Crowd wowed by Lovelessizm
By Nadine Kam
Nadine Kam photos & video stills
Roycen Dehmer in the Lovelessizm fashion show at Ala Moana Center’s Centerstage.
Hair stylist and jewelry designer Richie Miao has long been among the most stylish men in Honolulu, so a lot of people were thrilled last year when he said he was coming out with his own menswear collection.
The first Lovelessizm pieces have been making the rounds of small boutiques and pop-up sales, but the collection had its formal debut March 22 on Ala Moana Center’s Centerstage, part of the mall’s Spring Shop A Le’a event. It was a great partnership with the center’s audience and Richie’s princely gothic ninja designs.
The range of his vision really came together on stage in a way that might not occur to the casual shopper browsing, who might only see urban pieces in blacks and grays that fit easily into any wardrobe.
The collection treads the line between construction and deconstruction, with precise details of narrow pleats, veering toward nihilism in use of industrial buckles, frayed ropes of braids dangling from T-shirts, or slashes in fabric.
Thankfully, his designs are unisex because women were the ones making notes about which pieces they wanted for themselves! And, in more good news, his inaugural women’s collection will be available this summer.
In a real treat for the audience, a performance by L.A. beatboxer Jake Moulton of the House Jacks and electric violinist Jason Yang highlighted the second half of the show.
Designer Andy South was in the audience, as well as front row designers Cindy King, and Polyascko2’s Gerald and John Alexander Polyascko, and stylist Crystal Pancipanci. Many left audibly wondering how Andy would top the show with his own March 24!
Lovelessizm’s Richie Miao with Kara Matsunaga, who’s helping him design Lovelessizm’s women’s collection, due soon!
Slashes in black on black, on Robert Gibson.
Forrest Akeman is double-vested.
If you’re watching the videos below, unfortunately, I was shooting it with the idea of using Jake and Jason’s performance, while slicing up the images. But when I started editing, I thought that wouldn’t be true to the spirit of Richie’s show, that spanned sundown and evening so I split the show into two videos. Then, after slicing Jake and Jason’s music, I was having trouble aligning the music with Jason’s bowing. It drives me crazy when I watch music videos edited for artistic license and the physical playing doesn’t align with the sound, so I just decided to let the whole 8-minute segment run, uncut. Which means you’ll see dead spaces I had intended to edit out. Oh well.
Models Roycen Dehmer and Desmond Centro in smilier mode after the show.
From left, Erin Ludolph, Matt Bruening and Malie Moran at the after-party.
Fashion Tribe
