Eye on the Triangle

FULL TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE
Provided by Otter.ai

Hermajesty 0:00
This is Hermajesty. On September 26, I went to the highlight concepts fashion show right at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh. One of our DJs was working on the show and I was able to go and interview the organizer of the event, Jorge Miranda, the designer of some of the clothes we saw Venancio Tadeo ,the entertainment of the night Dia Malai. When I showed up to it, it was a party, the red carpet, a backdrop for photos and a live singer and saxophone player, a bar and booster information about sponsors. The sponsors of the fashion show were everything from real estate to insurance to cosmetic dentistry to a chicken restaurant. As I got to my seat, I saw the about 20 foot long runway with chairs on all three sides about 200 overall, a giant LED screen which overshadowed the whole room. Soon after getting seated, the MCs voice came over, announcing that they would be starting soon, along with a slideshow on the LED screen of all the models we're going to see. First we were treated to designs by Frieda which was a collection of black jacket, shirts and pants, come with large is that contrasts well with the outfits long with sort of cloaks, and then just rather long draping blazers that weren't quite trench coats. Then we got our first performance from Dia, it was passionate and the crowd could tell she was enjoying herself and in her element was wearing a neon green body suit, a neon pink and green body suit with a black veil attached at the waist. Then we got to some of the men's fashion, an avant garde take on both gender expectations on wedding garb and determining the balance between high fashion and tradition. Some wore top hats, and some wore just black pants and shirts, with a veil and a flower crown and some more just pants and a veil. The next round of outfits was more out there. Ranging from giant paper wings and a loincloth to what looked like Anakin Skywalker's Jedi robes from Revenge of the Sith. Then there was a round of outfits all made out of recycled components, like tissue, paper and trash bags, all in dresses, or pants, or all sorts of where we know the show was some incredible dresses and accompanying headwear in great makeup, which deeply contrasted with the bright and bold colors, the models were sporting with green and red and almost white sort of wedding dresses looking. That's where we went. And then the show was over after another performance from Dia, and then I got to talk with the people behind it. First, I talked to Venancio Tadeo, a fashion designer, originally from the Philippines who had his designs displayed all over the world. But he has chosen to make North Carolina and Charlotte his home and ground zero for his passions in the fashion industry.

So Venny what, what inspired you and really, where do these where a lot of these ideas come from? Or are you are you like actively sketching and trying to make new designs? Or are you just kind of out in the world? And you think, oh, like you see something and you are like, oh, that would be that would make something beautiful to wear? Or how do you what brings a lot of your inspiration to you?

Venny 2:57
My my inspiration is from the woods or in the forests. And I look around the colors and the trees and everything like that. And then I will look to the people the personality and everything like that. And that's that colors, he will go for him and your color for him like that. And that's where I get my inspiration.

Hermajesty 3:15
Okay, so do you work? Like really personally with a lot of the models that wear your clothes?

Venny 3:19
I do, I do a lot of photo shoot, and they will borrow my my clothes, or they rented it and everything like that. And so that's where I make some money, I guess.

Hermajesty 3:32
No, yeah, that was kind of my next question is where does how does the kind of throughput with that happen? So how do you kind of get your designs from sort of like sketchpad to runway to like, for someone out in the public Marian,

Venny 3:47
My sketch is, if I'm if I'm alone, and then I just look when I came from, you know, like, I'll go to the park or going into stores or whatever, when I looked at the person that I go like that or whatever. I said, I think that's what I like and praise him but I'm gonna change the design.

Hermajesty 4:03
Yeah,

Venny 4:04
And then I start drawing it in everything, sketching it and drawing it in and start putting the colors

Hermajesty 4:14
How how did you what made what made Charlotte in North Carolina kind of the right place for you to settle after moving around so much?

Venny 4:23
Well, because we have the property so that's why I have my base in Charlotte right now, but I travel a lot, like every year every year. Okay, so and because of the fashion show, we just go from state by state or whoever invited me and for help the students or the young models for the for the intern,

Hermajesty 4:48
Okay. Um, as an immigrant to the United States. Do you draw a lot of your inspiration for design? Do you draw any of that from your heritage back in the Philippines?

Venny 4:57
Mostly in my heritage? It's our salmon. Like my favorite one is the tribes because of the colors if they style that you never seen in the stores. That's right my

Hermajesty 5:12
Yeah, like it's not something you can find in the store something that only like the people are making more than it is any commercialized entity.

Venny 5:21
My work is I didn't want to commercialize and I just want to show my work to that fashion show or the runway and I didn't want to advertise it and everything because it's my own.

