Panama Fashion Show
Chico Chica, a Success
Every year the Physical
modeling agency in
Panama organizes the
Chico Chica Panama
fashion contest. This
year's contest took
place in Parque Urraca,
a very nice park close
to the bay. We had the
chance to enjoy the
breeze during the show.
The contest winners (one
young man, one young
woman) will have the
chance to fly to New
York and meet the most
important agencies in
the world. This year the
models were wearing
collections from both
Panamanian (Ganexa
school students) and
foreigner designers
(like Nidal, from
Venezuela, who I really
liked.)
The collections were
very eclectic, with
everything from
glamorous night dresses
to beachwear. The crowd
was trendy with plenty
of women in big glasses,
nice dresses, and
fashionable jewelry. Men
wore smart jeans, nice
shoes and shirts. I like
that! The DJ played a
good mix of music and
not too just the "boom
boom" dance music you
sometimes hear at these
events. The music was
well-coordinated with
the runway.
There were Collections
done by students from
Ganexa, the University
of the Arts here in
Panama. They showed a
lot of short shorts,
with long white knee
socks and very tight
polos buttoned in the
front. They used flashy
yellows and blues in
synthetic materials.
Truth be told, the
Ganexa school has a long
way to go.
Their stuff was fun and
"creative," but the
reality is that if you
want to make it in this
business, you have to
create clothes people
would like to wear. You
will never make money
with a teenager
collection like this.
Sorry to say it, but in
my opinion Ganexa's
collection was not for
today's market or any
market in the near
future.
People are looking for
good taste, simplicity,
and quality. Statistics
show that the people who
have the most money are
35 years old and older.
Of course, there are
plenty of spectacular
and very creative shows
in this business -- but
from designers who are
already well known. For
them, the runway is just
for showing off; they
make more money from
their fragrances than
from their clothing
lines anyway. For a new
designer, fresh out of
school, it would be more
appropriate to start
with a runway collection
that will turn a profit
and continue to exist
beyond the first season.
The Venezuelan designer
Nidal did much better.
He presented a beautiful
collection of white
night dresses with
gorgeous materials such
as silk, embroideries,
and taffetas. I am sure
a lot of upper-class
woman would like to wear
his dresses. The male
models were wearing sexy
mini-swimsuits that were
well-made, with tasteful
design and good market
focus. As we say in
French, "chapeau!"
Apart from Ganexa's
collection, I only had
two negative comments
about this show. The
setting in the park was
beautiful, but it was so
sandy that I bet every
woman got sand and dust
in her shoes. I know I
did. Second, once again,
the show started so late
that I couldn't see the
end as I had another
commitment later. It was
a pity not to know who
won the contest -- I
only found out later
that Will and Alexandra
were the big winners.
Congratulations! |
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