Final Miss Milwaukee County Post! Update 6.2
I know you’ve been waiting for the check in,.
Yall, that gallery night was lit! If you missed it, I hope you jump on the next opportunity because me and mines showed out! I raised 800$ and spent about $300 on creating this event. Which means I made about $500 bucks. If it had not been for my mother, my aunts and my friend Arthur, this would have been so much harder to do.
Those who attended were from almost every subcommunity I am a part of. From the abolitionists to the democratic socialists. From the queer crew to the art scene. My community brought me so much joy.
First off, any private event I do, you are going to listen to my Spotify liked playlist. That means it’s a shuffle of every category of music I listen to. So yes, there was R&B, reggae, reggaeton, hip hop and rock to name a few!
People enjoyed light refreshments; food and desserts sold by Chocolate’s Kitchen! Titi Keesa made this bomb banana pudding in a jar and I ate that mofo as soon as I went home.
Just look at these images. All of my designs are created from recycled/thrifted clothing. My goal in my artwerk is to help reduce waste and inspire folx to be more environmentally aware of their impact on the Earth. Some of my paintings will include recycled items upcycled into brilliant pieces meant to stimulate your third eye.
Pictured: Corey. He’s wearing a dashiki crop top and matching pants. His ski mask is from a green sweater that matched Raven’s tub top.
Pictured: Aaron. He’s wearing an extended sweater (pieces of two sweaters) with a sweater scar in the back. Sometimes ya back needs to breathe.
Pictured: Leidy She’s wearing a lingerie set rework with a skirt added.
Pictured: Raven. She’s wearing a tub top made from safety pins and green sleeves from a sweater. Wrapped around her waist is a button up/ long sleeve dress made from three different buttons up.
Pictured: Jesse. He’s wearing a short sleeve/ button up made from 3 different button ups.
Pictured: Annika. She is wearing a skirt/ shirt matching combo with leg warmers to match. She also brought her OG (from my high school designs) over-the-shoulder tote purse to rock with it.
Pictured: Keziah. She is wearing a full Cocoa Ketur design like Corey. Made from bell bottom pants, she’s fitted in shorts, leg skirts and a matching sleeve. Her lace undershirt is a piece of a lingerie kimono and tied over it is a nipple cover.
Some of these clothes are available for borrowing. Others, like the sweater Aaron is wearing, were bought by the model. I just decided that I will not sell all of my clothes that I make under this business name. I want to create clothes that are borrowed and washed before being borrowed again. If something you want isn’t in your size, best believe I can make a replica to fit your measurements. Just reach out.
There will be an official system set up on this website after I have returned from the Miss Wisconsin 2022 pageant this Sunday 5.8.22.
Now for folx who don’t know, I have been a designer since I was in high school at Nathan Hale. I used to get a lot of hand-me-downs as a child. So I repurposed things and made them fit my personality. I went to school at Columbia Chicago College (don’t quote me on the spelling) but I didn’t finish because I felt the need to take care of business at home in Milwaukee. Afterwards I lost my motivation to finish college, but I still want to finish some of the fashion/business courses.
When you see something you like, don’t hesitate to reach out, because these designs are too hot to sleep on. Reach out for information about models, they are available for hire. And yes I paid my models. We pour back into our community around here.
Now, I had so much fun with this gallery night that I cannot wait to host another event and shake the Milwaukee fashion scene. With your support (shares, donations, and love) I can do just that!
Follow this kickstarter link to help me raise 4,000$ towards this event. I also created a new AND exclusively sold design for Cocoa Ketur on Bonfire. The artwerk took me 65 hours and I put hella energy into creating an image that represented what my company embodies: divinity & environmentalism.
Peace & Blessings,
Annia
(they/them)
Priestess of the Divine Trinity
Mixx Milwaukee County 2022