Beneath the Kennedy Expressway, house music beats played in the background, blending with the distant sounds of cars and the occasional Metra train passing by. Claps and cheers echo throughout the skate park, as audience members lean forward to capture walking models with their phones while their legs hang off ramps marked with shades of blue, yellow and red graffiti.
While the Logan Boulevard Skate Park offers a setting for skaters to show their flips and tricks, both skating and streetwear fashion intersect at the park in the “Lawless x Doll House Fashion Show and Afterparty Skate Jam” on Saturday, Oct. 5 that featured Columbia students.
The event kicked off at 7:30 p.m. with an introduction from DJ Ayu Eini setting the stage for an evening filled with a fashion show, live DJ music sets and a skateboarding afterparty. The fashion show featured designs from five designers—Orphic, Mendy, Sumsotakids, Resurrected and JJ Goods—presented by 15 models. Tickets were sold for $10.
The event marked the third event for Lawless, a creative skate community founded by senior film major Jade Bailey, and the first runway collaboration with Doll House, a DIY space created by Sassy Dougherty, a senior fashion merchandising major.
Through Lawless, Bailey said she wanted “to push the belief that there are no limits to your growth, and we want to bring diverse groups together through different art forms and the act of creation in the skate community.” Bailey said that the idea for Lawless, founded in May, started from Columbia’s Skating Club, which she co-created alongside Dougherty in their sophomore year.
“I wanted to start Lawless because I felt kind of held back by the school’s limitations and regulations,” Bailey said. “I felt that I could serve the community more as a group,”
Despite just three weeks of preparation, Dougherty said she was excited about the collaboration at the skatepark in front of an audience.
“I hope people communicate and talk about what designer was their favorite because that’s the best part,” she said. “I hope everyone makes a friend because that’s such a big part of the community.”
With 50 people scheduled through Eventbrite to attend, the runaway show marked a first for many designers and models.
“I didn’t realize I could take this hobby that I’m just doing in my bedroom and make it something that’s like an actual event – like a fashion show,” Mendy Kong, a digital producer at WBEZ said. Kong’s designs feature layering with pastel colored items and many pre existing garments as sustainability is a key for her brand.
Similarly, Chicagoan creator of JJ Goods, Julee Arboleda-Flores, had never seen his looks on a runway before. He displayed six looks on the runway which incorporated a mix of grunginess, androgynous style and streetwear, he said. Alongside his looks, having his own heritage represented on the skating runway was significant to him.
“I have some Mexican models which is really ill,” Arboleda-Flores said. “Anytime I can put my own people on the forefront of this and show unique ways to dress is something I’m very thankful for.”
His models expressed excitement over the new opportunity to walk the runway.
“I feel pretty good, it’s something new for me,” Leticia Arce, a junior fashion merchandising major from Peru, said. “In my country, we didn’t have something like this and I am happy to network and better my career.”
Before his models started the show, Dillion Scheel from Minneapolis, Minn. snapped photos of his models wearing Orphic t-shirts and pants. Scheel dropped Orphic, a clothing community, three weeks ago before he flew in on Thursday, Oct. 3rd, to be a part of the show.
Scheel said the entire show felt surreal, especially hosting at a skatepark.
“When it comes to the skate community, I look at it as when they get behind something, it’s a movement not a community,” he said.
As DJ Ayu continued to spin tracks, Scheel followed a model onto the concrete runway. Before the model completed their usual U-turn, both stopped in front of the audience. Scheel shook a spray can and painted “UR ART” on the front and back of their white shirt.
Olive Swarts, a sophomore fashion studies major, said the live art performance was her favorite moment.
“For me it was not a piece but the live graffiti onto the white shirt. I love live art and seeing it all happen and also in reference to the skatepark culture and graffiti, it was just great,” Swarts said.
During transitions between designers, skateboarders skated through the concrete runway between ramps.
Sid Villegas from south side Chicago, came with his skateboard in hand to support a friend modeling in the show. Villegas regularly comes to skate in Logan Square and enjoys the energy of the location and event.
“Skating is like fashion in the sense of how you land a trick. Everyone has their own style to how they skate,” Villegas said.
Fellow skater and new to the city, audience member Ace Oliveira heard about the event through a friend. She said she enjoyed the cross over between both skating and fashion communities.
“Both are similar in the sense that skateboarding you have to be careful and aware of your surroundings while in fashion you have to be meticulous in what you put together,” she said.
Francesca Galet, a sophomore fine arts major, said her favorite part of the show was the final collections walk, when all designers and their models came out one after one during applause.
“I’ve heard of Logan Square being a staple for creatives in the city and it was just really beautiful to see. I saw a lot of familiar faces because our small school makes a community,” Galet said, “I really did enjoy my time here and just seeing everybody express themselves and have joy.”
Copy edited by Manuel Nocera
