On Sept. 22 Trendcue hosted their one-night Pop Shop at the Hotel Americano in NYC’s Chealsea. The evening, entitled “Ice Cream,” showcased work from five New York-based fashion designers. Available samples ranged from sneakers to women’s knits, lingerie to men’s jackets. TheCelebrityCafe.com was able to sit down with co-founders of Trendcue Pop Shop, as well as four designers present for the event.
Trendcue Pop Shop "ICE CREAM" from Ordervision on Vimeo.
Immersing guests in fashion
In June ’16 Ryan Wiltshire founded Trendcue to serve multiple purposes. Trendcue.com brings together fashion blogs, trendspotting, videos and shopping into one central location. Simultaneously, Trendcue Pop Shop was launched as a live series of curated shopping events, with the aim of showcasing emerging talents. The Pop Shop was co-founded with Vanessa Upegui, who acts as producer and curator.
“Ice Cream” was an interactive fashion experience. Upon arrival, guests were lead into a lower level of the hotel where a DJ booth, bar, large-scale projection and of course clothing, had been arranged. Each designer had space to present samples of their work, while models acted as live installations to showoff various looks. The immersive environment was an effective choice on the part of Wiltshire and Upegui. Guests were able to speak with designers, see clothing in action and relax. The unpretentious environment lent itself to a community sense that the co-founders later explained is a priority for them.
Trendcue Founder talks (Pop) Shop
Trendcue founder and CEO Ryan Wiltshire took some time to chat with TheCelebrityCafe.com about his overarching mission. When asked about the inspiration for Pop Shop, Wiltshire stated: “I try and help designers that lack the information of getting sourcing, getting production, even help them design. I have all of those resources, so I also expose them to that, so they can build their collections. I’m all about helping, cultivating, and having everyone grow.”
Though Trendcue is rooted in NYC fashion, the designers present represented a wide array of cultural backgrounds. We asked Wiltshire if this was a happy accident, or intentional. ”I strive for that, because growing up in NY my friends are all multi-cultural. And super super talented. So I wanted to showcase everyone’s skillset on the whole.”
Wiltshire did point out that designers outside of NYC would be featured with Trendcue in the near future. “Within the coming months, I have designers in China, Taiwan, Italy and London that – once our website is up and running, the ecommerce section – then we will be able to showcase their clothing, garments and artwork.”
Moving forward, fashion enthusiasts can expect an event by Trendcue at least once a month. Each showcase will open to the public, with a new theme every time. We asked Wiltshire if he could give us a sneak peek of future themes. He responded that a retro-hip hop night and a denim event are in the works.
A new voice in fashion
Co-founder of Trendcue Pop Shop, Columbian-born Vanessa Upegui, spoke with us about the heart behind the company. “I think fashion means having a voice, and an outlet. Especially in NY, because you can just do whatever you want. “
When asked whether she believes NYC is still the creative playground it once was, Upegui stated “I don’t think as much anymore.” She went on to say: “We want to bring back what fashion used to be. A statement and also art. Like, people really had that heart of creating something and making the person they are creating for feel amazing about themselves. Now you just find, the same. Wherever you go it has become very mainstream.”
We asked Upegui to talk a bit more about Trendcue Pop Shop’s mission, drive and what is on the horizon. “I think the future holds just to create this amazing movement. It’s all about the movement of being a strong voice for our community in a way of just – what’s happening in the word, that there’s so many sadness, and as artists we are just trying to make sure we stay grounded when we also have a mission with it. I think also supporting local designers, for me especially, is a way of being sustainable and also making a statement that we can support our community.”
Designer Showcase
Of the five designers whose work was being shown at “Ice Cream,” four were able to attend the event. Each took a few moments to talk with TheCelebrityCafe.com about their work.
Muza
First we spoke with Puerto Rico-born fashion designer and visual artist Polet Guzman. Her line, Muza, is frequently described as wearable art. Guzman talked about her approach to this particular line of womenswear and lingerie.
“Santeria is a religion in the Caribbean. Santeria started in Africa, and the Africans brought it to Puerto Rico [and] Cuba. I’m from Puerto Rico, so I get that religion and it translates to my clothing. I started growing the flowers – part of the religion is giving flowers to the Saints.” Each piece in the Muza line is handmade and screen-printed in NYC’s Lower East Side.
Nan Seo
Next up was Nan Seo, a womenswear designer who specializes in knits and sweaters. We asked Seo about her inspiration for the summer collection on display at Trendcue Pop Shop.
“My summer collection inspiration was the bridge in all of the details. What I like about bridges is the straight and curves mixing together. I love pleat details, so I use pleat details with a little bit of flounce in it. Because I love bridges with the arch and art deco shapes... My line is very modern, sophisticated and simple. I wanted to make it very comfortable and confident.”
A.Posse
Footwear displayed at Trendcue Pop Shop was that of New York native Stephen Sung. His line, A. Posse, is presently for men. Though, he intends to move toward unisex looks in the near future.
“Before now, the subculture was a sneaker culture. And I’ve always just been in love with sneakers. But as I’ve grown up I’ve noticed that the big brands are using cheaper and cheaper materials... So a big inspiration of my brand has been very classic sneakers, but with the actual genuine leathers they used to use. So about three years ago I set out to create this line. And it’s more about guys my age that have that similar background… We want something that’s a little more subtle, a little classier, but still very fresh.”
Isidoro Francisco
Finally, we had a chance to catch up with designer Isidoro Francisco. He spoke openly and honestly about his journey into the meanswear line we saw displayed at Trendcue Pop Shop.
“It all started prior to this, I had a womenswear brand… One of my friends always said to me ‘You have to get into menswear.’ Because my women’s stuff was always so strong that it was too masculine to be feminine, you see what I mean? And then once I sold everything, basically, I transitioned to men’s. And everything just picked up… My entire brand is very sporty, very easy, very fun… I love what I do, I enjoy what I do, and I don’t let the money fuel me.”
As the evening wore on, energy at Pop Shop was high. It appeared to be a successful night for Trendcue, as well as each of the designers involved. NYC fashion followers can expect to see many more such events, as well as a full-service website, from the company in the near future.