Paris. Milan. New York. Cleveland.

Yes, Cleveland. When it comes to style, add our city’s name to the list of the fashion-forward. We have cutting-edge designers, one of the best fashion schools in the world and groundbreaking exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

With the world’s biggest pop culture fashion event on Monday, May 6 – the Met Gala, of course – what better time to take a look at fashionable Cleveland?

“People get caught up in this bubble that fashion starts and ends in a place like New York,” says Darnell-Jamal Lisby, Assistant Curator of Fashion.

“But from an aesthetic and entertainment perspective, I disagree with the notion. There’s interest everywhere because fashion is a part of most people's lives … it's consumed in a personal way. There are many people that love and support fashion in the region.”

Jamal-Lisby cites great interest in two innovative fashion shows CMA did in recent years, the New Black Vanguard and Egyptomania: Fashion’s Conflicted Obsession.

“Egyptomania had 117,000 visitors so that was a very positive reception. Visitors enjoyed their time in the show and felt that it was like a fresh take.”

Evening Dress, Fall 2008, 2008. LIE SANGBONG (Korea, est. 1985). Lie Sang Bong (이상봉) (Korean, b. 1954). Wool. Courtesy of LIE SANGBONG. Photo courtesy of LIE SANGBONG

Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution

CMA’s most recent show is just as fresh  -- and features some never before seen in the U.S. pieces.  It tells the story of Korean fashion from 17th-century aristocratic garments to contemporary couture, featuring more than two dozen works.

Jamal-Lisby says the time is right for a look at K-fashion.

“There are so many elements within the show that speak to K-pop and the K-dramas that you see on Netflix and that kind of Hollywood interpretation of historical traditions,” he notes.

It is the first exhibition to focus on Korean fashion at a leading comprehensive U.S. art museum is free and open through October 13.

“It’s a fantastic exploration of some incredible contemporary designers, some of which have never been exhibited here in the United States,” says Jamal-Lisby.

Ensemble, Fall 2023, 2023. LIE (Korea, est. 2013). Lee Chung Chung (이청청) (Korean, b. 1978). Courtesy of LIE. Photo courtesy of LIE

 

 

 

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The Met impact

Before he took his position at CMA, Jamal-Lisby’s resume included the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he was behind the scenes for the Costume Institute Benefit, aka the Met Gala, aka, the biggest fashion show in the world. Thanks to social media, celebs and Tik-Tok, the Met benefit has made avant-garde fashion mainstream.

“The Met Gala party has really, really brought through fashion into the mainstream lexicon,” says the Cleveland curator.

“The Gala, and celebrity culture, has really sparked the imagination and helped people kind of become more interested in this world.”

This year’s theme was “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” with the official dress code "The Garden of Time.”  Hosted by 2024 Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth, the night featured standout looks from Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa, Ben Simmons and  many others. 

Fashionable Cleveland turned out for a K-pop themed MIX party at CMA.

KSU 2024 Annual Fashion Show

Earlier this month, a very different fashion show also brought attention to the region. The annual Kent State University School of Fashion student show featured the work of students from the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion, a Top 25 fashion school in the world, the No. 1 fashion design and merchandising school in the Midwest, and the No. 5 graduate fashion program in the U.S.  The 2024 show featured 171 looks from 42 designers, chosen by a panel of industry critics and jurors.

 “Their extraordinary talent and creativity, along with the dedication of the faculty who nurture them, is what makes us one of the top fashion schools in the world.,” said Mourad Krifa, Ph.D., director of the School of Fashion.

Yellowcake

Closer to Cleveland, fashionistas head year-round to Gordon Square, for Yellowcake, the signature line of women’s outerwear and accessories by artist and Project Runway alumna Valerie Mayén. Yellowcake’s fashion-forward sensibility is matched by the brand’s emphasis on social responsibility: all garments are handmade in the United States; a majority of the staff is female; they have enacted practices to reduce their carbon footprint and lower textile waste; and Mayén -- a Latinx, female business owner -- provides coaching to individuals looking for guidance in their career path. Yellowcake is committed to producing “high-quality, luxury pieces that provide value for the consumer and a better life for all those who inhabit our world.” 

Pictured, top: The 2024 KSU student fashion show.