Tag: sam liu

2012 Fashion for a Passion Sets New Organization Records

DALLAS, TX – Non-profit ATG Against The Grain Productions hosted its 4th Fashion for a Passion (FFAP) charity event on Saturday, Oct. 13th at The Dallas Contemporary Museum in the Dallas Design District. The show set a remarkable new organization record, with nearly 400 guests in attendance who helped to raise nearly $30,000 net, 100% of which will go toward for ATG’s supported orphanages in Asia, scholarship fund and year-round outreach programs. From FFAP veterans to first time guests, Dallas united for a very worthy cause.

Presenting Designers (left to right): Sophia Wu of Leprosy, Jerry Matthews, Joanne Hong of JOLYNN, Danh Ta, Hanh Dang of Lucy Dang, Lizzi Cook of Lizzi London, Khanh Nguyen of Nha Khanh
Photo © Chi Tran

 

The sold-out venue. Photo © Chi Tran

Upon entering the Dallas Contemporary, which was appropriately decked out in the audacious fashion photography of Inez & Vinoodh, guests got to enjoy the stylish ambiance set by Lumiere Lighting & Drapery and tunes by DJs Super T and Prada G, tasty food by DC’s Catering, cocktails by Ben E Keith and dessert by Yogurtland. Hung from the rafters with red rope hangers were the seven designer’s t-shirt design pieces. The work of six Exhibiting Artists Fur Face Boy, Ann He, Anh-Thuy Nguyen, Tam Nguyen, ATG Artistic Scholarship finalist Melissa Woodbridge and ATG Artistic Scholarship winner Thoa Nguyen work were displayed, flanking tables of silent auction packages. Gorgeous models dressed in auction looks accompanied designers to mingle amongst the crowd. Pre-show musical guest performers were from ATG’s community partner Kollaboration Dallas and included Peter P & Robbie G, iCare and The Plinth. As guests took their seats, President/Founder Tammy Nguyen Lee and Community Outreach Director Jared Rehberg honored the two 2012 Artistic Scholarship winners Thoa Nguyen and Britt Espinosa. Espinosa’s Washington-based band, The Exchange, got the crowd riled up with a 10-minute musical set before the runway show started. The evening was emceed by actress/model LeeAnne Locken and entrepreneur Sam Liu, who made a hilarious appearance as Psy. Guests were kept on the edge of their seats with a stunning runway show with models by Campbell-Wagner and Page Parkes and live auction from seven Presenting Designers, including Lizzi Cook of Lizzi London, Hanh Dang of Lucy Dang, Khanh Nguyen of Nha Khanh, Jerry Matthews, Danh Ta and NYC based designers Joanne Hong of JOLYNN and textile designer Sophia Wu of Leprosy.

Photo © Chi Tran

Said President/Founder Tammy Nguyen Lee, “Going into our fourth year, we had a lot of high expectations on how to improve the show and the event for our guests. This night was an accumulation of so much work from a very hard working volunteer team, months of planning and coordination. It has been truly a blessing to see everyone come together to break records and donate so much back to our cause. It is a testament that our vision is being seen and shared by all.”

Joanne Hong of JOLYNN’s T-shirt Design Photo © David Loi

Programming/Events Chair Kim Nguyen helped to spearhead the organization of the occasion to a complete victory. “Words can’t explain how proud I am of this year’s 2012 FFAP, and it is an honor to be part of such a passionate organization with a great cause,” Nguyen said. “This was my first year planning and attending FFAP and although it was super stressful at times, it was all well worth it in the end to see it executed so wonderfully in addition to how much money we raised for the orphanages and scholarship. Next year will be even bigger and better!”

Director of Fundraising Patrick Su said, “FFAP continues to improve every year. I am very excited to be a part of such a passionate organization that dedicates their time to helping those in need. I am looking forward to the continued growth of the organization.” Su was a past guest to the well-known charity event, and this was also his first year to help organize it as a Board member.

Dress by Joanne Hong of JOLYNN
Photo © Chi Tran

Designer Joanne Hong of JOLYNN added a new twist to Fashion for a Passion, presenting the very first collection to include a children’s line, and the little darlings stole the show. “Being part of Fashion for a Passion was such a great experience. I loved meeting the ATG team as well as the other designers and artists,” Hong said. “It was an amazing event that really exceeded my expectations. Sharing my love of fashion while helping others is what following my passion is all about. I couldn’t have asked for a more organized and successful show.”

