DTD Entertainment
Tobi Makinde
DTD Entertainment
The energy backstage was palpable, coursing through
everyone’s veins to create an impermeable excitement. In mere moments an
electronic beat would waft from the speakers and my models’ heels would graze
the runway; while the premiere of my brand, Matia Collections, at Pittsburgh
Fashion Week (PFW) would only last a few short moments – all of which are now
blurred together in my memory – they would serve as a symbol of the years of
time I devoted towards fashion design and developing my own label.
Hours
prior to the show I was uncharacteristically calm, as I had spent the previous
day finalizing my soundtrack, compiling official forms, altering garments and
resolving last-minute disasters until 1:30 in the morning. On the way to the
show, I received a troubling text from Carly – a junior who informed me of the
student-designer opportunities at PFW – that simply stated “It’s crazy here!” as she helped to
organize models and designers before their big premier. Immediately I imagined
a startling setting, crammed with hoards of late and unruly models and
screaming designers and stylists; however, upon my arrival, I was greeted an
entirely different environment as two models patiently waited for my
instruction. My awe only increased as my models, one by one, scurried in with
their hair and makeup done just as I had asked, and even more incredible, had
they failed to produce the proper hair and makeup, all of the other girls
quickly huddled around her, armed with the dangerous tools of hairspray,
eyeliner and lipstick producing the perfect image after only a few minutes.
When
the half-hour mark hit, time seemed to warp, almost as though we were
characters inside a spaceship on Star
Wars. Everyone buzzed around me, as I quickly handed them “Femme” Pencil
Skirts, peplum tops and bandage dresses, some of which had been completed four
years ago and other merely 6 days prior. Once my models were adorned in their
fabulous attire, they strutted – I walked – backstage in prepared of the
exciting conclusion to all of our work and rehearsals.
French
pop filled every molecule of air, providing a bubbly and exuberant atmosphere,
yet was cancelled out by the overwhelming applause given to each of my models
as they proudly represented my brand on the runway. Finally, after all of the models filed onto the runway, a
moment silently preserved by the lens of the photographer’s camera, I joined
the last model – a friend of mine who constantly aided me in photo shoots for
my website – on the runway for the finale. Suddenly I realized that I was
caught in a stampede of models as they moved to exit the stage; however, I finally
reached the end of the runway, at which point I became extremely humbled by the
audience’s extreme support, providing me with a feeling of great pride and
accomplishment.
Trying to capture all of the
moments of the past couple hours into my memory, I lingered backstage with my
models as we all broke out into a chorus of applause and cheers in response to
our great success: we had just completed the first of many future Matia
Collections shows.
