Our Call to Action
Azzedine Alaïa
One of the legacy designers whose clothing was carried in Charivari stores has passed and is mourned by many around the world. Although known for exhibiting his designs according to his own schedule, uninterested in the importance or publicity of the many commercial fashion weeks held in major cities across the globe, Alaïa remained relevant since he founded his atelier in the late 1970s and is popular today among celebrities including singer Lady Gaga, and US First Lady Michelle Obama.
Gone but will not be forgotten, his designs will now—no doubt—be in the realm of fashion greats, Balenciaga and Dior, due to the modern appreciation of couture craftsmanship as art and fashion history. And they’ll command prices in the tens of thousands for his now “vintage” creations. He passed on Saturday, November 18th, 2017.
Our call to action lies within the urgency to document such a journey as Alaïas’ rise and how the Weiser’s and their US fashion industry platform took the form of Charivari.
Unfortunately, we are at risk of losing such stories and learning how Charivari had an impact on the careers of designers like Alaïa and his contemporaries; thus prompting us to step-up our pace in producing our film.
So far we’ve used the catch phrase, “Join the UPROAR” as just that—a catch phrase; and now we’ll use it as a marketing tool telling you, our supporters, exactly how best to assist us in producing our film.
Contributing to the UPROAR
We need to network.
It is imperative for us to network with people who can help us through their fashion industry connections. We need to meet with people who had a strong connection with the retailer. This includes connecting with people who are still working in the industry, who might have contact with those legacy designers, or with people who simply KNOW them or friends and family close to them.
We’ve had such helpful, supportive contributions from ex-Charivari employees in terms of monetary donations and participating in interviews, and we now ask if anyone has a connection to beautiful spaces where we can shoot interviews in Manhattan and in Los Angeles. This will help us to keep production costs down.
If anyone still has Charivari clothing, shopping bags, business cards or any other labeled paraphernalia. And videos, photos, photos, photos!! There are film techniques we’ll use to showcase these items; and seeing them again, we’re sure will help bring the memories back—and help put our audience in a nostalgic frame of mind...
Ride on-Seeking Beauty to beloved photographer Bill Cunningham
Bill is another voice which passed us by, unfortunately one that we’ll also miss in our film.
Cunningham was more than a fashion photographer for the New York Times (for 40 years!). He was really a cultural anthropologist, capturing fashion trends over decades while cycling the streets of Manhattan. His roving eye caught Hollywood stars, celebs and models on runways as well as many Charivari events over the years. But he is most known for his street photography, catching stylish people on the streets of New York City. He left us last year, June 25th, 2016.
Photo by Cameron Venti on Unsplash
*SAVE THE DATE!
The Los Angeles Shoot—Saturday January 27th & Sunday January 28th 2018
Thanks to your support, we are now more able to plan our next shoot.
If you will be in the Los Angeles area and would like to be part of our production, please contact us via this website. Provide your full name, email address and telephone number.
D-Source Note: The 2-day shoot will be comprised of 10 interview subjects.
If you are not selected as a participant for the Los Angeles shoot, we will be sure to keep your details on file. And as we continue to raise funds and set dates for subsequent shoots, we’ll contact you with the pertinent information.