Josway on his NYFW collection! I am no stranger to working with Josway, and this will be my 3rd run with him and his amazing team.

Prior to Josway, my experience with creating designs and producing fashion shows mainly came from my own brand. However, I have assisted with many productions in college and have created work for other designers as well. My experience in this space made me an asset to the team, as I can sew without supervision, have an exceptional amount of confidence backstage, and have normal hearing.

Now you may be wondering how I got this gig... Craigslist, y'all! Yup, I was scrolling through Craigslist and responded to an ad looking for a seamstress. I noticed that the English was broken and assumed that this person's first language wasn’t English. Josway and I chatted, and instantly we connected over a love for fashion and each other’s work, and looked forward to working together. It wasn’t until he dropped off the fabric that I learned that he was not only Latino but also hearing impaired.

My first assignment was to focus on creating a bralette and flared pants in a variety of sizes, along with pieces for plus-size models. During this process, I was unaware of Josway’s design, so I created a simple body-con dress with small variations. Somewhere in the conversation, I began advocating for myself and my experience in producing and executing fashion shows. I felt that it was important for Josway to know that I am more than a talented seamstress and could be essential to his team. He agreed, and I was excited to see this collection come to life.

Fast forward to the day of the show, it’s LA Fashion Week. I’m parked outside the event dressed in Haus of Klyde as I await Josway. In my suitcase, I have about 30 pieces completed, and I’ve been told that we’re dressing over 60 models and that we are a part of the first round of designers. I was a little apprehensive about it all, but I felt confident in my work and was looking forward to seeing what Josway and his team produced.

Things backstage at fashion shows move fast, and if you’re not prepared, it can be overwhelming. It’s important to know which pieces are ready, which pieces need a little attention, and which pieces need a specific model. It’s also important to stay on track with models and their sizes, and to remain calm. Things will move quickly, so be attentive with time and be open-minded about your vision; the show will go on!

It wasn’t until I met Josway and his team that I realized that I was the only one with normal hearing. Now you may be wondering, Klyde, do you know sign language? The answer would be no... not a lick. But the language of fashion is universal!

By the time we got backstage, the room became flooded with models, a tsunami if you will. While my pieces fit on a rack of their own, Josway and the team had produced what seemed like a gazillion different pieces including gloves, scarves, shoes, and jewelry! For a second, I had to step back and reevaluate what needed to be done, and I chose to focus on the plus models first.

During fashion shows like this, plus-size models get left on the sidelines, sometimes even coming to a show and not having a look available at all. It was important to me that these plus-size models knew that they aren’t waiting for the smaller models to get dressed first. The plus-size models were shocked to see sheer body-con dresses, intricate sets, and even pants in their sizes. Focusing on them first gives them time to evaluate the things they need to accentuate the look.

The team only had minutes to get these models fully dressed, lined up, and ready to hit the runway! I had to make a dash to the back of the runway to ensure that Josway’s collection was in an order that portrayed his vision of surrealism. Josway and the team continued to dress models, and I swear the looks never ended! It was beautiful to see a full collection of models of all shapes, sizes, and colors with no hold back on details, and everyone had full head-to-toe looks! Josway and the team evaluated the collection, moved some looks around, added some accessories, and then the show began!

My experience working for Josway was like riding a rollercoaster you've been on before but sitting in a different seat. Well aware of what to expect, but the change in perspective gave me an appreciation of the experience that allowed me to soak in my favorite parts. In my opinion, our communication was flawless throughout. We continued to hang out for the duration of the fashion week event, and we repeated the same formula for NYFW that same year! The Model Experience Fashion Festival was a very accommodating event. However, I hear most shows won't provide accommodations for disabled designers like interpreters. While models with special needs have been popular, there is a world of designers out there that can't present their work due to lack of accommodations. (Now what am I gonna do about that... I don't know yet, but I'm thinking really hard about it)

NYFW is on the horizon! It’s Josway or No Way again this year, and I have sketches from the designer and fabric! Check out my next post where I will talk about my experience designing for another brand, styling myself for fashion week on a budget, and whatever else I choose to ramble on about!

The gallery below features some of the work I created for the collection. To see more of this collection and his work follow @Joswaycollection

Please comment any questions for my next post! Thank you for reading!