Hermajesty 5:31
Yeah, it makes sense. It's it's more personal than it is just yeah,

Venny 5:35
And I'm proud for that from my work. Like my model young young Hunter. And that's what gave me my inspiration because when I met him you have the good personality and vibes To me it's okay you can be my mother I can polish it to you and with my clothes and everything like that.

Hermajesty 5:52
Yeah, how did you kind of channel the energy what kind of brought this specific energy of tonight into fruition? Where were you looking a lot of with the designs we sought today?

Venny 6:04
Today is very stressful. Because we have to be in the second level of high fashion it's just like we are doing it in Paris, Italy, Italy, Philippines, Asia or whatever like that. Not in the United States. United States is very very slow for my design right now. It's already it's already here last year.

Hermajesty 6:27
Yeah,

Venny 6:28
I mean, what I mean it's already there in Asia last year. Yeah, shoving it in here. Okay. Yeah, because we are behind a fashion fashion here in United States

Hermajesty 6:39
Jorge Miranda is the executive director of Highlight Concepts image consulting services and photography studio. He began as a model and actress in his home country of Colombia and as years of experience in the fashion and production of in planning and photography he's now based in Raleigh with Highlight Concepts working on making North Carolina into a place for fashion

What kind of do you do any of your designs yourself as well? Or do you like just organizing events?

Jorge Miranda 7:08
We organize it very well I know doing clothes designer that is part of my background. My background is I was a can many many years and then I was the director for international mobile agency. So I know exactly why the more than one or what are the more than me so that's it the reason that Mike on my communication with them is easy, because I know exactly what they want. They want to be famous, but they don't know how or they don't they don't have the key so I give it to them the key and they can use it in different doors so it's the effect to them.

Hermajesty 7:41
Okay, so you do a lot of connecting models with the designers

Jorge Miranda 7:45
We are not connecting model with the designer to be honest they connected by itself because they present and good way everybody could use contact them or contact them especially in this media time that everybody has instagram, facebook, twitter whatever so except for now right now is good or next to us so it could do something good and he posted everybody will be looking for him that's it that's our goal, our goal there they charmed by itself. No, no no expect not that the past is not somebody pushing them no they need to go and fly by self.

Hermajesty 8:28
What was what is the process of creating a fashion show like?

Jorge Miranda 8:31
Oh, that's that's the question. I want. I want to do with these fashion shows specific this costume show was six months to just prepare in the fashion show. First we have to make plan what are the potential or what kind of fashion show we want it and then we start doing with the cast and then we start doing the training and these fsap with my company we train in then we are no you're looking for then okay you go to the runway and you own a sky we get in the the key to be success and then they can use it they are theirs is dependent then they want to use whatever we offer them or they can use it or they can use forget it by I see potential multiple them the 100% of the use or the technique that we teach it to them. So that says no Meister say that said he says they are good. We are looking good and the fashion fashion shows look good. So all the applause is not right.

Hermajesty 9:33
Yeah. So what kind of made Raleigh a good location for a show now?

Jorge Miranda 9:38
Because Raleigh doesn't have nothing so when I moved to rally rally was in the middle of the nowhere and rally right now as we go when my background is about fashionable, good parties, but cocktail parties fancy good time. I said to myself and to my business partner say I I've been rallying ready and we prove today that is ready so because I believe nobody can say to me that we have a show like tonight before here in Raleigh This is a super spectacular show and I say it's not because it's my show that was the morning show that is not our show is day show.

Hermajesty 10:20
Yeah, it was it was incredible. Um What do you think the future of fashion Raleigh looks like?

Jorge Miranda 10:26
Where the future is? I think good. We open door now is the pain. We are planning Now to do this second one. But now is the pain of the people how the people are setting and support us because without a sponsor and without the support for the people that are attending to the fashion show it's impossible we can have another dream but if you don't have somebody that gives you the chance to you I make you make the dream come true. That is impossible. The support passion and rally is time all the time when I talk with people say oh is nothing here oh we don't have nothing I have to go to LA I have to go to New York. Well no anymore now we have a fashion show cocktail. We have party we have everything we have beautiful models money around the world. We are here thank you for all the modal guys they are Listen to me. I love them.

Hermajesty 11:27
Um, how did you choose Venny as the designer? And how did you put piece together the other component to the show?

Jorge Miranda 11:34
Easy question. It's only because the extravagance that Ben and the Cray the creation that he can make. Yes, it is 100% and make clothes as recycling. Wow, that is a big thing. So how you can imagine that you make clothes with a truss rod or with something that the people just put in the trust. And then he made it that does is when I say Raleigh need to see art and this is art on the show that you'll see tonight

Hermajesty 12:09
It's incredible. Thank you so much. Thank you for sitting down or answering questions with me.

