Article by Koko Carlucci
Photographs by Natzuka Miliandrovic
Since she was a little girl, Lexie Jansma knew she liked fashion. “It’s in my blood,” she says. “I can’t imagine not being involved in it. I love playing dress up, creating fabulous shows, showcasing amazing designers, working together with a team…”
Model: Tadeu Gartner
And now, she’s doing all this in Second Life® as she is organizing the fourth annual Menswear Fashion Week 2013, a clothes, shoes, accessories and much more extravaganza coming up April 19th-27th, 2013, devoted exclusively to the gentleman. Is it as big as it sounds?
“This year we’ll have about 80 stores participating, so you do the math. And I’m really excited as we have a lot of new stores this year taking part. Names such as Countdown, Evolve, Hoorenbeek, Zibska, Dynasty, Flow and Caffeine Wear. And then we have the all-time favorites like Shiki, Gizza Creations, Faster Pussycat and Velvet Elvis.”
Organizing more than 80 stores for a two-week fashion extravaganza sounds like a really daunting task, but that doesn’t intimidates Lexie.
“I’m the owner of Siren Productions,” she explains. “Which is an event production company. I’ve done events for people too, like birthdays and such. But of course, I don’t work alone. Nobody could.”
Models: Tadeu Gartner, Lexie Jansma, and Angelik Lavecchia
She pauses, as if reviewing her payroll. “I have one Personal Assistant, Alon Alphaville; a media manager, Merrick Genesis; a model manager, Gryphon Ronas; a head of styling and my official sanity checker, Angelik Lavecchia; an entertainment manager, Paradox Messmer; two consultants, World Undercroft and Steele Sirnah; and two lead builders/sanity checkers, Lorelei Maggs and Locked Semaphore.”
She smiles.
“And that doesn’t include all the models, other builders, script writers, DJs, hosts, photographers and the like,” she adds.
What exactly would be the job description for a sanity checker?
“To keep me sane, of course,” she answers quickly with a laugh.
Though they organize all kind of events, Siren Productions deals mostly with fashion.
“I can’t picture myself doing anything else in my life,” she says. “I wanted to design since I was a little girl. In 4th grade, we had to do these little books and I wrote a bunch of poems for it based on the colors in the crayon box. And each one had a little drawing. In each of my little drawings were women with little tube tops and khaki shorts, with circle heads and triangle noses and curly swirly hair. I have been drawing women and clothes ever since.”
Model: Angelik Lavecchia
Being involved in the Second Life fashion world for five years, Lexie has had a privileged vantage point to watch the evolution of the industry.
We have come light years,” she says enthusiastically . “When I first started in SL it was pretty much all system clothes and prims. Bling was popular, too popular! Even I wore bling!
“But now, it’s all about mesh,” she continues. “It’s crazy but I think it still has a long way to go. People need to start working with patterns more, because you don’t see a lot of ‘pattern’ mesh clothes, you know, like flowers, stripes, checks, plaids or prints. There are a lot of solids.”
Men are known for not being big fans of going shopping and yet here we have a huge event devoted to men’s fashion, as well as hair, skins, accessories, menswear and even a pose place. Lexie has a different take on men and shopping.
“There is a whole section of men out there who do shop and want great fashion,” she insists. “And I also think women are starting to say: ‘I want a guy who doesn’t wear the same thing every time I see him.’ They want a guy who cares for his avatar and his looks.
“And so, the number of guys who care for their looks is increasing relative to previous years,” she concludes.
That could mean a brighter future for the fashion industry in Second Life and Lexie also sees other aspects.
“I think the fashion industry in SL is like anything else,” she explains. “There are good months and bad months. Besides being seasonal, everybody wants an item when it’s new. So, if the creators aren’t continually releasing new stuff, they are going to hit those lulls.”
Lexie’s final advice for wannabe designers is this: “Do it only if you love it and have a passion for it. And don’t think they are going to make a million dollars to live off. The days of your SL income providing for your real life are over. They disappeared when the real life economy tanked.”
But of course, the fashion industry in Second Life will always be important.
“Sure, otherwise, we would all be running around naked.”
Web site: http://mwfw2013.nywdc.com
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MWFW%202013/4/10/25
Menswear Fashion Week 2013 Schedule
FRIDAY April 19th, 2013
11am-12pm SL Eclipse Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
3-4pm SL EVOLVE, [sYs], INNUENDO Italian Style,Clef De Peau, Birth Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
6-7pm SL Space Odyssey 3010 Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
7-9pm SL ICONically Sexy MWFW 2013 Opening Party
SATURDAY April 20th, 2013
12-1pm SL Rawk Balla’ Baby Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
1-3pm SL AVENUE European Opening Party
4-5pm SL Shiki Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
7-8pm SL (red) Sand, SF Design, Bonetto Style, Xplosion, Step Inside, Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
SUNDAY April 21st, 2013
11am-12pm SL G&D Italian Style, Cashmere & Keane, HOTDIVE, Dino’s Bootique Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
3-4pm SL Dot-be Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
6-7pm SL *just BECAUSE* Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
7-9pm SL Maniera Industry Party
MONDAY April 22nd, 2013
10-11am SL Gabriel Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
2-3pm SL Hoorenbeek, IMaGE Factory, Zakar, VOOM, JFL Menswear, & Redgrave Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
5-6pm SL SCS Design, Glamdammit, Caffeine Wear, Jarythe’s Barbershop, & Amacci Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
6-8pm SL Sl Fierce Industry Party
TUESDAY April 23rd, 2013
11am-12pm SL Razorblade Jacket, Mesh theory, An@archy Ink, & Energie Footwear Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
3-4pm SL Chinese Takeout/House of London, Fatal, Zanzo, Aitui, Dura, & Adjunct Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
6-7pm SL Havok Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
WEDNESDAY April 24th, 2013
10-11am SL -Countdown- Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
11am-1pm SL Gay Archipelago Industry Party
2-3pm SL Vengeful Threads Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
4-5pm SL Faster Pussycat/Velvet Elvis Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
6-7pm SL Viva Las Vegas Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
THURSDAY April 25th, 2013
11am-12pm SL *PosESion* Pose Show RUNWAY AREA 2
3-4pm SL 69 Park Ave Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
6-7pm SL Hawkers House Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
FRIDAY April 26th, 2013
10-11am SL Peau, Signature Skins, Tellaq, Vitamen, Mr. C, Atro Patena, Feel, & Zibska Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
4-5pm SL Dynasty, Flow, Costa Creations, Akeyo, Jeepers Creepers Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
6-7PM SL KMADD Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
7-9pm SL KMADD Industry Party
SATURDAY April 27th, 2013
11am-12pm SL Gizza Creations Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
12-2pm SL Secondnight MWFW 2013 Closing Party
3-4pm SL PeKaS Design Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
5-6pm SL Cartauld’s Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 1
7-8pm SL Tamiron Forge & Rookhold Fashion Show RUNWAY AREA 2
Below are links to the mentioned stores that are participating in the 2013 Menswear Fashion Week.
Countdown
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Meadow%20Blossom/39/247/2501
Evolve
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/San%20Bernardino/202/39/24
Hoorenbeek
http://slurl.com/secondlife/JT%20World%20VI/80/100/22
Zibska
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Heavens%20Touch/61/173/1491
Dynasty
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Liberia%20Isle/46/198/54
Flow and Caffeine Wear
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/OL%20Island/154/48/25
Shiki
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shiki/182/153/28
Gizza Creations
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GizzA%20Creations/132/114/72
Faster Pussycat
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Resistance/66/94/22
