Zest Fest is now CENTRAL VALLEY FASHION WEEK
In February 2020 at the end of my last in person solo fashion show, RENEGADE, I announced that I would no longer do solo multi collection shows and that I wanted to move on to curate local fashion shows and a fashion festival that coming June. Covid happened and I wasn't able to fulfill that dream. 2022 I decided to move forward with planning ZeFe again because I felt the community needed it.
Zest Fest was my passion project, with the goal of celebrating and highlighting an assortment of creatives for you to directly support; As well as aiming to help grow their portfolios, resumes, networks, and client bases in a nurturing environment. I have always integrated dance/musical performances in my bigger fashion shows, as music, performing arts, visual arts, really any art is at the core of fashion, and fashion is at the core of art.
Someone jokingly asked me how come I'm so amazing and I jokingly responded with my zodiac info-- but in reality it is because of my family both by blood and chosen, that I have so much love in me to share.
Thank you to my parents who step up to help in all the ways I ask and all the ways I don't, for allowing me to be who I am fully, supporting me, always encouraging me, and allowing me to vent and bounce ideas off of you two.. I don't know who or where I would be without you. I love you both so much.
I appreciate all the designers, models, and vendors sticking with me on this journey through all the date and venue changes! To my THICC Aunties I love y'all forever and could not get thru the last months without crying to y'all every minute! Thank you again and many times to Ronnie for being resident DJ and forcing me to make public speeches! Thank you to Dezi, Linda, Jasmine, and Ramona for not only being stellar models but my friends for all this time. To Dad, Mitch, RJ, Milinda, Art, and Alex, thank you so much for coming to capture everyone's talent so we can share it with the world.
I am so HYPED to bring everyone this stellar showcase of creatives! It has been my dream and honor to create a platform and community in which creatives of all types could thrive and nurture one another; I believe in each person that I hand selected to be apart of this event and I hope you enjoy what they bring to the table as much as I do.