Leather, sequins, cashmere and feathers walked the runway, but purple took center stage at the code Purple event on Feb. 16, held aboard the USS intrepid in New York city.
The evening was a night to remember, as it was made up of celebrities and designers uniting to raise money and awareness to help save lives by preventing malaria.
The runway show featured world-renowned designers lawrence Pizzi, 5001 Favors by Guy Wood and barak of by Barak Designs.
The show also included designs from up-and-coming designer che Elliott, was emceed by Michael Franzese (former colombo family capo) and featured supermodel Cynthia bailey of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and Nina on the runway.
Pizzi’s collection was the first to be showcased and was inspired by the movement of people on the planet, physically and virtually.
Pizzi said that his clothing is all about “understated coolness, being cool and not having to show it all off.
All the clothing is high fashion with an edge.” Pizzi showcased 55 pieces incorporating Mongolian sheep fur, mohair, feathers and lace into his garments, many of which were hand- sewn and beaded.
The versatile pieces were purposely kept dark in hue with bright pops of color in the red leather belts and Madonna-style purple lace gloves that tied the collection together.
The collection shown by 5001 Favors was designed by Wood and titled “Harlem Haberdashery.”
Models dressed modern purple inseam strips walked the runway. 5001 Flavors has designed for celebrities like Alicia Keys, the Kardashians, the Notorious b.i.G. and lebron James and can be seen in over 300 music videos.
Wood, who describes this collection as “old-school style with new-school swag,” said he felt honored to be part of this charity event, saying, “it’s great to be part of hip- hop giving back.”
The show was closed out by the fashions of by Barak Designs.
Barak presented a collection of outfits highlighting fashion through the ages, from the 1500s to the 1960s, all with a hint of purple.
Barak most recently designed outfits for Madonna’s Super bowl 2012 halftime show and pieces for the victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
The event was created to code Purple project, which is helping prevent malar-ia around the world with a treated garment called “Moskeeto Armor,” which was engineered by ING Activewear founder Robin crespo.
The garment is a vibrant purple and actually prevents mosquitoes from biting the wearer, thus preventing malaria. The garment is revolutionary and sure to save lives around the world.
Crespo spoke from his heart during the event, ex-claiming, “America is not truly healthy until Africa is healthy.”
In Africa, a child dies from malaria every 45 seconds. Highest at risk are poor communities that cannot afford treatment for this deadly disease or have limited access to health care.
ING Activewear has teamed up with the organization Touch the World to distribute this new product and educate people on the prevention of malaria.
There are plans to take the show around the world to spread awareness and raise enough funds to distribute Moskeeto Armor to every person in an environment where malaria is a risk factor.