FITCHBURG — City-based fashion designer Racheal Xavier of Valentina Ventura XX recently presented “Raw Couture: The Art of Handmade Fashion in Fitchburg,” a multidisciplinary fashion and arts event that brought together studio-made and upcycled clothing, performance, music, installation and visual art.
Funded in part by the Fitchburg Cultural Council, the Aug. 29 event held at the Fitchburg Arts Community was created as both a fashion presentation and a celebration of the artists, makers and creative community working in and around the city.
The idea for “Raw Couture” began as Xavier became increasingly involved with the Fitchburg arts community. While attending Fitchburg Arts Community planning meetings, the place she now calls home, she watched designs for it and its creative spaces take shape and began imagining a fashion show within them. Xavier eventually asked whether she could bring a runway into the space, planting the seed for what would become “Raw Couture.”
From there, Xavier — the designer and artist behind Valentina Ventura XX, an independent Fitchburg-based fashion label focused on couture streetwear, bridal, experimental fashion and upcycled design — developed the project into a proposal for the Fitchburg Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council.
Photographer Matt Wright along with Giulia Sena and Thomas Moser became part of the early production process, helping Xavier think through how the initial fashion concept could grow into a larger collaborative event rooted in the community. Over the following year, “Raw Couture” expanded to involve local designers, artists, performers, models, photographers and community members.
Part of Xavier’s inspiration also came from researching and working with Fitchburg’s cultural history, including projects connected to the Fitchburg Historical Society. That work deepened her interest in the legacy of Fitchburg artist, collector and philanthropist Eleanor Norcross.
Norcross, who spent much of her artistic life in Paris, brought art and cultural objects back to Fitchburg with the belief that people in her hometown should have access to meaningful artistic experiences. Her collection and estate later contributed to the creation of the Fitchburg Art Museum.
That history became an important conceptual reference for “Raw Couture.”
“I kept thinking about Eleanor Norcross and this idea of bringing art to the people,” Xavier said. “Fashion can become something that feels exclusive or removed from everyday life too. I wanted to bring fashion to the people in that same spirit, to make something here in Fitchburg that the community could experience, participate in and see themselves inside of.”
“Raw Couture” combined a gallery exhibition with live performance and runway presentations. Spoken word, music, performance art, installation, visual art and fashion unfolded throughout the afternoon, culminating in runway presentations featuring both participating artists and Valentina Ventura XX.
Rather than creating a runway reserved solely for professional models, Xavier opened the experience to people within the community. Artists, performers, friends and local participants modeled alongside Fitchburg Mayor Samantha Squailia.
“For me, the runway was not supposed to be something the audience simply watched,” Xavier said. “I wanted people from the community to become part of the work. The clothing came alive differently on each person who wore it, and the runway became a portrait of the people who helped make the project possible.”
Models also included Sarah Beth Wheeler, Claudia Pulpo, Peter Anthony, Gabriella Sena, Jeanette Rosario, Rosalie Ena, Digi Chivetta, AmberRose Toiletfire, Sondria Harp, Jasmine Asassy, Medusa New, Caitlyn D’Amico and Arturo Perelló-Williams.
Live performers included Sarah Beth Wheeler, Rhiannon Stewart, Toiletfire, Digi Chivetta, Michelle de Celia, Alice Nowicki, Cai Nowicki, Beck Worrell and Ladda Kosaketh, also known as Bug, and music was presented by DJ Proto / Jill G Hubcapskier and Arturo Perelló-Williams.
The gallery component extended the project beyond the runway, featuring artwork by Chivetta, Caitlyn D’Amico, Dawn Stratchko, Ed Bray, Bill Basil Tolos, Kae Lyons, Susan Musk, and Rhiannon Stewart and Caitlyn D’Amico curated the gallery with installations by Toiletfire and Taiste Jackson.
“Raw Couture” also presented design work by Xavier through Valentina Ventura XX and Perelló-Williams with installation design by Jackson. Peter Anthony served as stylist, Giulia Sena coordinated backstage, and Moser provided event creation support.
Photography became another important part of documenting the collaborative nature of the event photographed the finished event alongside Neo Ciampi, Pete Hoang Truong and Matt Burgos and videography was created by Zach Elwoodcraze.
“Raw Couture” also introduced a new body of work by Valentina Ventura XX exploring handmade construction, draping, reclaimed and deadstock materials, textile manipulation, and experimental techniques including rust dyeing.
“Fitchburg is a city where you can physically see layers of time,” Xavier said. “The old mills, brick, metal, and aging materials all carry evidence of what came before while new creative work is constantly being built within those spaces. I wanted ‘Raw Couture’ to recognize the beauty in both.”
Rust dyeing became one of the visual languages of the collection, using oxidation to create unpredictable patterns, stains and colors across textiles. The process reflects a larger theme in Xavier’s work — reconsidering things often viewed as damaged, aged, discarded, or undesirable and finding value within them.
The collection incorporated deadstock textiles, reclaimed materials, hand sewing, draping and experimental surface treatments, continuing Valentina Ventura XX’s exploration of beauty, imperfection, identity and material history.
The event was intentionally designed to move beyond the structure of a traditional runway show.
“The goal was never just to make a fashion show,” Xavier said. “I wanted to create an experience where fashion existed alongside poetry, music, performance, installation, and visual art. ‘Raw Couture’ became much bigger than my own collection. It became a reflection of the creative community around me.”
Original article
Comments