From left, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Tim Reid, Salome (Photo courtesy Tim Reid's Cultural Fashion Showcase)
Colorful cotton, intricate patterns, and long, flowing garments have long been hallmarks of traditional Ethiopian fashion. Today, Ethiopian designers are blending these recognizable looks with modern elements, attracting the attention of the wider fashion world. A few of these established designers as well as some up-and-comers will be presenting their styles during Tim Reid’s fourth annual Cultural Fashion Showcase, this Saturday, April 27, at RVA Event Space.
A showcase of stunning styles by designers from Ethiopia, Panama and around the United States, including local designers, the event is a fundraiser for Legacy Media Institute, a nonprofit organization founded by Tim Reid that pairs film and television industry leaders with youth interested in pursuing entertainment careers and seeks to promote accountability through its programs reflective of a diverse global society.
Reid is perhaps best known from acting roles such as Venus Flytrap on the TV series "WKRP in Cincinnati" or Ray Campbell on "Sister, Sister." He is an actor, producer and director who resides in Richmond with his wife, Daphne Maxwell Reid, known for her role as Vivian Banks on the sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Maxwell Reid, a fashion designer herself, will be unveiling a new collection that focuses on color, including flowing swing coats with vividly colored linings. All of the pieces are individually designed and made by Maxwell Reid, so each is unique.
Daphne Maxwell Reid's Chinese silk brocade coats, presented at the 2018 Cultural Fashion Showcase (Photo courtesy Tim Reid's Cultural Fashion Showcase)
Every piece of fashion presented during this year's show is handmade and will be available for sale. The event also includes cultural experiences such as a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony for VIP ticket holders. The ceremony, comparative to the English afternoon tea, is a way to bring people together in friendship and conversation. Diverse vendors, food and music round out the event.
Other fashion presenters include Ethiopian designer and event host Salome, showing her pieces handwoven by Ethiopian artisans. Washington, D.C.-based Victor Hou’s eveningwear, swimwear, and streetwear for men and women will be highlighted. Ethiopian fashion artist, Helen Asrat will present her globally inspired couture designs, and there will be fashions from Panama’s Jean Quijano, Chesapeake’s Letwa Gooden and many more.
The show’s focus on cultural fashion is based on Reid’s own experiences in Africa. “It’s based on my travels and my exposure to the fashion craze that’s literally sweeping out of Africa into Milan and Paris and New York and ultimately Richmond.”
Noting that Ethiopia is the fastest growing country in Africa and among the fastest growing in the world, Reid says that a result of that growth is changes in fashion, music and dance. “More millennials, in particular young African millennials, are beginning to take their classic patterns, color schemes and fabrics, and they are presenting them to an urban market with a different swagger to it, with a different sort of look,” he says.
He adds that with the growing worldwide spotlight on African fashions comes imitators and knockoffs. “I think it’s important that those young creative talents out of places like Ethiopia have an opportunity to at least be the first ones to introduce their changes to the world,” Reid says, meaning that these designers themselves get the credit for the style that they created, and the Cultural Fashion Showcase is an outlet for these designers to present their work to Richmond and the East Coast.
Reid himself will unveil his first line of menswear at the show. “I wasn’t into fashion, other than I like fashion, and I still, even in my what some would call ‘mature years,’ I still find excitement in trying on new things and trying combinations of things,” he says.
His style is based on wearing what makes you feel good and features earth tones, loose fits and pieces with open movement. “You know if you feel that a certain style makes you feel more open to life, more aggressive to life, and that’s what you should wear.” Reid says he isn’t afraid to try something new, and that’s where his collection finds its foundation.
Tim Reid’s Cultural Fashion Showcase is April 27 at RVA Event Space, 1 E. Fourth St. The show begins at 5 p.m., and tickets are $40 general admission (VIP seats are sold-out).
