ORT Strasbourg graduate Sophie Guermeur and ORT Moscow graduate Daria Dementeva | | More than 130 people gathered at London’s exclusive Reform Club for the “Because of ORT” fashion salon where creative consultancy firm The Future Vintage introduced six new, promising designers.
Two of the designers were graduates from fashion design programmes at ORT schools. Daria Dementova brought her ‘Learning to Fly’ collection from Moscow, whilst Sophie Guermeur from ORT Strasbourg presented her collection ‘Optical Illusions’.
Impressed by the quality of the garments, the crowd competed vigorously at the auction to be one of the lucky six people to acquire these one-of-a-kind items.
|
Sophie praised the education she received at ORT.
“It allowed me to open myself up to the world and even more so to the art of fashion and everything that surrounds it,” she said. “All this thanks to the education I got during the completion of my high school diploma, including the school trips we had to Paris, Moscow and Karlsruhe and the professional experiences we were given, like the fabric salon in Saint-Marie aux Mines. This education created my artistic identity and made it possible for me to take part in this fashion show.”
Daria said she could not believe it when she was told that she would be coming to London for the show.
“This has been a big step for a girl of 21!” she said. “I don’t know where I would be today without the education and facilities at the ORT college – and now, from this trip, I’ve learned so much about how to prepare and organize such an event. And it was very pleasant the way people came up to me and told me how much they liked my designs.”
This glamorous event, held at the height of London Fashion Week, was a great success for ORT, raising more than £10,000 for its network of 17 Jewish Day Schools in the Former Soviet Union.
Friends of ORT Co-Chair Susan Roffman said a visit to Russia last year with fellow Co-Chair Roslyn Wagman had boosted their pride in, and reinforced their commitment to, ORT’s network of schools in the FSU.
“We had the opportunity to visit some of the schools and experience the high levels of education given,” Ms Roffman said. “The teachers say that ORT is their family, their task is not only to educate the children, but making sure they can get to school and eat a nutritious meal during the day.”
She thanked the sponsors whose generosity had ensured the event’s financial success and, in particular, Konstantin Yelin, who was so impressed by ORT’s work that he committed the creative consultancy company, The Future Vintage, which he co-founded, to making the fashion show a platform for the organization.
“Thank you Konstantin, for your wonderful generosity and energy that went into making this evening a great success. And thank you also to [Future Vintage Founder and Director] Regina N’Day and her great team at The Future Vintage,” Ms Roffman said.
|
