When you see an old tablecloth at grandma's house, Jules Cataldo sees potential.
Maybe it can become a dress, or part of a blouse. Just because it was one thing once, that doesn’t mean it can't be something different now.
That kind of imaginative thinking was on full display at Space of Balance's Sustainable Fashion Show, which was staged recently at 10PRL in Long Branch. The pop-up event featured seven designers from New Jersey and was organized by the impressive SoB duo of Danielle Rocco and Allie Frank.
"We're a women-owned company. Pop-up event company. Communal event company. We put on events for the community," Rocco said. "Talented local designers don't get the same spotlight that someone in New York would. We put this together and try to give people experiences that they have not yet had."
Rocco and Frank teamed up a few years ago and turned their passion for organizing unforgettable events into a business. Whether it's a concert or a fashion show, poetry readings or silent discos – yes, that is a real thing – the pair leverages their experience and connections to put a spotlight on underground artists, designers, musicians and creators. If you have an idea, they will run with it.
With their recent fashion show, Rocco and Frank took painstaking steps to make sure that the event was structured in a way that set the designers up for success. "We curate everything, Rocco said. "Typically someone would hire a DJ and say 'Play whatever you want.' But we curated the music so that it played at a certain BPM. It's natural for a model to walk according to the beat, so the music has to be right."
Details matter. In addition to the music – courtesy of DJ Matt Beatz – there was also lighting to organize, visuals to present, models to screen and hire, and tickets to sell. All of this is handled by SoB to let the designers focus on what they do best: create. They don’t have to be bogged down with securing a venue, finding music, lighting and photography to get some attention for their work. SoB clears the runway for them.
An audience of more than 100 turned out to see and celebrate the one-of-a-kind collections from: Something Made Custom by Julia George, Jules Cataldo of Peppy Debs, Grateful Grails by Andrew Habeeb, Rayne by Anijah by Anijah Slusser, Sheridan OHea, Self Ima8e by Angelina Richardson, and CSA Creations by Chloe Almeida. The only rule, so to speak, was that the designer's work had to be upcycled; no new fabrics or materials could be used. So they cut, stitched and embroidered hand-me-downs or thrift-shop buys and gave old materials new life.
"Going into it, I was super-nervous but was also super-excited," Cataldo, who owns and operates Peppy Debs in Avon, said of the show, which was her first.
"I had some customers come out and support me. It was great, honestly. A nice confidence boost. Having a creative job can give you imposter syndrome and you can get burned out. This was a good reminder that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do."
"We are trying to make experiences for people locally who might not normally have the opportunity. If you’re talented and deserve a platform, we want to deliver that for you."
"The majority of the designers we work with have full-time jobs, and then they’ll go home after work and make clothing. It definitely doesn’t pay the bills. We’re trying to help get them to a point where maybe they can."
