Darfur at NY Fashion Week

Mal Sirah Designers for DarfurSo I finalized my Fashion Week schedule the other day and, while I won’t be showing my clothing line this season, I am excited about the shows I’ll be attending. The week will definitely be an exciting one, as I am scheduled to work with some wonderful mens and womens designers. One show that I’m looking forward to attending though is the Designers for Darfur show taking place on Friday February 9th. Designers For Darfur, was founded in 2007 by designer Malcolm Harris of Mal Sirrah and model Lydia Hearst-Shaw (One Model Management) in association with Fashion Television and Steve Madden, Inc. The event is aimed to raise funds and awareness on behalf of the Save Darfur Coalition. The organizers have gotten a exciting list of designers to create one complete ensemble in Red, Yellow, Green or Black (or any combination of these symbolic colors of Africa) to be featured in the fashion show at Roseland Ballroom. Confirmed participating designers are Chado Ralph Rucci , Steve Madden , Donna Karan , Catherine Malandrino , Rachel Roy, J. Mendel, Michael Kors, Naeem Kahn, Alice & Olivia, Carlos Miele, Joseph Abboud, Marc Bouwer, Nanette Lepore, Carmen Marc Valvo, and Mal Sirrah among others. And those are just the designers. Oprah Winfrey, Joss Stone, Roberto Cavalli, Kanye West, Mia Farrow, Maria Bello, Don Cheadle, and Russell Simmons, are scheduled to attend; but the big question is will George Clooney, a serious advocate for US intervention in Darfur, make an appearance? I’ll let you know. Kudos to the organizers for closing out the week on a good note.