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In The Moda

Tribune photo by VICTOR JUNCO

The Goth-inspired designs of Joleane "Acidbull" Santiago will be featured at the upcoming Hispanic Designer Fashion Show.

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By CLOE CABRERA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 18, 2008

TAMPA - As an aspiring fashion designer in the 1980s, Sonia Grays dealt with lots of rejection.

"It was difficult to get anyone to even look at my designs," says Grays, 53, a Puerto Rican who grew up in Chicago. "Even if you wanted a job as a window dresser, if you didn't know someone at the store, they wouldn't even see you. No one paid attention to Hispanic designers back then."

Decades later, Grays is giving up-and-coming Latino designers a venue to showcase their moda, or fashion.

A dozen Latino designers and a troupe of sashaying models will flaunt swimwear, casual, evening and gothic looks at the first Hispanic Designer Fashion Show on Thursday at the West Tampa Convention Center.

The original garments will feature cultural influences, recyclable fabrics, edible ingredients and hand-painted fabrics adorned with elaborate beading, buckles and bows.

Grays, whose company, Convergencia International, is producing the show, says there is incredible design talent in Tampa's Hispanic community, but there are no venues for Hispanic designers to show what they can do.

All the designers in the show are students at the International Academy of Design & Technology in Tampa. Their participation was based on their talent and collections, says Raul Martinez, a featured student designer who helped select the other students in the show.

"These designers have what it takes to put a show like this together," Martinez says. "Some of them have collections; some have designed their first collection for this show. Their designs are what you see on the runways. They're very well-made and very wearable."

It's a great opportunity for the designers to showcase their work, says Ashley Scollo, fashion department manager for the academy. "Some students don't get the opportunity to show their collections while they're in school. This is something that can boost their careers. And, it speaks to the level of students we have here."

The Hispanic Designer Fashion Show has been several months in the making, says Ciso Saavedra of Convergencia International. He hopes to make it an annual event to serve as a platform for emerging and graduate Latino fashion designers.

Here's a look at four designers and the creations they'll feature in the show.

Designer: Joleane "Acidbull" Santiago

Model: Zephyr Sapphire

The dress: "Gothic Beauty"

(View The Photo)

Yolanda Roman thought it was just a passing phase when her daughter began dressing in black in the 1980s.

"Take off those clothes," she would tell her daughter. "I want to see you in color."

But it wasn't a phase for Joleane Santiago, whose "Sweet Depression" Goth collection was inspired by the character "Pinhead" from the movie "Hellraiser." Priests, nuns and rosary beads also inspire her designs.

The "Sweet Depression" line includes black and gray gowns and ready-to-wear dresses with corsets and netting in satin, twills and organza. Santiago likes to mix and match sheer and heavy fabrics and adorn her creations with hardware such as belts, buckles and zippers.

Some of the pieces will be featured in "Fallen Faithless," an upcoming, locally made, independent film.

Santiago, who graduates from the academy in 2009, says people often make negative assumptions about Goth fashion, but she wants to dispel the myths.

"Some people stereotype Goth as grungy and sloppy," says Santiago, a 38-year-old Nuyorican (born in New York of Puerto Rican parents). "The way I interpret Goth, it can be very elegant. I want to take Goth high-fashion but not mainstream. I want to stay unique."

Designer: Julisa Guzman

Model: Stefany Santander

The dress: Versace replica

(View The Photo)

Rejection letters from two prestigious New York fashion design schools - Parsons The New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology - didn't discourage Julisa Guzman from pursuing her design dreams. They just made her more determined to succeed.

"My parents always told me never to give up," says Guzman, 21, who moved to Tampa in 2004 from New York to attend the academy. "If you don't follow your dream, you won't end up anywhere."

High-fashion couture is Guzman's calling card. Her elegant gowns are crafted from sumptuous fabrics such as silk Georgette, crepe, back satin and silk charmeuse.

She likes to tweak designs from famous names such as Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior and Chanel and make them her own.

"I want women to feel glamorous when they wear my garments," says Guzman, an Orlando resident who works in real estate and will graduate at the end of the year. "Versace has nothing on me."

Designer: Rogerio Martins

Model: Alexandra Berry

The dress: "Fejoada"

(View The Photo)

When Brazilian-born Rogerio Martins needs inspiration for his designs, he turns to the dinner table.

It took Martins two 3-pound bags of black beans and rice, lots of glue and mesh, and more than a week to create his signature "Fejoada" dress, named after the national dish of Brazil.

"Rice and beans are very typical in my culture," says Martins, who is in his 30s and lives in Redington Beach. "What better way to pay tribute to your culture than with the food?"

The "Fejoada" dress is part of Martins' "Dinnertime" minicollection. It includes a minidress called "Soup," made of pumpkinseeds, lentils, garbanzo beans, chickpeas and other legumes, and a red chili-pepper jumpsuit he calls "Hot Sauce." He also has a line made of painted canvas called "Woman on Canvas" and a line made of recyclable materials - newspaper, palm tree fiber, grape leaves, even a lampshade - he calls "The Female Being."

Martins, who has exhibited sculptures and paintings at the Florida International Museum of Art, says when he creates a one-of-a-kind fashion piece, he never duplicates ingredients.

"It's a real challenge for me, but it helps me stay creative," says Martins, who graduates this year from the academy. "This is my passion. I want my work to be unique and stand out. I really like food and cooking. And everyone enjoys food."

Designer: Itzel Martinez

Model: Roz Brown

Swimsuit: Mexico-inspired

(View The Photo)

When Itzel Martinez learned about the Hispanic Designer Fashion Show, she went to work creating a new line of swimwear inspired by the colors in the flags of Spanish-speaking countries: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Peru and Spain.

"I figured since it was a Hispanic fashion show, I wanted to do something that was related to Spanish people," said Martinez, 21, a native of Mexico. "And flags are colorful; it was easy to get ideas."

Beachwear isn't her only forte. Martinez also designs evening wear, sportswear, pants, jackets and more.

"I just like to sew; it's like cooking," says Martinez, who will graduate in 2010. "And when I'm done with a piece, I always say, 'Wow, that looks really good.'"

Others seem to think so, too.

Martinez won awards for the best sportswear and swimwear collections last year at the academy's annual fashion show, STRUT.

"It felt like I won a Grammy," the Safety Harbor resident says of the awards. "I imagine that's how you must feel when you win a Grammy."

About The Shoot

When we decided to do this photo shoot, we had one place in mind: Tampa Theatre. The landmark theater in downtown Tampa was built more than 80 years ago. The inside is an architectural mix of Italian Renaissance, Mediterranean, Greek, Byzantine and English Tudor styles with gleaming marble floors and palazzo tile housed beneath a twinkling starlit sky.

The 1,450-seat movie palace, which hosts classic and feature films, concerts and social events, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hispanic Designer Fashion Show

WHAT: A showcase for the designs of 12 Hispanic students from the International Academy of Design & Technology in Tampa

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday (6:30 p.m., networking)

WHERE: West Tampa Convention Center, 3005 Columbus Drive, Tampa

TICKETS: $30 VIP; $20 general admission

INFORMATION: Call Sonia Grays at (813) 407-0333 or Ciso Saavedra at (813) 269-0275.

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656 or ccabrera@tamptarib.com.

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