"Love Sick" presented by Project Ethos: Modeling Runway, Art, and Music Review

A full capacity crowd showed up on Friday night at the Music Box for the Project Ethos event in Hollywood called, “Love Sick”, a night of fashion, art, and live music show.

Hosted by Nick Verreos, Nick graced the audience with his glamour and style before each of the three events. Ten emerging designers took their 2010 fall and summer-line to the catwalk with 80 models to showcase a slice of styles ranging from the versatile yet elegant Cardi-wrap to the edgy swim-line all mashed into a two-hour showcase.

The night began with a live performance by Miguel. This emerging pop-soul / rock artist played a four song set that included, “Sure Thing” and “Strawberry Amazing” from his newest EP entitled, “All I Want is You” which is due to release later this summer. Miguel crafts a style that combines Usher and Lenny Kravitz.

Nick Verreos returned to the set the stage and introduce the much anticipated fashion show that would begin with the clothing line by Orange County Designer, Alma Lee. Each elegant piece on the catwalk was an original design that was sewn and crafted by Thyme Francis for the Alma Lee line.

Act two was a presentation of the Kymaro CardiWrap. 60 styles were modeled to show the elegance and style of one of the most diverse materials that will soon hit the market this fall.

The B. Vika line was the third installment of the runway show. Designed by Valerie Y. Mamane and Ambika Sanjana, this presentation of their newest line was shown on several models. They wore what could be simply discribed as the “designer hoodie collection". Together, Mamane and Sanjana took the cultures of Morocco and India by taking each individual style to blend into one, but with a touch of modern sensibility.

Following B. Vika was the hand painted works of Nicholas Tarr Designs clothing line. Tarr created a unique series of bold designs that blends art and fashion. Each piece is a limited item that is done by hand, so no two pieces are identical.


Up next was the Jajo Couture collection by Janean Johnson. Since 2005, Jajo Couture has been putting out custom design pieces that are mixtures of the classic look that combines a sense of cutting edge and art. Fit for daily wear and formal events, Johnson creates a line of pieces that reflects the modern woman with a style that has no limits.

The forth installment of the “Love Sick” show was the allusive swim suit collection by Katorey Swim Wear. Designed by siblings, Katie, Tommy, and Corey Struve, the name of their product line is no coincidence. The name Katorey is actually a combination of their names put together. Inspired by the beaches of the Monterey Peninsula in northern California, it was Katie’s vision that harbored the foundation to create this beautiful and fabulous swimwear line.

The next designer was a two-part show case with a collection by Roshena Chadha called “RC” followed with her “HardKaur” Collection. With a full background in fashion since she was a young girl, Chadha pursued a career in fashion after a formal education at Cal Poly and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. This runway presentation started off with the RC collection which was an assortment of everyday wear for the more fashion sensed individual to elegant evening wear and cocktail dresses.

The Second part to Roshena Chadha’s collection was the presentation of “HardKuar”. This clothing line was a co-ed showcase of male and female apparel meant for everyday street wear which represented the more masculine style of fashion that combines the “hardcore” state of mine with art.

Project Ethos "Love Sick" slideshow


Following Roshena Chadha was a collection of pop Culture tees created by ARKA. Established in 2009 by Shant Der Ashodian, Burag Celikian, and Sevan Aliksanian, this triple team of designers created a clothing line that suits the average person that love to express bold thoughts and ideas that speak on t-shirts. Featured on the runway were the memorable t-shirts like, “Doves in the Chamber”, “What’s on your Mind”, and the “ARKAMEDES” owl tee.

Next on the runway was the collection by Ermelinda. Started as a mere dresser and stylist, Ermelinda Manos got a rare opportunity to work with the most respected designers in the industry including, Chanel, Lagerfield, Armani, Teen Vogue, Macys, Nordstroms, St. John, Ed Hardy and Roccawear. Ermelinda took her experiences and applied her knowledge to create her own clothing line. This clothing line was the most unique of the show.  Her creative vision is a collection that intersects the best of vintage wear and the youth of Las Vegas into one Ermelinda design.

The final runway presentation ended with the Anna Lynett collection. More than a designer, Lynett is an artist. As with all her designs, each piece began on paper. To her, everything from her world translates into a system of complexity that transforms into her clothing. While her story explains the process of her creative mind, on the runway, her collection is what impresses the most. This collection is a very modern contemporary style with some mid to late 80’s influence. Each piece blends solid prints with an attention to balance. The use of pleats seems to be common throughout her clothing line, but this characteristic adds symmetry which gives total balance to the entire package.

The night ended with a musical performance by Josephine, an electro-pop artist from Beverly Hills. Her music was very “poppy”, but very commercial. Josephine gave an impressive headline performance to end the modeling showcase. The highlight of her set was the song, “Master of My Love” which is like her personal anthem and preview for what to expect from her soon-to-be released EP entitled, “Josephine’s World”. Like her lyrics, her message is simple and a common message throughout most of her songs. “I want them to feel free. I want to make them feel sexy. I want them to feel good about themselves,” Josephine said.

As Josephine was headlining the final event of the evening, a party was held on the roof top. People mingled and gathered around to view works of art, hand crafted jewelry, and enjoyed music for the exclusive after party. This exclusive party met with artists like Michael Armorillo, Matt Harward, Simone Elum, Ryan Spence, and Irene Stroganova were the guests of honor of Project Ethos "Love Sick". The designers also gathered on the roof top and hosted their own individual display booths with samples of their work on for spectators to see.

Since 2005, Project Ethos has been known as the "incubator" of emerging talent, helping new artists, musicians, designers, and models find their place in their respective industry, while helping to merge the gap between being independent artist to becoming a mainstream success.

This marks the 13th Project Ethos event. The next showcase for Los Angeles will be held in on October with several other shows scheduled for other cities on the west coast to come including San Diego, Portland, and Scottdale. For more information go to the Project Ethos website for more details on how to attend. 

Written and all photography by Mikey Jayy

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