Jerry Matthew’s T-shirt Design Photo © David Loi

First-time presenting designer and recent Art Institute graduate Jerry Matthews said, “It felt so wonderful doing something that I really love while being able to give back to a great cause at the same time,” Matthews said. “It was my first year presenting a collection for this show, and I am so grateful for the positive response and support. I will definitely remember this for the rest of my life. It was such an amazing life experience and I cannot wait to see what other great accomplishments Against The Grain achieves in the coming future. Also, I look forward to supporting this cause again!”

Thoa Nguyen, one of the 2012 Artistic Scholarship winners and freshman Radio-Television-Film major at the University of Texas at Austin, experienced her first fashion show event and got a chance to exhibit her own art work. “I was honored to have been a part of [the event]. It was incredible to be around so many inspiring artists coming from so many different perspectives and meet the amazing people who make ATG Productions what it is,” Nguyen said.

The night’s top bids went to Khanh Nguyen of Nha Khanh for her beautiful red Milace Dress, whose line was recently announced to be carried in Saks Fifth Avenue and Sue Gragg Precious Jewels, a Highland Park based custom jewelry designer.

Dress by Nha Khanh
Photo © David Loi

 

Photo © Chi Tran

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see photos from the evening’s event, please visit the ATG Flickr site.

ATG Against The Grain Productions, a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promotes Asian American cultural awareness through compelling media projects and raises funds for international orphanages. In addition to giving out an annual scholarship to exemplary Asian American students pursuing a degree in the arts, they also produced the feature documentary, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, which has screened at over a dozen film festivals nationwide and received the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese International Film Festival and the Documentary Audience Choice Award from the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. For more information, visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com or www.TheBabylift.com.

ATG board, creative team, and volunteers.
Photo © Christopher Rich Pics

 

La Mode Dallas – Fashion for a Passion: Well-Seasoned

http://lamodedallas.com/fashion/fashion-for-a-passion-well-seasoned/

Written by: Jackelyn Vorce

Hanh Dang of Lucy Dang, Lizzi Cook of Lizzi London, Khanh of Nha Khanh and emcess LeeAnne Locken and Sam Liu

October 13th marked the fourth annual Against the Grain’s Fashion for a Passion event. It was created with the purpose of bringing together emerging Asian American artists, fashion designers and musicians to raise awareness for Asian American culture and arts. The celebration was held at the renowned Dallas Contemporary where its current Inez & Vinoodh photography exhibit served as the perfect backdrop for the lively event. From start to finish, the evening was designed to keep guests interested and entertained. Informal models, donning upcoming designs from the fashion show, mingled throughout the space, offering more information about the designs and designers they were wearing. Prior to the fashion show, guests enjoyed savory bites and cocktails by DC’s Catering, along with a Yogurtland station filled with an assortment of its most popular flavors and toppings. There was a generous variety of silent auction items to meet anyone’s interests, along with a truly unique opportunity to choose from and bid on an ATG t-shirt given to each presenting designer one month prior to the event to recreate into a masterpiece of his or her own styling.

Exhibiting artists included Fur Face Boy, Ann He, Anh- Thuy Nguyen, Tam Nguyen, Thoa Nguyen, and Melissa Woodbridge. Musical entertainers Peter P & Robbie G, iCare and The Plinth gathered guests toward the stage before the runway show. As everyone took their seats, the last band, The Exchange, had event-goers clapping and singing along, anxiously awaiting the start of the show. Introducing and narrating the catwalk was Dallas’ own LeeAnne Locken and Sam Liu. Presenting designers included Lizzi Cook of Lizzi London, Hanh Dang of Lucy Dang, Khanh Nguyen of Nha Khanh, Jerry Matthews, Danh Ta and NYC-based designers Joanne Hong of JOLYNN, and textile designer Sophia Wu of Leprosy. After seeing each designer’s creative lines, a live auction was held over one of each designer’s donated pieces, and things quickly turned competitive with bids getting as high as $1,000 for a single dress. All proceeds from Fashion for a Passion go toward benefitting Against the Grain Production’s supported orphanage outreach programs and ATG’s scholarship funds. After such a well-organized and fulfilling night, it’s hard to believe this event is only four years-old.

Photos courtesy of La Mode Dallas, Dallas Does