As
someone who returned to San Francisco after years of covering fashion
weeks around the world for Vogue, I was intrigued when my editor came
calling with the request to report on Silicon Valley Fashion Week. First
of all, it’s not really a week at all (more like three days), but what
could we possibly expect to see? And what was the impetus behind
creating said fashions? Read on to find out how it all went down on day
one.
“[Burning
Man] was the entry and inspiration for me to get into fashion. It was,
‘How do I survive this’,” said Zack Vhories, a former software engineer
and avid desert dancer who answered his own question by inventing a
hydro-pack (like a flashier Camelbak
) and sonic-pack (essentially a vest that plays music). Vhories’s
brand, Zackees, was one of 12 labels showing on Tuesday night — the
first of a three-night extravaganza launched by former tech business
developer Chris Lindland. His company, Betabrand sells “dress pant yoga pants” and a poo emoji-printed shirtdress.
“It
was one of those, ‘Why the hell not things’,” Lindland said. “[Electric
bike manufacturer] GenZe wanted to do something promotional and I said,
‘Why not fashion week?’”
Held
at The Chapel, a music venue in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood,
the event drew sponsors including custom manufacturer PCH and retail app
Shimmer and has been sold out for weeks. “I love fashion,” said one
attendee who works for Facebook and was dressed in white jeans and a
long sleeved top. “I was just looking at gowns, so Marchesa comes to
mind. But I also like Vince and Rebecca Minkoff.”
Tuesday’s
night’s theme was “electric motion.” (Wearable tech and crowdfunded
fashion are the focuses for Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.) This
meant that amateur and pro models walked the runway—a raised stage the
length of six front row seats—wearing things designed to ameliorate a
city commute: biking gloves that light up and signal for turns, a jacket
that fits a laptop, and reflective outerwear with rechargeable and
programmable glowstick-like trim, easily spotted in traffic. “Why’d I
get into fashion? Because it makes me money,” said Harlen Wilkie, whose
company, Sovo, invented those electric hoodies. Then he added, “Really it’s about safety.”
His friend, Chris, chimed in, “Fashion can be anything.”
An exec from Tespack,
a company specializing in bags and accessories equipped with solar
panels that allow you to charge your iThings, flew in from Finland for
the occasion. “Energy has to go mobile!” said the particularly
enthusiastic rep.
With
that, the night’s MC Mustafa Khan, formerly of Facebook and Eric
Schmidt’s VC firm and wearing a gold lamé suit, introduced the highlight
of the evening: drones with clothes hanging from them. They were
followed by performances from a brave aerialist on a bicycle, two
BMXers, and a very flexible sword dancer. And they say New York Fashion
Week is a circus.
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