Jorge Miranda 12:16
No, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for noticing that to be part of this show. Thank you to do my interview. Because without you we cannot do anything just made the boys

Hermajesty 12:26
Exactly I'm so excited to talk about it more. Have a good night enjoy the rest of the event.

Jorge Miranda 12:31
However now you're now the good night to everybody that listened this into us. We love you.

Hermajesty 12:37
Dia Malai is a singer from Queens who now calls Raleigh home that is working her way up to the local national music scene. How does this experience kind of compared to like other performances?

Dia Malai 12:48
Well one I've never performed at a fashion show before so this is a complete first and you know This to me is a unique experience because I just overall like I love fashion as I said I love beauty so and I love performing and I love music so this is just like the perfect little this is a perfect a perfect type of event for me to perform at

Hermajesty 13:09
That's amazing I'm so glad I like your so, yeah it's so it's so you

Dia Malai 13:12
It is me, yes very, so very so MUCH me

Hermajesty 13:15
Uh can you kind of explain who Dia Malai is to the listeners who may not have found it before.

Dia Malai 13:22
Yeah, so I mean, since I started making music, I've always loved like r&b music. I've always loved soul music, and pop music. So I kind of have this genre, this concoction that I created with my music called pop soul. So I love pop sounds I love music that just make people feel good stuff that you can play at, you know, events just to get everybody excited, right? But also the soul part to invoke that emotion to make people also feel something at the same time. So if I was to say what Dia Malai would be, it would be possible.

Hermajesty 13:58
Awesome. How it's kind of, it's been a big kind of bump in the road for a lot of people how has COVID impacted your musical journey?

Dia Malai 14:07
Whoo COVID has been kinda my worst enemy. Honestly, I'm not to get too you know, heavy, but earlier this year, in March, I actually lost my dad to COVID. And then in July, I had caught COVID myself. So that was just a whole crazy experience. It took a crazy toll on my body, it took a toll on my voice. You know, it took me a while to like build the vocal agility, back up and everything like that, due to the symptoms of the virus, but, you know, that's been a lot. And then when we're going to talk about the performance tip, I haven't been able to really perform in front of like, you know, a good amount of people like I did tonight because, you know, we're just now starting to get outdoors unlocked. So we're just now finally able to like leave home and it feels good to actually be able to touch stage again, and You know, do concerts that's not virtual. So this is a good experience.

Hermajesty 15:05
Yeah. What's kind of coming down the pipeline for you project-wise or more performances?

Dia Malai 15:09
Yeah, so actually I just released a feature track with someone, it's an artist by the name of Oh, Banga, he's from New York currently in Atlanta, I believe. And we just released a track called Shalalah. The track is everywhere you listen to your music, it's also, we also shot a music video. And we put that out earlier this week as well. It's doing really well people are reacting really well to it. So I'm excited about that new music from me as well, myself as as Dia Malai just me and my solo stuff. Music coming out for that as well. I'm also in the midst of just building more catalogue, just creating the music, just so you know, I can eventually have that project that I put out as the project that I had put out. Three years ago echo Street, I kind of want to put something like that together again, just to you know, give my supporters give the people who have been following me and my new supporters, something to listen to, and kind of get an idea of who I am today. So new music is in the pipeline and bigger surprise opportunities that I may not be able to speak of on the air right now. It's come in.

Hermajesty 16:13
Yeah. How did you come to work with Jorge?

Dia Malai 16:17
Believe it or not, that's it's a it's a funny story. So I actually used to work at Ulta beauty. I was a beauty advisor there. And my manager Chelsea, actually, once I left because I was only a seasonal worker. Once I left, they actually told me like that they were, you know, collaborating with someone who was putting on a fashion show, and they thought of me because she loved my music from when I used to work there with her. So she recommended me to be the entertainment of tonight. And a couple months later here I am having this interview with you guys. And I was the entertainment of the night. So that's how that happened.

Hermajesty 16:53
Awesome. Um, you're originally from Queens, right?

Dia Malai 16:56
Queens, New York.

Hermajesty 16:57
How did you get to Raleigh?

Dia Malai 16:59
So I came down here for family really, just to like have a whole new change of scenery. Just because I felt like a lot was going on in New York, the pandemic had just hit and I didn't want to be around that many people. I mean, obviously it still caught up to me, unfortunately, but I was trying to escape you know, just being in the pits of the fire because New York had a really really bad outbreak. So I just wanted to escape that plus my mom or her had already already lived down here. My sister lives down here now. I have some niece and nephews down here. So you know, I just really came for family. Just I just like to be around my family be around things that just helped me stay afloat, and families that thing for me, and music is that thing so it allowed me to be able to just recenter and focus all at the same time.

Hermajesty 17:46
Awesome. The artists is Dia Malai and you're listening to WKNC.

Dia Malai 17:50
Thank you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai