11 Apr Fashion Preview #7 – V-Franz Runway Show

It was the beginning of the second evening of Fashion Preview #7. In the middle of all the preparation madness that was going on backstage, I met VFranz Bernil, the creative mind behind the V-Franz label, and we had a little (quite interesting) talk about his runway show that was about to take place later that day.

With the V-Franz name as the front, the backbone of the show was actually a team of designers – first year students! – from LaSalle College. As a teacher at LaSalle, VFranz wanted to create a platform for his students to showcase what they can do, give them a taste of what’s expecting for them in the industry and help them build confidence. Therefore, and interestingly enough, his presence,  at Fashion Preview, was not at all to sell clothes; the show was the creative statement of the young designers – a commendable initiative. What we admired on the runway was a thematic collection that the designers managed to put together in only 3 weeks, an eclectic mix of ideas and creative visions, while still playing within the lines of the V-Franz label aesthetics.

What we saw was a fun show (the opening track was actually produced by one of the students), with bold and creative designs. In terms of fabrics the designers used a mix of everything – from  sheer fabrics with beautiful embroideries and sequins, to plaid and striped patterns, to even cellophane and garbage bags that were wrapping the shoes. A couple of the outfits were quite daring as the models were boldly walking down the runway with bared breasts. Overall it was a beautiful collection, a cool fusion of creative visions and experimentation and a great showcase of talent on the part of the young designers.

Wanting to push the creative envelope even further, VFranz invited a team of illustrators from Dawson College, who did live illustrations during his show (which you can admire in the photos below), adding an extra medium of visual communication.