F3 brings fashion to Oakland's Cotton Mill

a model waits for make-up backstage at F3/Image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde

One of the last true artist live/work compounds in the Bay Area, Oakland's Cotton Mill Studios were the site of F3's first ever fashion show on Friday evening. As unusual as the historic building in which it took place, the show saw the audience seated in a single line of seats snaking through the building, and models using the hallways as a makeshift runway sometimes weaving their way between perplexed Cotton Mill residents who arrived home during the presentation. As quirky as this atmosphere sounds, these elements worked wonderfully together to give the event an authentic 'guerilla fashion' vibe, which so many large labels attempt to capture but never quite can, and which felt like the perfect introduction to the next wave of Bay Area fashion.

image:S.Whittle for Style WyldeLeading the charge of this next wave was designer Zoe Hong and stylist Kenneth Todd, who produced the show and participated in it. Hong's participation included showing her well-cut women's wear collection which was the finale of the evening, and Todd's participation was overseeing the execution of the beauty and hair looks he designed by Alameda Beauty College students; many of whom were getting their first taste of back stage fashion show production.

image:S.Whittle for Style WyldeOther participating designers included LHC Couture, Nicole Lanzotti Jewelry, Adele Richert Jewelry, Ken Chen San Francisco, Susan Tuttle Designs, and Kemba Afi Designs, all of whom showed a clear point of view within their work both in creativity and execution making the trip  to Cotton Mill well worth it. 

F3 at the Cotton Mill is a quartely event that features artists and designers in residence and from around the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information on the community, including how to participate in future fashion shows  please visit the official home page.