IIDA Los Angeles Haunt Couture: Big Top – A World of Curiosity and Wonder
By Anita Makwana, Director, Interior Architecture and Design, Los Angeles Office
Ware Malcomb participated in the IIDA Los Angeles Haunt Couture on October 27, 2015. The annual IIDA Los Angeles Haunt Couture combines fashion, design, architecture, and networking with the main event: an outrageous and stunning couture runway show competition. This year’s theme “Big Top: A World of Curiosity and Wonder,” was inspired by traditional circus performers such as fortune tellers, contortionists, magicians, etc. The enlisted design firms were tasked with designing and constructing garments from materials used for interior design and then presenting their Big Top inspired design to the IIDA audience.
We chose the circus clown as our Big Top performer. Nick Manalo and I carted a special box onto the stage. Once we made it to the center of the stage Alicia Zaro, our featured clown, jumped out of the box to reveal her inspired runway fashion attire.
The first outfit was our interpretation of the “original” clown…a jester. The context of the outfit was a patchwork cloak of multiple colors and fabrics. The second outfit was a “burlesque” clown with a feminine touch. We had a harlequin patterned skirt made with Arc-Com fabrics. This outfit was removed and the third outfit was a hand painted body suit that was a “clown of the future.”
This was the second year our LA office competed in the IIDA Haunt Couture competition and it was a great opportunity for our team to express our creativity and talent in a fun and exciting way! The proceeds for this event go to scholarships for students selected by the IIDA Southern California Chapter.
A special thank you to our sponsors Haworth/IOS and Arc-Com Fabrics!
The Los Angeles office recently moved to our new digs in downtown LA! Learn more about our move and how you can become a part of this exciting new office location!
About the Author: Anita Makwana is Director, Interior Architecture and Design for the Ware Malcomb Los Angeles Interior Design Studio and has been practicing interior design for over 17 years with 11 of those years with Ware Malcomb. In addition to being an active member of IIDA, she is also a member of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, Southern California Chapter Young Professionals Group, and a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).
Twitter: @AMakwana
