On Thursday April 29th Jonathan Marc Stein presented an exclusive and exciting event to showcase his latest collection. I headed out to the beautiful venue in Los Angeles where I got exclusive backstage access to celebrity models and the designer during the filming. The event was a positive sign for the return of live fashion events and everyone was excited to be together for such an exciting day. Designer Jonthan Marc Stein is blazing the trail for what future events will look like as the industry begins to recover from the pandemic. The lineup included celebrity models Gretchen Rossi of RHOC, Miss Dubai Megan Pormer, and Shannon Baker.
Jonathan's collection was inspired by self love and the event was held in support of NAMI to raise awareness for the vital mental health services they provided during the pandemic. The cause is very close to the designer's heart and he announced he will be donating the proceeds to NAMI. The show was held as an indoor outdoor event and models walked on a sun soaked runway outside while media filmed each look. Inside, guests mingled while models touched up hair and makeup in between looks. The clothing was bold and reflected the theme of self love and empowerment with beautiful gowns in fall colors such as burgundy, silver, and emerald green. Many dresses featured multimedia designs using Jonathan's signature vegan metallic leather combined with delicate fabrics for a stunning look.
I spoke to the designer in between looks to hear about how he has adapted during the pandemic and what is currently inspiring him. During this exclusive interview we also talked about why he decided to hold this event in support of NAMI and what it was like holding his first ever virtual fashion show. Everything about this collection was new for designer Jonathan Marc Stein. He told me that he usually doesn't create themes for his collection but this season was an exception. His described the theme of forbidden love as "self love that comes from within and I want to showcase all sizes, shapes, and ethnicities." This theme tied into Jonathan's efforts to give back by donating to NAMI because of the connection to feeling positive about yourself. Jonathan said, "I wanted to give back to the community because everybody is struggling right now especially those with predetermined mental conditions." He told me that he felt a very personal connection to this cause because he knows so many people in the community who have struggled during Covid. This collection was all about being positive and creating hope for the future according to Jonathan. He shared that his goal for the collection and the event was to be positive in the face of all the troubling news that has rocked the nation recently. On the topic of the virtual show Jonathan shared that this was an exciting event for him too as this was his first ever virtual fashion show. While it certainly differed from previous shows Jonathan pointed out the positives saying he was glad for the opportunity to edit the videos and tweak his designs on the runway. Ever the artist Jonathan left no detail unfinished and could be seen making adjustments to models and gowns throughout the day. He told me optimistically, "You've got to evolve with the times especially during Covid." We also discussed his take on future trends for this fall and he told me, "This time I brought in dark moody jewel tones with emerald, amethyst, and I also brought in some metallic because I'm really well known for my metallics especially mixed with leather. It's going to be modern, edgy, and moody."
I also talked with Shannon Baker about her take on the collection and what it was like to be modeling in a fashion show after so many months of staying at home. She shared that she was very excited to be vaccinated and how exciting it was to see that the event was safe and things were starting to look up for the fashion industry and the world. We talked about the collection and her favorite pieces. She told me she was happy to be out supporting her friend Jonathan and that she loved all of his pieces. Her favorites from this collection were the empire waist dresses.
You can check out my other exclusive interviews with celebrity guests Megan Pormer and Gretchen Rossi here.
The event was definitely a success and the hybrid style with both in person and virtual elements for the show may point towards the future of fashion shows even beyond the pandemic. One thing was for certain everyone agreed that it was an exciting moment to be out and about with an excuse to get glamourous after so many months in lockdown. The shimmering dresses on the runway held a glimmer of hope that the pandemic does have an end in sight after all.
