NEW YORK — It’s no secret that New York Fashion Week is a frenzied marathon of runway shows spanning the Big Apple. But to make these events happen, it takes countless designers, models, stylists and event producers — several of whom are from Pittsburgh.
A handful of models spotted on the catwalk since fashion week kicked off Thursday call the Steel City home. Life for Gina Pacak, a teen from Green Tree, has been a whirlwind since she was discovered on Instagram by IMG Models agency in 2015. After a summer in Paris, she made her New York Fashion Week debut this season by modeling for Cinq a Sept, PH5, Vivienne Tam and Sies Marjan. Likewise, Matthew Noskza of Scott has been busy booking print and runway jobs worldwide since a photo he posted on Instagram caught the attention of a Wilhelmina modeling agent a couple of years ago. This week, he walked in the Jeremy Scott show, always a favorite among celebrities.
Miyah Knight, a Homewood native, recently relocated from Monroeville to New York City to pursue modeling. While taking part in an event for Harlem’s Fashion Row, a fashion week platform for designers of color, she was invited to a casting for Los Angeles-based brand Band of Outsiders and booked the show.
Behind the scenes, Aliya Wray, a licensed manicurist and owner of Aliya Wray’s Beauty Parlor in McKees Rocks, worked with Essie nail products to get models ready for showtime. She’s been involved with New York Fashion Week for two years. This time, she was part of the backstage nail teams for Rebecca Minkoff, Alexander Wang, Jenny Packham and Oscar de la Renta.
In Brooklyn, former Pittsburghers Kamau and Lesley Ware celebrated the preview of Mr. Ware’s graphic novel “Other Side of Wall Street,” which details the 17th-century African diaspora in New York City. He’s also working on the Black Gotham Experience, an immersive visual storytelling project. The couple brought the story to life through costumed characters and worked with Rodney Epperson from season six of the reality TV show “Project Runway.” Plans are in the works to bring the exhibition to the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in 2017.
Later this week in Brooklyn, Tereneh Mosley, a designer from the North Side, will hold a private presentation for the latest collection from her line Idia’Dega, a global eco-design collaboration with indigenous women artisans. The spring 2017 Maasai Plum and Oneida Strawberry collection is co-designed by the Beading Wolves Oneida of New York and the OMWA Olorgesailie Maasai women artisans of Kenya, along with Ms. Mosley.
New York Fashion Week continues through Thursday.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: September 14, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
